Carpetright weighs on London mid-caps Shares in Carpetright fell sharply on Friday after the surprise departure of its chief executive followed the warning it was "lowering its previous expectations" ahead of half-year results. The company said Darren Shapland will step down from the top job with immediate effect, with its founder and chairman Lord Harris of Peckham taking a full-time executive role. Graham Harris, currently Carpetright's trading director, will become its chief operating officer. In a separate statement on current trading, Carpetright said that while it had "improved the margin and maintained a tight control on costs," the shortfall in sales during this trading period was lowering its previous expectations. Carpetright's stock fell 12 per cent to 594.5p and the bottom of London's mid-cap index by a clear margin. Wider London trading was subdued as investors remained cautious and on the lookout for signs of compromise among US politicians. There was a stark reminder of the reach of the federal government shutdown, with the influential US jobs report scheduled for today postponed, leaving the day without its focal point. The FTSE 100 is down 0.3 per cent at 6,431.12, with the FTSE 250 lower by 0.1 per cent to 14,840.63. Defensive sectors are underpinning both indices, with life assurers and tobacco stocks the best gainers on the main index. Standard Life was its best single riser, up 1.7 per cent at 351.4p.