DEDICATED followers of fashion were the force behind this week's star performer on the Manchester Evening News/Wise Speke Index.

J D Sports, the Heywood company set up by friends John Wardle and David Makin, brought a ray of sunshine to a relatively gloomy outlook.

The retailer has apparently found a winning formula by focusing on the fashionable end of the leisurewear market, and now plans to grow in size from around 140 stores to 250. Shares in JD were up an impressive 16.24 per cent, from 175.5p to 204p.

The figures boosted the sports retail sector, including Wigan-based rival JJB Sports, whose shares were up 5.59 per cent from 447.5p to472.5p.

The good news was, however, out-weighed by the bad, as the MEN-Wise Speke Index fell 2.42 per cent to 1071.02, while the FTSE 100 fell 2.3 per cent.

Apart from SSL International - down a whopping 35 per cent after a profit warning - hi-tech stocks were hard hit with Volex, Knowledge Support Systems, AEA Technology and Tepnel Life Sciences all taking severe punishment.

Julian Hardiman, of Wise Speke, says: ''Indescriminate selling of technology and high growth stocks continues to drive markets lower.''

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