好色先生TV

Last week reports emerged that Miller, which is owned by private equity firm Blackstone and the Miller family, is considering a stock market float, on the back of the resurgent housebuilding market.

According to the reports, Miller, which is based in Edinburgh, is set to appoint a banker in preparation for a debut on the stock market, with the firm following Crest Nicholson, after the latter listed on the London Stock Exchange in February, five years after it was taken private.

Miller Group declined to comment on the report, but a source close to the firm described it as 鈥渉ugely speculative鈥�, adding that Miller had not appointed advisers and that it was unlikely that Blackstone, which took a 55% stake in Miller at the end of 2011, would be ready to end its involvement with the firm at this stage.

鈥淎lthough a private equity shareholder will look for an exit at some point, it seems pretty early for that right now,鈥� the source said.

The source added that far from being 鈥渁 pure housebuilder鈥� Miller had construction, property and mining divisions, which made simple comparisons with other housebuilders misleading. 鈥淚t [the report] is reading across from other parts of the industry, but is highly speculative,鈥� the source said.

In its interim results for the six months to 30 June 2013, Miller鈥檚 housing business reported a 50% increase in pre-tax profit from 拢4.4m to 拢6.6m in the first six months of 2013, with revenue flat at 拢125m.

But Miller Construction reported a pre-tax loss of 拢2.4m compared with a loss of 拢0.8m over the same period of 2012, despite the division significantly increasing revenue to 拢193m, up from 拢113m over same the period last year.

Overall the group posted an increase in pre-tax profit from 拢0.4m to 拢4m in the first half of 2013.