UPDATE 1-Johnson Service sees satisfactory FY profit
* Sees challenging trading environment in 2009
* Sees net debt down to 75.5 mln stg at June 30
* H1 trading in line with earlier expectations (Adds details)
July 7 (Reuters) - Drycleaning to clothes hire firm Johnson Service Group (JSG.L) said on Tuesday it expects full-year pretax profit before items to be satisfactory given the current economic climate, even as it forecast a challenging trading environment for the year.
"We are continuing to invest in all of our businesses and are taking steps to ensure that the appropriate cost structure is in place to respond to any further pressures on revenue," the company said in a statement.
Net debt at June-end is expected to be about 75.5 million pounds ($122.9 million), down from 78.5 million pounds at the end of December, the company said.
Johnson Service, whose operations span textile cleaning, laundry and retail fit-out, said bank facilities at the end of June were 104.5 million pounds.
The company said trading conditions for the first half ended June 30 were in line with its expectations outlined in its 2008 annual report in March.
Shares of the company closed at 14.50 pence on Monday on the London Stock Exchange. ($1=.6145 Pound) (Reporting by Shivani Singh in Bangalore; Editing by Anne Pallivathuckal)
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