January 2017


Clydesdale and Yorkshire deposits £27.3bn

Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG said trading in the three months to December 31, 2016, had been in line with its expectations with deposit balances up…



£50m Waverley plan unveiled for Rotherham

Property companies Dransfield Properties and Harworth Group announced a joint venture to deliver a new £50 million retail, office and leisure scheme at Waverley, Rotherham – the site of Yorkshire’s largest ever…


New chair at Leeds global consultancy WYG

Leeds-based WYG, the AIM-listed global project management and technical consultancy, said chairman Mike McTighe will retire at the next AGM in September and be succeeded by Jeremy Beeton, currently…


Bruntwood tops £1bn property ownership

Manchester-based commercial property company Bruntwood said it has broken through the £1 billion mark for property under ownership for the first time in its 40 years….


Leeds car lease firm Zenith bought for £750m

Leeds-based car leasing and fleet management firm Zenith is to be acquired from Hg Capital by private equity firm Bridgepoint for £750 million. Zenith has more than 500 employees…



Sage shares down 5% after trading update

Shares of Newcastle-based software company Sage Group fell about 5% on Thursday after the firm delivered what some analysts considered a slightly disappointing trading update for the three…


Shares down 10% at Manchester’s Cussons

Shares of Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons have fallen roughly 10% since it said on Tuesday that statutory profit before tax fell 37.8% to £24.9 million and revenue…


Abbey Logistics buys Armet, creates £70m firm

Liverpool-based Abbey Logistics Group, which recently completed a management buyout, said it acquired bulk liquid food transport firm Armet Logistics Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Abbey, the…


Nissan Sunderland produces 507,430 vehicles

Nissan’s 2016 UK production statistics showed that 507,430 vehicles were produced at Nissan Sunderland last year — the second highest total in the plant’s history. Nissan…



Fishawack management in £38m buyout

The management team of Knutsford, Cheshire-based Fishawack Group, the medical communications firm, said it completed a tertiary management buyout in a deal worth £38 million. Working with LDC, the…


Benchmark revenue soars 148% to £109.4m

Revenue at Sheffield-based Benchmark Holdings, the aquaculture biotechnology and food chain sustainability company, soared 148% to £109.4 million in the year to September 30, 2016, partly as…




Bruntwood appoints Kemp to commercial role

Manchester-based commercial property company Bruntwood has appointed Phil Kemp to the position of chief commercial officer (CCO) to support the firm’s growth plans. Bruntwood said Kemp will be responsible…


£556m boost for Northern Powerhouse

The UK government said it will announce a £556 million boost for the Northern Powerhouse at a regional cabinet meeting on Monday “to help create jobs, support…


Yorkshire record as visitors spend £194m

Yorkshire attracted a record breaking number of visitors from July to September 2016, according to new figures. Yorkshire saw a 12% increase in inbound visits…



NCC profits slip; chairman to step down

Manchester-based cyber security company NCC Group said its chairman Paul Mitchell will step down on May 31, 2017, as it announced profit before tax for the six months to November…



N Brown shares up amid strong online sales

Shares of Manchester-based specialist fit fashion retailer N Brown Group — whose brands include JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo — rose about 7% after it said third…


Man Utd regains top spot in Deloitte League

Manchester United regained first place in the Deloitte Football Money League, ending the 11-year run of Real Madrid. Deloitte said record revenue of €689 million (about £515…




Amec wins £35m MoD nuclear contract

Amec Foster Wheeler said it has been awarded a £35 million five-year contract to supply the UK Ministry of Defence with research and technology (R&T) services….


Greggs: full year results ahead of expectations

Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer Greggs said in a trading update that its total sales rose 7% in the 52 weeks to December 31 and that it anticipates its full…




WEC wins £6m Airbus contract in Germany

Darwen, Lancashire-based engineering firm WEC Group said it has launched a major recruitment drive after securing a £6 million aerospace order for an Airbus assembly factory in Germany….



