LADBROKES DOWN 9% TO 1.17 TODAY

LADBROKES ARE TO STOP LAYING OVERNIGHT PRICES IN SHOPS. . .

IF A PUNTER ASKS FOR ONE THE CASHIERS ARE TOLD TO TELL THEM TO BACK THEM ONLINE.

2 TEENY WEENY FAULTS HERE LADDIES . . . .

YOUR ASKING YOUR STAFF TO IN EFFECT PUSH THERE SHOP PUNTERS ONLINE WHICH WILL POSS MAKE THEM REDUNDENT.

ALSO ONLINE IN A CLICK OF A BUTTON THOSE SHOP PUNTERS WANTING THOSE BETS WILL BE RESTRICTED.

WHOS GENIUS IDEA WAS THIS ??

STINKS OF PAT MAC AND THE B A C GOONS

The next share price update may not require a pound sign.......

The cashier can bet online though too at Laddies ?

I've looked for a price before and the cashier has gone onto the site and backed the selection for me on screen from the website prices. 

But it wasn't an overnight horse though, think it was some fiddly Eastern European Fixed match, Over 5.5 goals or something.

Experience

Pat McIntyre : Ladbrokes

Team Leader : Trading Supervisor at Ladbrokes

May 2000 – Present (14 years 9 months)

Responsibility 1; Provide information to Director level on betting investigations
Responsibility 2; Maintain various data reporting tools including Microsoft Pro-clarity
Responsibility 3. Liaise with line management on trading related issues
Responsibility 4. Authorise and control acceptance of bets

Key Achievements :
F*CK ALL

Key Achievements :

Project manager within a fantastic team, driving share price in ten years from £10 to £1-02.

Halved OTC profits utilising a secret project team, focusing on lowest price on all selections.

Instrumental at board room level in the regression of I.T systems and procedures, the main protagonist in flushing millions of pounds down the toilet in failed software systems.

The catalyst for state of the art advertisement campaign 'The Ladbrokes Life'.

Jan 8, 2015 -- 12:15PM, Big Boss wrote:

ExperiencePat McIntyre : LadbrokesTeam Leader : Trading Supervisor at LadbrokesMay 2000 – Present (14 years 9 months)Responsibility 1; Provide information to Director level on betting investigationsResponsibility 2; Maintain various data reporting tools including Microsoft Pro-clarity Responsibility 3. Liaise with line management on trading related issues Responsibility 4. Authorise and control acceptance of bets Key Achievements :F*CK ALL

That is good big boss

But the tragic/or not tragic thing is . . . Its all true

Like that one big boss

fighting back 22nd jan  now £1.14  - must be opening shops now

vile mob serves them right,they had great pleasure refusing bets best they open as a bakers

£1.13 today and betfair now £16.10 - wot a kick up backside

Never realised this was your thread straihty baby

Nice 5/2 vergetorixs today laddies fanks

I notice today they have gone up 8p or 7% anyone got any inklings, mind you still a long way from the 2.46 that they used to be when I was thinking about bailing out if they had got to 2.50.

Interesting , hoping its news like they will open there toilets to customers !!! and not done dodgy deal that's detrimental to racing game

The worrying thing is rust who ran ladcrooks into the ground is now in charge at bha ffs.

Still around £1.18 with all this doom n gloom  - hopefully they shut all doors - a bookie business not prepared to take a bet

just under a £1000 a machine per shop , they must be doing a lot wrong with every other aspect of their business

Bookmaker Ladbrokes has reported a big fall in pre-tax profit for 2014, from £68m to £38m, and expects to close 60 UK shops in the coming year.

The firm, which has more than 2,000 UK stores, blamed "regulatory headwinds" and a disappointing Boxing Day.

Ladbrokes said that the impending rise in gaming machine taxes meant more closures would be inevitable.

Last year, councils were granted powers to refuse planning applications for High Street betting shops.

The move came after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that concern had increased over "clustering" bookmakers in some UK towns and city centres.

The company's chief executive, Richard Glynn, said: "Whilst recognising there are regulatory headwinds, Ladbrokes is confident in its plans for 2015.

"Strong operational delivery delivered a second half of growth as envisaged, but the £8m hit on Boxing Day did take some of the shine off our performance."

