Green tipped for £200m-plus profits

PHILIP Green, the rag trade entrepreneur who sells more women's clothing than any other UK retailer, is set to deliver a strong trading update on his Bhs and Arcadia chains this week.

Sources at the privately owned retailing empire say sales have been strong and that profits should exceed £200 million this year.

Despite the heatwave that hit other fashion chains this summer, trading has held up well. Speculation is now rising about the size of dividend Green will declare.

Last year he awarded himself a £160 million payout from Bhs, 12 months after he paid £850 million for the Arcadia group, which includes Topshop and Burton.

At an auction last week in London's Hilton Hotel in aid of Breast Cancer Care, the flamboyant retail chief bid £25,000 for a chance to play tennis with Tony Blair at Chequers.

In an uncharacteristically modest moment, Green said he could not say who would win. He added that he was not going to get into training for the match on an as yet unspecified date.

However, Green is known to be a regular opponent of Prince Albert of Monaco and rarely loses.