Stobart aircraft leasing buys three jets for $56m
Stobart Group said its aircraft leasing business Propius Limited signed an agreement with a special purpose company managed by GOAL German Operating Aircraft Leasing to…
July 2017
Bonmarché sales boosted by online success
Wakefield-based Bonmarché, the discount fashion retailer aimed at women over 50, said its total sales for the 13 weeks ended July 1, 2017, increased by…
Endless leads buyout at Antler luggage firm
The Manchester office of private equity firm Endless has backed a management buyout of British upmarket luggage company Antler. Antler CEO David Sharman will continue…
Provident Financial profits fall 45% amid agent woes
Bradford-based home credit firm Provident Financial said its first half statutory profit before tax fell 45.6% to £90 million amid ongoing problems with its move from using self-employed…
Cussons profit up 5% despite Nigeria currency woes
Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said its reported revenue fell 1.5% to £809.2 million but statutory profit before tax rose 5% to £88 million…
Newcastle’s Sage buys cloud firm Intacct for $850m
Newcastle-based Sage Group, the UK’s largest tech company, said it agreed to acquire San Jose-based Intacct Corporation, a provider of cloud financial management products in North America…
Board moves as Virgin Money H1 profit hits £128m
UPDATE 1 — Edinburgh and Newcastle-based challenger bank Virgin Money Holdings on Tuesday announced changes to its board and said underlying profit before tax rose 26%…
‘Rail electrification U-turn would derail Powerhouse’
UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been criticised after supporting London’s multi-billion Crossrail 2 plans just days after hinting that rail electrification plans for northern…
£1bn Manchester Airport expansion under way
The UK Government unveiled plans to develop a new UK Aviation Strategy as a £1 billion programme to double the size of Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 was…
Sports Direct profit slumps, but outlook lifts shares
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International said its reported profit before tax fell 22.2% to £281.6 million in the year ended April 30, 2017, but the firm’s shares…
Manchester’s 101 Embankment sold for £105m
The Manchester office development 101 Embankment has been sold to M&G Real Estate for £105 million. 101 Embankment, the new headquarters of UK insurer Swinton,…
Drax makes £83m loss amid coal asset depreciation
Shares of Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group fell more than 3% on Wednesday after it said “increases to depreciation and amortisation costs and unrealised…
£1bn plan unveiled to transform Bolton town centre
A £1 billion plan has been unveiled to regenerate Bolton town centre, with Bolton Council promising to provide £100 million of the funding. The council…
London Midland extension for Newcastle’s Go-Ahead
Newcastle-based transport group Go-Ahead Group said the Department for Transport (DfT) announced an eight-week extension to its current London Midland franchise, from 15 October to…
Legal move as Gateshead’s Sevcon bought for $200m
Nasdaq-listed Gateshead company Sevcon, which makes components for low carbon vehicles, said it agreed to be acquired by Michigan-based BorgWarner for $22 per share in cash. “The total…
UK firms pay record £33bn dividends in Q2
UK companies distributed an all-time record £33.3 billion in dividends in the second quarter, beating the previous record of £29.1 billion set in Q2 last…
Balfour Beatty, Carillion win HS2 contracts
Infrastructure and construction group Balfour Beatty said that it was awarded two contracts by High Speed 2 (HS2) — the UK’s planned high speed rail…
High speed rail confirmed for north of England
UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed plans to extend Britain’s HS2 high speed rail lines from Birmingham to the North-West, East Midlands and Yorkshire. The…
Peel starts phase two of £400m Liverpool2 terminal
Peel Ports Group, owner of the Port of Liverpool, said it “pressed the button” on the second phase of its expansion programme at the Liverpool2…
Revenue tops £200m at Leeds-based Callcredit
Leeds-based Callcredit Information Group reported record results and launched a new identity “designed to position the business for continued growth both in the UK and…
Education spurs Manchester fashion boom
Move over London, Paris and New York — Manchester is catching up fast as an international fashion business hub. Manchester is now home to a…
Endless buys corporate travel firm CTI