He added that for 2015, the company would be focusing on digital and international growth - digital revenue for 2014 was up 23%.

Ladbrokes is searching for a new chief executive after announcing in December that Mr Glynn would be stepping down this year.

Might have to return to bookmaking to regain the old days.

Think they rather go bust. Muppets.

Not sure if the "Imaginary Sign" have anything to offer..

The worst website ever staffed by clueless half-wits on minimum wage.Banning anything that has a brain cell..

The shops are a disgrace filthy dirty and English is a second language..

If you have shares in the firm sell them now...

HTF did they lose 8 mill in a day?

"New automated bet accepting system working well please upgrade ASAP"...

think they had 7 top priced and highlighted on Tuesday coupon plus 2 or 3 tonight that have all copped. Mind you Tuesday would have hurt the industry wholesale. Might have cost Laddies a grand!

they are ruiining the buisness down for a takeover

the end is in sight

HL COMMENT (26 FEBRUARY 2015)

The company began its commentary on these results with the comment that "all operational objectives delivered to plan and on time". The key word is "operational" because operating profits fell 9.3%, headline profit before tax by 13.5% and earnings per share by 13.7%. Prior to these numbers there had been uncertainty over the likely level of dividend for the year. Ladbrokes have confirmed with these numbers that "the Board currently intends to maintain the 8.9p dividend for 2015".

The market took reassurance from news that operational improvements are expected to translate through to financial performance in 2015. That plus the intention to maintain the dividend has led to the stock recouping some recent losses, to rise 5% at the time of writing.

Departing CEO, Richard Glynn commented:
"Ladbrokes entered 2014 clear on what needed to be done to deliver a successful World Cup and to move from operational delivery in H1 to financial growth in H2. We delivered against all our operational targets, enjoyed a successful World Cup and saw clear growth in key areas of the business. Ladbrokes exited 2014 with pleasing operational metrics and is in good shape to compete even more effectively with a clear view on what more needs to be done. 2015 will see new management but the focus on satisfying customer demands, improving the resilience of our retail estate, growing internationally and further improving our Digital offer remains. Whilst recognising there are regulatory headwinds, Ladbrokes is confident in its plans for 2015."

Register to receive Ladbrokes share research updates direct to your inbox for free

Highlights:
UK Retail net revenue rose 0.7% but operating profits dropped 11% to £119m, not helped by a one-off £8.1m loss on Boxing Day football matches, Ladbroke's worst ever football daily result.
Digital grew revenue 23% and profits rose 71% to £14m. European Retail profits dropped 17% to £13m, whilst the High Rollers team delivered a £14m profit compared to £6m the year before.
UK Retail saw 29% growth in football staking, 12% if you strip out the World Cup. A drop in the wider OTC win margin to 16.4% saw overall OTC revenues dip 3.3%, Whilst Machine net revenues rose by 4%. Ladbrokes closed 89 UK shops in the year with another 60 set to close this year.
European Retail was a growth story in Spain and Belgium, overshadowed by weak trading in Ireland.
The Digital relaunch progressed, following the signing up to Playtech’s platforms and services in 2013. All of Ladbrokes digital products are now on the Playtech IMS system. Mobile sportsbook grew by 110% for the year, and new tablet and desktop platforms, using Mobenga technology will support growth in 2015.
New regulation to limit problem gambling does not seem to be holding Machine revenue back; growth accelerated in H2 to over 6%, but new regulations on £50+ staking come into force in Q2 and could have an impact.

Outlook:
Year to date net revenue, excluding the volatile High Roller category, is 1.5% ahead, despite some poor football days and a few big customers making unusually large wins. Retail OTC staking trends are similar to the -7% pace of Q4, but at better win margins. H2 of last year saw an improved underlying profitability and Ladbrokes say this trend has continued into 2015. However, 2015 faces significant headwinds from increased Machine Gaming Duty in March and the Point of Consumption Tax. Ladbrokes are confident that their underlying operational performance improvements will generate underlying growth in 2015, assuming normal sporting results and no further regulatory impacts.

