Group 4 to sell German business

Angol-Dutch Security firm Group 4 Securicor today said it was in talks to sell its struggling German cash services business as it reported a 4.7% increase in first-half earnings.

Pre-tax profits lifted to £120.1m (€176.2m) for the six months to June 30 from £114.7m (€168.3m) last year – slightly below City forecasts which sent shares down almost 1%. Turnover grew 8.5% to £2.19bn (€3.1bn).