Leeds-based private equity investor Endless LLP said it acquired a majority stake in Manchester-based business travel management company CTI for an undisclosed sum. The deal,…
€1.6bn Dutch rail contract for Sunderland’s Arriva
Sunderland-based passenger transport giant Arriva — part of Deutsche Bahn — announced it will operate the regional rail transport in the north of the Netherlands for another 15…
Employees get ownership at Manchester’s Tangerine
Manchester-based communication company Tangerine said that it will place 64% of its shares into an employee ownership trust. The announcement comes as the company celebrates…
N Brown takes £40m hit for ‘flawed’ insurance
Shares of Manchester-based fashion retailer N Brown Group fell almost 4% after it announced that it “identified flaws in certain general insurance products which were…
Dart revenue £1.73bn, but shares fall amid Brexit fear
Leeds-based leisure and logistics firm Dart Group said its revenue rose 23% to £1.73 billion in the year to March 31 but profit before tax fell…
Manchester Airports Group revenue up to £838m
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) said its revenue rose 7.7% to £838.4 million and operating profit before significant items rose 9.1% to £210.2 million in the 12 months ended March…
Tesco-Booker deal to face in-depth investigation
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that the proposed merger between Tesco and Booker is being referred for an in-depth, phase 2 investigation. The CMA said…
£100m Manchester Airport logistics plan under way
Icon Industrial, a logistics-focused joint venture formed by TPG Real Estate and Stoford Developments, said it acquired a 45-acre brownfield site adjacent to Manchester Airport…
Lake District wins World Heritage List status
Cumbria’s Lake District has been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. “Located in northwest England, the English Lake District is a mountainous area, whose valleys have…
Cochrane becomes interim CEO Of Carillion
Construction and outsourcing firm Carillion said on Monday it appointed Keith Cochrane — former chief executive of Stagecoach and Weir Group — as its interim…
Cheshire and Warrington LEP aims for £50bn GDP
Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has launched a new blueprint for the area’s economic growth setting out how Cheshire and Warrington can double…
Digital bank Atom confirms future in Durham
Atom bank, the UK’s first digital only bank, has confirmed its future in Durham by signing a 10-year lease on the city’s Rivergreen Centre. Atom…
CBI: ‘Stay in single market until Brexit deal’
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that the UK needs to stay inside the single market and customs union until a final Brexit…
Hepworth Wakefield is Art Fund Museum of Year
The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire has been chosen as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2017. The £100,000 prize that goes with the award…
Sales up 23% to £500m at Yorkshire’s NG Bailey
West Yorkshire-based NG Bailey, the family-owned engineering, IT and facilities services firm, said its sales increased 23% to £500 million and operating profit doubled from £6…
Manchester global city plan ‘adds £2.2bn to economy’
Leaders from the private and public sectors have joined together to launch the Greater Manchester Internationalisation Strategy, a three year framework for action which they…
Kier to build £70m Nuffield hospital in Manchester
Construction company Kier has been appointed to build a £70 million private hospital in Manchester for not-for-profit healthcare provider Nuffield Health. The investment by Nuffield…
Persimmon H1 revenue up 12% to £1.6bn
York-based house builder Persimmon said its revenue grew 12% to £1.66 billion in the six months to June 30 and that “consumer confidence remains resilient…
Virgin Money launches Manchester United bond
Virgin Money has launched a new “Manchester United Double Champions Bond” that it says offers savers a competitive interest rate of 1% fixed for one year…
Sheffield’s Sumo Digital buys Gateshead’s Atomhawk
Sheffield-based gaming giant Sumo Digital announced the acquisition of Gateshead-based digital art and design studio Atomhawk. Sumo Digital is backed by investment firm Perwyn. Terms of…
UKW buys Grimsby wind farm for £47m
Greencoat UK Wind plc (UKW) said it acquired Bishopthorpe Wind Farm near Grimsby from BayWa r.e. for about £47 million. Bishopthorpe has a capacity of…
Liberty House acquires Scunthorpe steel mills
Sanjeev Gupta’s metals and industrials group Liberty House has added to its network of UK steelworks with a deal to acquire 100% of the share…