Our view:
Although today's results from Ladbrokes have been well received, the political risk to which this sector is exposed tempers our enthusiasm somewhat, especially in the year of a General Election. A Labour government, in one form or another, would probably be the most unfavourable outcome for the sector, we feel. The Labour party has always been, at best, ambivalent towards the industry, at times downright hostile. Harriet Harman, Deputy Labour Leader, has proposed a levy on all sports-betting to "support community sport and help raise awareness about problem gambling". Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) in the bookies' shops account for around half of net retail revenues, but don't ask for wages, so further regulations designed to crack down on their usage would be particularly unwelcome news for investors.

Even if the election doesn't throw up any nasty surprises, the sector is already battling some significant regulatory headwinds. The 'Point of Consumption Tax' was implemented on 1 December 2014 in order to crackdown on a loophole that has allowed businesses to base their online activities offshore to cut their tax bills. Going forward the Group will pay 15% gross profits tax on online UK revenues. A further unwelcome regulatory development came in 2014's Budget, when the government announced that the rate of Machine Games Duty for the majority of gaming machines in betting shops would increase to 25% from 20%. The changes are due to come into effect from March 2015.

A key issue for Ladbrokes has been its digital strategy. Digital profits are not much more than 10% of Retail profits, yet it is clear that the growth in the industry is primarily coming from the online sector. Rivals like Wm. Hill and PaddyPower have been much more adept at growing their digital products. Ladbrokes finally admitted the inevitable in 2013 and moved onto the Playtech platform, with Playtech signing a deal that incentivises them to deliver results for Ladbrokes. But Laddies are trailing a long way behind the leaders. Last year, for instance, Wm. Hill reported digital earnings ten times larger than Ladbrokes have just declared.

The yield on Ladbrokes has kept a lot of investors loyal to the stock. On the current intended dividend the stock yields 7.4%, one of the highest yields in the FTSE 350 index. But a new CEO will be appointed later this year and may take a different view of the dividend. The statement about the 2015 payment was rather caveated, the Board talking about "currently" and "intends" and only referring to 2015, not beyond, so we feel investors should not rely on this payment. Within its industry, Ladbrokes is a good brand, we feel. But it desperately needs better traction online to avoid becoming eclipsed by changing customer habits. The brand could yet attract interest from a predator, but without a convincing online performance we find it hard to be attracted to the stock.
All yield figures are variable and not guaranteed.

Interesting which direction industry going , myself I don't ever visit shops now due to bet refusal and been made to feel nuisance to staff cos they on facebook etc.... atmosphere and characters all gone.

all the times they knocked me back with bets ,poetic justice staff s****ing when trying to place bets serves them right

Need someone that has a clue about the game..

May even make a pitch as the firm are clueless..

Dream team you and me . . . All joking aside how could we poss be any worse

Dickie I used to work for an internet start-up many haircuts ago where the clueless Managing Director was parachuted in (feck me the fella should have died) from Ladbro ookes and before he arrived we were winning money..

Of course the new fella decided to ban anything that moved..

He brought in his own high rollers from the Far East that would bet anything up to £100k on a football match and he would always give them "First Pop " at the odds on a Monday Morning..

Of Course in those days betting was illegal in Asia and so they would take the inflated odds and sell them on at lesser prices..

And after I left the rancid firm they had major difficulties in collecting any outstanding debts..

Cannot tell you who the actual firm were or I would have to contact the Stock Exchange first.

Lads £1.14 today whereas betfair £20.96 today,dunno will laddies refuse bets chelt week or rely on fobts

Lads £1.10 today whereas betfair £22.18 today, lads shareholders doing b...s without taking a bet . Great news.

I seem to have an argument everytime I go into laddies these days

I tried to have a bet on a horse last week - it was 14/1 max £25 - I put down £25 e/w and they said I couldn't have that bet only 12.50 e/w - I said that's ridiculous, its usually £25 win or £25e/w but they refused. Fortunately I did win only as it won at about 9/1 I think ! The previous day I had done £100e/w on Faugheen when it was £100 max and that bet got accepted !

Then yesterday I went to collect £50 on a lockin special double when they went even money Mullins/Walsh - it took me 15 minutes to collect as they had no idea of the bet as if I was just going to make it up !

Out of interest when did their channel 4 offer back a horse @ 4/1 ? or more and free bet up to £25 start?

Still hovering at low £1.10 , got to be takeover as no progress in being a bookmaker.

