Investigators believe a fire that destroyed two storage sheds at the Shell gas station on Hanover Street in Manchester was suspicious in nature.

Flames were seen shooting from the sheds on Monday around 11:30 p.m.

Firefighters said a chain link fence made it difficult to access the sheds. One shed was filled with cardboard, which was highly flammable.

Authorities said the flames caused some minor damage the roof of the gas station, and burned the electrical service.

Officials said the flames caused at least $25,000 in damage.

An employee who was there at the time said no one had been in the shed area for hours.

Investigators ask anyone who saw anything suspicious at the back of the gas station or the back parking lot between 11 and 11:30 p.m. to call 603-668-8711.

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Investigators believe Manchester gas station fire was suspicious

Warehouse Group [NZX: WHS], New Zealand's largest publicly listed retailer, posted an 8.6 percent gain in third quarter sales and said profitability improved at its largest 'red shed' unit.

Sales rose to $604.8 million in the three months ended April 27 from $557.1 million in the year earlier period, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. Sales at its main 'red shed' unit increased 3.2 percent to $367 million, it said.

Warehouse chief executive Mark Powell, who notches up three years in the job this month, is two-thirds of the way through a store rejuvenation programme at the 'red sheds', its distinctive large store general goods format. In the latest period, the 'red sheds' posted a 3 percent increase in same-store sales, its 13th consecutive quarter of growth, while gross margins at the unit were "slightly higher" than the year earlier period.

"The 'red sheds' continues to make progress" with increased numbers of customers shopping in the stores and online, Powell said in the statement. "This all supports our strategy of ongoing investment in our stores, our people and our products, to deliver improvements for our customers. The sales and transactions increases tell us that they are noticing the difference."

While a late start to winter had impacted apparel sales, the segment was ahead of the year earlier period and winter ranges are expected to trade well as cooler weather kicks in, Powell said.

To expand group earnings, Powell aims to grow the 'non-red' side of his business to be as large as the red sheds, though he says this is a long-term aspirational target, given red sheds have about $1.6 billion in annual sales compared to non-red at about $650 million.

Powell, who succeeded in improving the performance of the company's 'blue shed' stationery chain before taking the top job, is expanding the group through acquisition, buying 11 businesses in the past 18 months, adding technology and appliance retailer Noel Leeming, outdoor sports chain R&R Sports and online sporting goods retailer Torpedo7.

In the latest period, sales at its 'blue sheds' rose 8.1 percent to $68.2 million, while Noel Leeming increased 10.4 percent to $146.9 million.

Sales at the Torpedo7 group rose to $22.7 million from $5.3 million the year earlier, although this reflected just one month of sales following its acquisition in April 2013. On a comparable basis, and including the subsequent acquisitions of Number 1 Fitness, Shotgun and R&R Sport, sales rose 12.6 percent, the company said.

"The significant reshaping of the group has positioned us well for a period of consolidation, where the emphasis will be more on leveraging returns from the base we have built," chairman Ted van Arkel said in the statement.

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Warehouse boosts 3rd quarter sales 8.6%, says red sheds margins improve

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Men's Cree project is a lifeline to many in County Durham

12:20am Tuesday 6th May 2014 in News By Lizzie Anderson

Friendship and a listening ear are at the heart of a health and wellbeing scheme that brings together men of all backgrounds. Lizzie Anderson reports.

The garden shed has long been seen as a male retreat, a place to escape the pressures of everyday life. But what happens if you expand the concept, bringing men of all ages and backgrounds into the same shed? According to Malcolm Fallow, the chief executive of East Durham Trust, the benefits are immeasurable. In 2010, the trust launched Cree, a mens health and wellbeing project based on an Australian scheme called Mens Sheds. The idea is that if you provide a place for men to come together - be it shed or a community centre - friendships will be formed, confidence boosted and skills shared.

From eight pilot schemes, the project has grown to include 32 groups across County Durham. Cree is particularly successful in isolated communities, with high unemployment, poor public transport links and few amenities.

Ex-pit villages are a good example, as Malcolm explains: In the North-East a lot of men worked at the coal and steel works. These industries were surrounded by an infrastructure of working mens clubs and miners welfare halls, where men could socialise and discuss any problems they had.

Many collieries had their own football teams and brass bands too. When we lost the industry, we also lost this social network. Cree aims to fill this gap.

Each Cree offers activities, ranging from archery and paintballing; to arts and crafts, cookery and woodwork. Many men simply go for the activities or to make new friends in a similar vein to the Womens Institute or a sports club. However, for those who have experienced mental health problems, the project is a lifeline.

The trust, a community sector support organisation, introduced Cree as part of a Public Health initiative commissioned by Durham County Council aimed at preventing suicide. It followed a sharp rise in suspected suicides across the county, with the recession cited as a possible cause. Last December, a suicide audit presented to the councils adult health and wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee confirmed this. It revealed the number of suicides per 100,000 deaths was significantly higher in County Durham than in England as a whole. Male suicide rates also rose steadily in the county between 2006 and 2010. The latest figures are more encouraging, showing a sharp decline in male suicides from 2010.

John Carruthers, of Trimdon Village, credits the Trimdon Station Cree with saving his life. When John, 46, joined the Friday morning group at the community centre, it was the first time he had left the house in 19 years. At the time, he was on the verge of taking his own life after the Governments welfare reforms led him to be assessed as fit to work.

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Men's sheds - a place to potter or a lifesaving resource?

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