If the Competition Commission forces BAA, the airport operator, to sell off some of its hubs, the change will affect not only the airlines but also the businesses that feed their hungry passengers.

Analysts at KBC Peel Hunt yesterday said that Restaurant Group could suffer. They argued that the Garfunkels and Frankie & Benny’s owner had built up its 41 airport concessions business largely on its relationship with BAA. According to the broker, a potential airport break-up would not be positive for the company, which has undoubted know-how in operating in an airport environment. They noted, though, that its concessions business made up only 20 per cent of profits and that in recent years it had been active in developing relationships with other airport operators. The company reports interim earnings next week, with KBC expecting slower sales growth. The shares rose ¾p to 122p.

Xaar, the inkjet technology group, fell 13¼p to 108¼p after it gave warning that second-half profits would be lower because of deteriorating trading conditions in China. Analysts said that business in China was worsening because of a maturing graphic arts market, a slowing global economy and the disruption caused by the Olympics. Although the company posted a slightly higher first-half pretax profit of £3.8 million, Phil Lawler, its chairman, said: “The current international economic issues are affecting the global printing market and Xaar cannot reasonably expect to be immune from this.”

Vision Media Group, the interactive outdoor advertising company, rose 0.38p to 4.875p after it said that it had agreed or signed contracts with shopping centre owners that would more than double the size of its UK network and would increase sales by £7 million per year.

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