Cannot understand why we've got all these newby bookies on the internet when for VIRTUALLY NOTHING you could take over Laddies. Web stuff is still not so good and I'm still restricted to £2.08 for one lucky bet si I don't bet with them. Can't download dosh anyway without undoing pop - ups. All infrastructure there needs dosh investing and new energy and ethos amongst staff who to be fair are not the best and back to basic values like accepting a bet. Notice new CEO said motivation not an issue. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm .... Is in my local. Got a few shares so come on let's get it on. £110.10 cheap as chips.

Been on the lash all afternoon 111.10p and so I don't bet with them. Still cheap as chips.RIPE for a takeover.

Take over for virtually nothing? Market cap is over 1 billion at current price.

All there sado potential is there to make a few quid. Need to get customer base back and modernise. 1 billion 2 billion 3 billion who cares. Has potential to make a few quid. Rich in resources.

1 Billion is that correct - would of thought much lower what assets do they hold.

I suppose will depend on how much of the estate is owned and how much rented.

Open   
110.10
High   
111.40
Low   
110.10
Market cap   
1.02B
P/E ratio (ttm)   
25.01
Dividend yield   
8.03%


Yield and P/E ratio look well out of line, something has to give imo.

It's defo a company on the rocks and there's plenty of them at the moment and IMO this is one where it's too late to recover.

Doubt they'll sit there and go bust, but you can't pay twice as much in dividends as you have earned for very long. Dividend must be cut I think.

Cut the dividend, shares get sold, company bust within a week.

Shares would stop falling at 80 odd pence. Only at current price because of takeover prospects. Richard Glynn and Ian Bull have sold half of their latest free shares at 116.

i can understand why
went for a weekend from holland to londen.
when my wife was shopping i went to a ladbroke office near covent garden.
when i asked the manager to explain me  how to bet  ,she answered i have absolutely no idea how it works.

MORE BAD NEWS OIOI   £104.10p -5.60  -5.10

lock in been cut for 50 pound to 25 pound

liberator of the oppressed 23 Mar 15 17:56 Joined: 12 Jul 07 | Topic/replies: 2,649 | Blogger: liberator of the oppressed's blog
Cannot understand why we've got all these newby bookies on the internet when for VIRTUALLY NOTHING you could take over Laddies. Web stuff is still not so good and I'm still restricted to £2.08 for one lucky bet si I don't bet with them. Can't download dosh anyway without undoing pop - ups. All infrastructure there needs dosh investing and new energy and ethos amongst staff who to be fair are not the best and back to basic values like accepting a bet. Notice new CEO said motivation not an issue. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm .... Is in my local. Got a few shares so come on let's get it on. £110.10 cheap as chips.


You know what pisses me off more than anything on this forum..

Someone boasting that they are full factor when the rest of us are max bet£0.00....

Ladbrokes have nothing..

Rented "stores" poor staff and an internet site that has been seemingly set up with the sole purpose of restricting the lucky punters and banning the rest.

Unless they are taken over they are worth the square root of feck all..

Nick Rust knew it and abandoned ship..

Trouble is that he was part of the cause and he could not run a bath..

Where do they get them from.

Ladbrokes has been so badly run over the past 10 years.

The management have failed big time they are NOT bookmakers anymore unlike the days under Cyril Stein.

The purchase of Bet daq was a joke. What was the point of that ? Their own exchange is also pointless.

Also several failed takeover attempts gone west.

Betfair and Hills must be feeling pretty warm inside watching that shambles from a distance.

And we still got the prospect of Ed Milliband making things much worse for them.

Here is an idea for you current management , go back to the days when Ladbrokes name mean't something and start playing at being a standout from the crowd bookie again.

Also their prices are shocking and offer by far the worst value on the high st , even the mugs must be starting to notice this as most of them congregate in the locals Betfreds near mine leaving Sadbrokes pretty empty most mornings to lunchtimes.

ock in been cut for 50 pound to 25 pound

ock in been cut for 50 pound to 25 pound

I just tried to get a £50 double on with ladcrooks -to win £146-on two sporting events -a 6-4 and 4-7 shot-told i could only have £16 .67 on.
        I had to go to a shop to get the same bet on. Pathetic .

did well to get it authorised in the shop

Out of over 100 accounts restricted or shut the only ones that have actually closed my accounts are ladbrokes, Stan James and bet-victor.
Even koral and baldies will let me have up to a fiver on still.
And how do they explain withdrawing overnight prices in their shops and the staff advising me to bet online? Are they really that clueless?

