DIRECTORS of Carphone Warehouse Group are not averse to selling their shares, a trend continued by chief financial officer Roger Taylor last week. Chairman John Gildersleeve, however, has turned the tables by buying shares in the mobile-phone retailer.

Gildersleeve snapped up 48,000 shares at 310p each, taking his stake to 294,000 at a cost of nearly £150,000.

His previous transaction was to buy 200,000 shares two years ago. That was the last time a Carphone director bought into the company. Since then the bosses have mostly either sold or exercised options.

In June 2005, chief executive Charles Dunstone and deputy chairman David Ross each shaved 6m shares from their stakes at 167p and 172p respectively.

On Tuesday, Taylor continued that pattern by selling 600,000 shares at 320p each, unloading a further 400,000 options at the same price to raise a total sum of £2.85m. Taylor’s holding has fallen to 858,000 shares.

Carphone released its results last month, saying there was strong demand for its “free” broadband offer. The group said initial demand for the product was significantly ahead of expectations, with 340,000 customers signing up by June 5.

Gildersleeve reported an 11.9% decline in pre-tax profits to £81m for the year to April 1. Turnover rose 29% to £3.05m and earnings per share fell from 8.44p to 7.99p.

• ALAN WISEMAN, chairman of Robert Wiseman Dairies, sold another tranche of shares just weeks after pocketing £2.31m from a big disposal.

  He sold 1m shares at 345p each, netting £3.45m. The sale takes his stake in the firm down to 15.8m shares, about 22% of the company.

  The group’s shares have performed strongly over the past few years, even weathering the recent stock-market storm.

  Last month the group announced a 6% rise in full-year profits to £26.7m, saying that it was benefiting from a greater stability in supplying major retailers, while a price increase in January helped offset higher oil costs.

  Directors have in-depth knowledge of their businesses, so it can pay to track their moves. Every week Digitallook.com reveals the bosses who have bought or sold big stakes.