£60m extension plan submitted for Citylabs

Science and technology park operator Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) said it submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council seeking approval for its proposed £60…


Vimto helps Nichols revenue up 7.3% to £117m

Merseyside-based soft drinks firm Nichols plc said in a trading update for the year to December 31 that group revenue increased 7.3% to £117.3 million. Nichols said the growth…


Boohoo 10-month sales soar 47% to £241.6m

Manchester-based online fashion retailer boohoo.com said sales rose 47% to £241.61 million in the 10 months to December 31, and soared 55% to £114.29 million in the…



Lloyds private equity firm invests in ChargePoint

Liverpool-based ChargePoint Technology said it secured a multi-million pound investment from private equity investor LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, to help it meet international demand…



Govt. no longer biggest Lloyds shareholder

The UK government said its has now recovered more than £18 billion of the £20.3 billion that taxpayers injected into the Lloyds Banking Group — owner of the Halifax,…


Styles&Wood buys GDM

Sale-based property services firm Styles&Wood Group plc said it acquired Kent-based specialist mechanical, electrical and environmental consultancy The GDM Group Limited for an initial payment of £4 million in cash and…


Endless buys IT storage firm MTI Europe

Leeds-based private equity firm Endless LLP said that Endless Fund IV acquired IT storage infrastructure firm MTI Europe BV from US-based private equity fund Garnett and Helfrich…


£36m to build 1,381 housing association homes

Manchester-based housing association Great Places Housing Group and its partners said they secured £36.2 million of government funding to build 1,381 affordable homes across the…


Bruntwood secures £115m Aviva loan

Manchester-based commercial property company Bruntwood said it secured a new £115.5 million, 15-year debt facility with Aviva Investors Real Estate Finance. Family-owned Bruntwood said the new loan “creates…


JCB wins $142m US Army order

Staffordshire-based JCB said it has won one of the biggest orders in the company’s 71-year history –a $142 million deal to supply the United States Army with a…


Gear4music sales up 55% to £24.4m

Shares of York-based Gear4music, the online international retailer of musical instruments and equipment, rose almost 4% after it revealed its sales soared 55% to £24.4 million in the four…


£335m for 3,000 housing association homes

Northern England housing association consortium JV North said it will invest £335.5 million to build nearly 3,000 homes over the next four years. The consortium of…


Glenbrook targets ‘last remaining’ quay site

Property developer Glenbrook said it submitted a planning application to Salford City Council to build 270 private rented apartments on the last remaining undeveloped site overlooking Erie Basin…



Radrizzani buys 50% stake in Leeds Utd

Leeds United Football Club confirmed that sports media executive Andrea Radrizzani’s Aser Group Holding, through it’s acquisition vehicle Greenfield Investment, has bought 50% of the club’s share capital. Leeds…



NCC sells Open Registry group for €3.75m

Manchester-based cyber security and risk mitigation firm NCC Group said it sold the Open Registry group of companies for about €3.75 million. The Open Registry group of companies comprises…



Harworth buys Preston’s Four Oaks for £13.5m

Harworth Group, the brownfield regeneration and property investment company, said it acquired Four Oaks Business Park in Preston, Lancashire for £13.5 million as part of its strategy…


Bradford Bulls ceases trading

The Rugby Football League (RFL) confirmed on January 3 that the administrator of Bradford Bulls (Northern) Limited has confirmed that the club has ceased trading. “While…


Boohoo completes £3.3m PrettyLittleThing deal

Manchester-based online fashion retailer boohoo.com plc said it completed the acquisition of 66% of 21 Three Clothing Company Ltd — known as PrettyLittleThing — for £3.3 million in cash….




BAE Systems surpasses 2,000 apprentices

BAE Systems said its need for a continuous supply of skilled employees — in particular for submarine programmes at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria — has led to the company currently training a…


Duffy to leave Entrepreneurial Spark

Jim Duffy, co-founder of business incubator network Entrepreneurial Spark, announced he will leave the company in the summer of 2017. Duffy said Entrepreneurial Spark will…


£7.2m digital business growth fund launched

The Derby Derbyshire Nottingham Nottinghamshire (D2N2) Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will launch a £7.2 million fund in January aimed at helping 850 small and medium-sized enterprises…


Daisy seals £184m Alternative Networks deal

Nelson, Lancashire-based IT infrastructure and communications firm Daisy Group said it completed its acquisition of rival firm Alternative Networks plc. Daisy Group said the deal values Alternative Networks…



Russell Group universities seek new boss

The Russell Group of 24 leading UK universities — which includes Manchester, Newcastle, Durham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, York and Leeds — is looking for a new director…