Sunday share tips: Dunelm, Anglo Asian Mining

Dunelm shares, having fallen by almost a quarter over the past year, offer room for recovery, pointed out the Sunday Times' Inside the City column, which focuses on the solid performance so far under new chief executive Nick Wilkinson. The ex boss of Evans Cycles joined in February and was forced to warn on profits at the homewares retailer in May.

That last week's on-target annual results were met with adulation from investors is an indication of the troubles with the retail sector. What's more, Wilkinson highlighted reasons to be cheerful as the integration of late 2016 acquisition Worldstores pretty much complete, allowing him to now focus on driving profit margins and improving stock management.

Wilkinson's strategy is built around simplifying store and online ranges under one brand, one website and one supply chain, with a greater emphasis on digital sales and increased investment on advertising to build brand awareness.

Pressure from online purists is offset by weakened rivalry from department stores, capped off by last week's tribulations at John Lewis in the face of the “most promotional market in a decade”.

"However, as the only homeware specialist — now with a stronger online offer, soon to include click and collect — there should be rewards if he succeeds," the column concluded.

Anglo Asian Mining "could provide substantial gains", said Midas in the Mail on Sunday, though the gold miner has disappointed in the past.

Listed on AIM since 2005 at 77p, the Azerbaijan-based company is now a low-cost producer of gold, copper and silver from three operational mines and is about to pay shareholders a maiden dividend, yet its shares have sunk to 45p.

A disappointing investment in a processing plant and saw the shares collapse to below 5p by 2015 before chief executive Reza Vaziri brought in new management, including a new finance director and a new head of geology, which improved processing to upgrade the quality of its ore, while two new mines were brought into production.

For 2018, 78,000-80,000 troy ounces of gold are forecast to be produced, up around a third since 2014 while costs have been trimmed to just over $600 per oz from more than $900. Further cost cuts are forecast over the next couple of years, while production is likely to continue rising.

Exploration work is ongoing on its the 115 square miles of land where Anglo Asian has mining rights. Last week, plans were announce for an airborne geophysical survey over the entire 300 sq km area of its Gedabek property in Azerbaijan to identify future gold and copper drill targets, with government providing helicopter services.

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