The purchase of Bet daq was a joke. What was the point of that ?

_________________________________________

Ladbrokes buys **** in €30m deal
Ladbrokes chief executive Richard Glynn has made his first acquisition since taking the reins at the bookmaker three years ago with the purchase of betting exchange **** for about €30m (£25m).

The bookmaker unveiled the deal with ****’s owner, Irish multi-millionaire Dermot Desmond, who also has a 2pc stake in Ladbrokes, on Thursday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9822932/Ladbrokes-buys-****-in-30m-deal.html

_______________________________________________

Well, you could argue that at least one major shareholder in Ladbrokes benefited from the deal ...

homefortea
26 Mar 15 21:27

Ladbrokes have nothing..

Rented "stores" poor staff and an internet site that has been seemingly set up with the sole purpose of restricting the lucky punters and banning the rest.

Spot on HFT.  Ladcrooks - no assets (bar Daq which they have ruined already, reminiscent of their failed venture into spread betting in the 90s), high-rollers who have been propping up the profits for decades now gone skint, restricted core clientèle (many having had accounts for years) and won't even lay a bet to new customers, management with no business plan, website and mobile app that are way behind the competition, poker site that was once strong now a laughing stock, reputation ruined and to top it all off there is legislation imminent that will go part way to destroying turnover on the only product (FOBT) that they will accommodate customers with...

Takeover?  I for one wouldn't touch their shares with a bargepole, hard to see who would unless they can be picked up cheaply.

Once they cut the divi the shares should slide, possibly go low enough to entice a bidder. The chap who thinks they are "cheap as chip"s right now is quite wrong imo, a takeover is already in the price, and all that is keeping it above a quid.

Latest recommendation
Buy 2
Outperform 2
Hold 12
Underperform 4
Sell 3
No opinion 0

''The 18 analysts offering 12 month price targets for Ladbrokes PLC have a median target of 113.50, with a high estimate of 150.00 and a low estimate of 85.00. The median estimate represents a 9.03% increase from the last price of 104.10.''

Last years dividend was equal to the year's before, while next year's is forecast to be down 16%.

That hardly backs up the doom and gloom presented about the company here.

Dr Crippen,

Ladcrooks have tried every trick in the book to stabalise the share price; acquistion, cost reduction, new advertising campaign etc and still the shares went down (when arguably you could have anticipated the opposite, particularly when looking at the share prices of the opposition who have taken none of the above measures).  Only two analysts are advising a 'buy' on a stock that has traditionally been a favourite.  How are they going to acheieve growth would be a major concern, just visit one of their shops, tells you all you need to know imo...

Worst online interface, slow to load, can't find basic bets like top ten in golf.  And the guy that is responsible for that crock is now running the whole company.

Lads £1.03 today whereas betfair £22.85 today

They went ex dividend last week which accounts for a 4.6p drop.

Aviboyd I was involved in an internet start up many haircuts ago that was eventually fronted by an ex Ladbrokes man..

You know the score ban the winners etc...

However he was hired for his expertise in the Asian Market...

We had the lot (it was when betting was illegal in many places) and the fella was on £140k a year because he would bring over his clients..

We had a Golden Telephone that only six people could answer (trouble is that the night shift could barely speak English) and bets of £100k on the Premiership were commonplace.

Trouble was that the bets were all on credit and getting some of them to pay was impossible..

Not seen the website for years Dave1357 so I will take your word for it...

Still on full factor fella....

selllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

the staff are so demoralised on the front line it is untrue... fed up of turning up to work to man empty shops all day long... those that haven't managed to get out will tell stories of much better times in the past

Agree . . . . absolute ****s now. . . .

