I tripped along to the St Ives EGM today expecting at least a frisson of excitement - perhaps a red-faced shareholder berating the board, or at the very least a pertinent question or two from the floor about the terms of the disposal of the problem child that has been the group's US operations.

But no. Having been stuck in a tunnel courtesy of London Underground I arrived just as attendees were putting their coats on to leave. The whole thing was over in eight minutes, the sale is approved, and St Ives has now quietly retreated from the last of its expensive foreign forays.

The only noteworthy aspect to report is that the biscuits provided at the swanky City offices of Herbert Smith LLP are as upscale as the surroundings.

St Ives share price at close of trading: 88.25p, up 1.25p.