2017

Caunce succeeds CEO Roberts at Bolton’s AO World

Bolton-based online electrical retailer AO World said chief operating officer Steve Caunce would succeed company founder John Roberts as its CEO, effective immediately. Roberts, 43, who founded AO World in 2000 and…




Manchester’s McBride mulls sale of aerosols

Manchester-based McBride plc, the manufacturer of private label household and personal care products, said it was considering expressions of interest to acquire its aerosols business. McBride, which employs about 5,000 around…


Mercia wins £108m Northern Powerhouse mandates

Mercia Technologies plc, the investment firm that focuses on the UK regions, said it was successful in its bids, via its subsidiary Enterprise Ventures Limited, to manage two of the British…


Unite signs £41m Manchester Uni student flat deal

Unite Group plc said its Unite Students division, a developer of student accommodation, has exchanged contracts to acquire a development site near the University of Manchester for about £41 million on…



NCC shares plummet 40% amid latest turmoil

Shares of Manchester-based cyber security company NCC Group have fallen more than 40% since it issued a surprise trading update late on Tuesday, initiated a strategic review, and abruptly cancelled…



£50m order book boost for Utilitywise

Newcastle-based utility consultancy Utilitywise, which employs around 1,600 people, said in a trading update for the six months to January 31 that it “performed in line with management expectations…


Asda sales decline slows down

Leeds-based Asda, a subsidiary of US retail giant Walmart, said its comparable sales declined 2.9% in the fourth quarter ending December 31, excluding petrol. But the figures showed an…



Zenith to acquire CVL for HGV market access

Leeds-based car leasing and fleet management firm Zenith said its new owner Bridgepoint acquired Contract Vehicles Holdings Limited group (CVL) from its shareholders “as Zenith builds the…


Fishing Republic revenue to show 40% increase

Rotherham-based fishing tackle retailer Fishing Republic, which had an IPO in 2015, issued a trading update for the financial year to December 31 and said its website sales…





Unilever Rejects $143bn Kraft Heinz Offer

UK-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever — owner of brands including Dove, Flora, Hellmans, PG Tips, Knorr and Persil — rejected a potential offer of around $143 billion from The Kraft…





Polyframe buys Customade to create £100m firm

Cairngorm Capital Partners LLP announced a further investment in its Halifax-based trade window and door manufacturer Polyframe Group to facilitate Polyframe’s acquisition of Gloucester-based Customade Group. Cairngorm said…




Manchester’s Second City Crossing tram to open

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said the Second City Crossing new tram line — the final piece in Manchester Metrolink’s £1.5 billion ‘big bang’ expansion programme —…


Hargreaves six-month revenue slips to £171m

Durham-based international coal distribution and industrial logistics firm Hargreaves Services plc said its reported revenue fell £3.9 million to £170.9 million in the six months…


Go-ahead for Sheffield’s £175m West Bar Square

Outline planning consent has been granted for the £175 million mixed-use West Bar Square development in Sheffield’s Riverside business district – the ambitious regeneration scheme that could create up…




Co-op Bank puts itself up for sale

The Co-operative Bank, rescued from near collapse by hedge funds in 2013, said it has put itself up for sale amid a neeed to build its capital…



Germany’s Erwin Hymer buys Consett’s Explorer

The Explorer Group, the Consett, County Durham-based manufacturer of motorhomes and caravans, is to be acquired by the Erwin Hymer Group of Germany. London-based investment company Constantine Group…




Man Utd expects £540m revenue; debt at £409m

Manchester United said its revenue rose 18% to £157.9 million in the three months to December 31, 2016, but its net debt jumped 27.1% to £409.3 million. It its outlook, the company…



Murrells to succeed Pennycook as Co-op CEO

The Co-op Group, based in Manchester, said Richard Pennycook is to step down as group CEO and will be succeeded by Steve Murrells, currently CEO of the Co-op’s food…


Luxembourg firm buys Royal Liver for £48m

Luxembourg-based Corestate Capital Holding S.A. said it acquired the iconic landmark Royal Liver Building, the Grade A office building in Liverpool, for £48 million. The Royal Liver Building is located…



Newcastle’s Bellway has £1.12bn order book

Shares of Newcastle-based house builder Bellway plc rose after it delivered a strong trading update for the six months ended January 31, 2017, and revealed its forward order book has a…


Directors buy Leeds’ Steeper Group from Dunedin

Leeds-based prosthetics and orthotics company Steeper Group has undergone a management buyout with two directors — CEO Paul Steeper and finance director John Midgley — acquiring the business from…



Kohler buys Merseyside’s Clarke Energy

Wisconsin-based Kohler Co. said its power group acquired Merseyside-based Clarke Energy Ltd., a multinational specialist in the engineering, construction, installation and maintenance of engine-based power plants. Knowsley-based…





ISS supports Sevcon against ‘dissident’ director

Nasdaq-listed Gateshead company Sevcon, which makes components for low carbon vehicles, said the influential Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recommended that Sevcon stockholders vote for all the incumbent directors who are…


NWF half-year revenue up 13.9% to £256m

Chesire-based NWF Group plc, the agricultural and distribution business that delivers feed, food and fuel across the UK, said half year revenue to November 30 was…


Newcastle’s Drummond Central acquires CoalFace

Newcastle-based marketing and communications agency Drummond Central said it acquired digital specialists CoalFace, also based in The Toon, to boost its digital business. Drummond Central said CoalFace’s nine-strong…


Supermarket pioneer Ken Morrison dies at 85

Ken Morrison, who built a small Bradford-based family business into the major UK grocery retailing chain Morrisons, has died aged 85. Morrisons chairman Andrew Higginson said: “I…




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…