Bloke I know is a manager ,and has been for years, he said, 10/15 years ago, it was good and the staff well looked after, now it's dreary, boring, area managers are moaning about empty shops, but at the same time, giving him photos of people who he can't take bets from as they are winners, but if they play the FOBTS he can take bets , but must ring up every bet..
He has staff who help out on minimal pay, some struggle to speak English , but now how to work the till and empty the FOBTs.....

exactly Dam... as long as that key turns in the door at 9am at the machines are flicked on they couldn't care less if they could they would train a robot to do it

Ladbrokes has become a dog of a share for those unfortunate to hold it and a price of 90 pence looks achievable in the short-term. The new CEO's arrival coincided with the dramatic reduction in the daily Lock-Ins from £50 to £25. Woopy do. If AP wins the Grand National next week it will surely be time for them to switch off the lights and Shutthefrontdoor?

The pay off for glynns is big.
£846,000 for years salary.
£800,000 in lieu of bonus
Plus keep 1.9 million £££ of shares.

sparrow
homefortea 23 Oct 14 21:06 
Close the whole lot...




For the first time ever, I agree with this poster.  Happy

If that half wit agrees with me then sorry but...

KEEP THEM OPEN

101 now.
Can see this dropping to 75-80 soon.
There are shareholders complimenting the 5 blokes ladbrokessss life advert on their forum.

Not defending Lads,but it was pointed out that they messed up on spread betting,but so did another of the big 4,and had to shut down their operation.They got their markets very wrong,and it was a great earner while it lasted.
  A lot hinges on who gets into power,as some Labour MPs want FOBT stakes greatly reduced,which will hit all shops hard.However they are collecting so much tax from them (25%) that surely any change would result in a big reduction in the tax collected.

Once again do those that are allegedly in charge at Ladbrokes know anything about betting..

Do they realise that every account that they have is dependant on a minimum wage employee deciding whether to keep it or just say no...

It is an amazing situation that a former big player has been reduced to nothing in the space of a few years..

Cannot see them lasting the year out and who would take them over because what do they have...

Shops that must pay massive rents and staff that should never have been let into the Country.

Plus those on the internet (AND THIS INCLUDES THE NEW BOSS) that know zip.

Not got a Ladbrokes within 70 miles here fella but I can imagine what they are like now..

The Hills shop cracks me up.The smallest screens ever showing cartoons with static "special offers" and a wall of noise.

The papers are up with no form and to access the early prices you have to use a machine that must have been invented when Ralph Topping tried it on with his first cashier (allegedly)...

The Manager was sacked from a rival firm not five doors down for "discrepancies"  and the cashiers ply the recently arrived with tea and coffee to keep them on the FOBTS ..

King Of Dubai if you are alleging that I have had a few then you would be correct..

However you can see by my posts that I can usually handle it..

There are some that cannot...

^^^shearer texted and sayed "hic"

OIOI  Hitting £1.01  today hopefully they will return to accepting bets soon before doors are bolted.

All posters on ere got it spot on - with merger of two weak management structures joining other operators will be laughing - giving opportunity for nother outfit on streets to actually take a bet. Good news lock doors crooks , surprised they didn't merge with woolworths !!!!

ladbrokes stock is a BUY trust me

2xpensive
23 Jun 15 10:19

ladbrokes stock is a BUY trust me

Posted when shares were already up 10% on the day YFDC!

This is the last play by a company in their final death throws.  No buyer came forward when the share price reached near rock bottom so Laddies are now attempting to prop up their failing business by merging with another company who are light years behind the opposition.  If this merger doesn't come off their shares will be worth a cup of tea, if it does and a new business plan is implemented profits may increase for a few years before (due to managerial incompetence) they arrive back at the exact same point they are now....

I agree wouldn't purchase with especially with current management structure

30 March  Lads £1.03  now £1.05   betfair  £22.85  now   £27.85   Merger with coral had right effect lmao

The magic sign all time low yesterday .99 pence a share - still refusing to take a bet might as well shut doors at this rate shareholders be bailing management out very soon 

They are still a sell..

What do they have - rented shops bankrupted in Eire (where a blind man could make money betting) and a website that has knocked back more punters than nobet£3.65..

I have heard that they are to be re-branded as betmax£0.00......

wondered why these jokers have started spamming me with casino offers despite me telling them to go fck themselves 5 years ago.

These cowboys are a million now refusing bets etc with pp betfair announcement

betfair up 18% today £30 +   ---  crooks now .95pence

95 PENCE today all time low .

they could try marketing their exchange more aggressively instead of  letting it die of neglect

they could try hiring some traders worthy of the name