It issued a shock profit warning, causing its shares to lose a quarter of their value. Negative coverage was exacerbated by links made by the media to Marks & Spencer’s interim profit fall.
Collapsed betting exchange Sporting Options came close to the foot of the table following news that founder Kevin Griffiths is owed more than £1m and that £2.5m is missing from punters’ accounts.
Rival Betfair soared to fifth spot after it offered to bail out an estimated 5,000 punters who lost money from the collapse of Sporting Options.
Wal-Mart came fourth after a profit-outlook boost and strong Q4 forecast.
Vodafone and Tesco maintained their positions at the top of the table. Vodafone finalised a deal with Singapore Telecommunications to build and operate a third-generation mobile network.
Tesco increased its market share to 28 per cent and announced its decision to sell fragrances. Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, hit bottom after it reported its first interim loss in its 135-year history.
Reputation Monitor is compiled from Thomson Intermedia’s National News Index, a measure of media sentiment that excludes stock market reports and passing mentions.
