New Zealanders continue to feel relatively chipper about their economic circumstances, despite the national spread of drought conditions and a string of high profile job cuts, according to the latest Westpac McDermott-Miller confidence survey. However, public servants are less optimistic than private sector workers and a gap is opening between mens’ and womens’ confidence levels, which Westpac senior economist Felix …

Pumpkin patch, the children’s clothing chain, returned to profit in the first half as costs to close underperforming stores in the US and UK a year earlier weren’t repeated. Sales fell on tough trading conditions and inventory disruptions. Profit was $4.7 million in the six months ended Jan. 31, from a loss of about $30 million a year earlier, the …

Quadrant Private Equity is ceding control of Summerset Group Holdings after agreeing to sell 40 million shares in the retirement village operator through brokerage UBS New Zealand. The sale amounts to 18.6 percent of the shares of Summerset, leaving the buyout firm with 37.2 percent of the company. Quadrant’s QPE Funds Management unit “remains a significant shareholder in Summerset and …