Provident Financial shares up as board is strengthened
Shares of embattled Bradford-based subprime lender Provident Financial rose about 7% on Tuesday as it strengthened its board with the appointment of Patrick Snowball as chairman and…
July 2018
NWF revenue up to £611m as fuels and feeds prosper
Chesire-based NWF Group plc, the agricultural and distribution business that delivers feed, food and fuel across the UK, said on Tuesday its revenue rose 9.9%…
Greggs first-half sales up 5% to £476m
Shares of Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer, rose about 8% after it said its sales rose 5.2% to £476 million in the 26 weeks…
Burnham urges May to solve Northern rail crisis
The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on Monday called on UK Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene to solve the ongoing chaos on the…
Clipper Logistics shares fall 20% amid retail ‘caution’
Shares of Leeds-based fashion and retail logistics firm Clipper Logistics plc fell about 20% on Monday despite the firm announcing its revenue increased 17.6% to £400.1…
Yorkshire Bank owner mortgage book tops £24bn
Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG, which is buying Newcastle-based Virgin Money for roughly £1.7 billion, said on Monday its third-quarter trading was in line with its…
£1bn boost from Manchester cultural hub The Factory
The Factory – a new cultural venue in the heart of Manchester – has been given final approval by Manchester City Council’s planning committee. It…
Bodycote expects results to beat consensus
Macclesfield-based engineering and thermal processing giant Bodycote said it expects its full year results to “be marginally ahead of current consensus.” Bodycote said that for the…
Virgin Money H1 profit tops £141m as takeover looms
Newcastle and Edinburgh-based Virgin Money, which is being bought by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG for around £1.7 billion, said on Thursday its underlying profit before…
Stobart hires search firm, probes alleged bullying
Carlisle-based Stobart Group — consumed by a lengthy boardroom battle — said on Wednesday it hired search firm Russell Reynolds Associates to help strengthen its board and appointed…
Cussons profit falls amid Nigeria slump
Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said its adjusted profit before tax fell 21.5% to £80.1 million for the year to May 31, 2018, “largely due to…
Outages hurt Drax H1 earnings; shares down 7%
Shares of Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group fell about 5% after it said its first-half earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell to…
May to OK £600m North of Tyne devolution deal
Prime Minister Theresa May will confirm a £780 million investment in the East Coast Main Line when she holds a Cabinet meeting in the North East…
Vimto firm Nichols sees H1 revenue, profit rise
Merseyside-based Vimto and soft drinks firm Nichols plc said its revenue rose 2.3% to £65 million and profit before tax increased 2.7% to £13.1 million in the half…
Sports Direct profit falls 72% amid Debenhams hit
Shares of Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International fell about 7% after it said its reported profit before tax fell 72.5% to £77.5 million despite revenue rising 3.5% to £3.36…
Moneysupermarket H1 revenue up 5% to £174m
Shares of Chester-based price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com rose about 8% after it said its revenue rose 5% to £173.7 million in the six months to June 30,…
British Steel in £50m Scunthorpe investment
British Steel reported a first quarter profit of £21 million and announced the biggest single investment in its manufacturing operations for a decade. The resurrected…
NCC returns to profit as revenue tops £233m
Manchester-based cyber security company NCC Group said its revenue from continuing operations grew 8.3% to £233.2 million in the year to May 31 and profit before tax…
Northern Bear seeks deals as turnover tops £53m
Newcastle-based building services firm Northern Bear plc said its turnover from continuing operations rose to £53.6 million in the year to March 31, 2018, from…
Legal & General buys £50m Sheffield ‘smart office’
LGIM Real Assets (Legal & General) said it acquired Steel Vulcan House, a 120,000 sq ft modern office building in the centre of Sheffield for…
B&M first-quarter revenue up 21% to £796m
Liverpool-based B&M European Value Retail said its total sales revenue increased 21.3% to £796.3 million in its first quarter to June 30, 2018. B&M UK sales…
DFS Furniture warns earnings will fall
Doncaster-based DFS Furniture warned in a trading update that its full-year earnings will fall below last year, blaming “exceptionally hot weather” and “disruption outside of our…
Shares up 35% at Jet2 owner as revenue tops £2.3bn
Shares of Leeds-based leisure and logistics firm Dart Group, owner of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, soared about 35% after it said its revenue increased 38% to £2.39 billion and pre-tax profit…
Begbies Traynor revenue tops £52m
Manchester-based Begbies Traynor Group plc, the business recovery, financial advisory and property services consultancy, said its revenue from continuing operations in the year ended April 30, 2018,…
Tour de Yorkshire injects £98m into economy
The 2018 Tour de Yorkshire boosted the county’s economy by about £98 million, according to an economic impact study conducted by independent research company GRASP and…
Stobart plans to ‘unify’ investors with ‘new chairman’
Carlisle-based Stobart Group — consumed by a lengthy and ongoing boardroom battle — has unveiled proposals which it claims will “seek to unify the interests of…
Stobart Group boardroom battle rages on
The battle for control of the board at Carlisle-based aviation, energy and transport firm Stobart Group continues to rage on despite former CEO Andrew Tinkler failing narrowly…
Co-op Bank hires ex-Lloyds executive as new CEO
Manchester-based Co-operative Bank announced on Monday the appointment of former Lloyds Banking Group executive Andrew Bester as its new chief executive officer. Co-operative Bank said in…
Stobart CFO quits amid boardroom vote delay
Carlisle-based aviation, energy and transport firm Stobart Group late on Friday delayed the results of its contentious AGM shareholder vote on the future of chairman Ian Ferguson. Ferguson has…
Record year at Sheffield affordable housing firm Gleeson
Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder and urban regeneration firm MJ Gleeson plc said in a trading update ahead of full-year results on September 17 that its Gleeson Homes division delivered its largest…
Warrington REIT Assura grows property pipeline to £225m
Warrington-based real estate investment trust (REIT) Assura plc, which invests in general practitioner surgery buildings and primary care centres, on Thursday published a trading update for its…
Pay-row Persimmon’s H1 revenue rises 5% to £1.8bn
York-based housebuilder Persimmon — still under shareholder fire for excessive executive compensation — said on Thursday its revenues for the first six months of 2018 were…
Councils cash in as Manchester Airports top £818m
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) said its revenue rose 10.2% to £818.1 million in the year to March 31 and passenger numbers rose 6.7% to 58.9 million. MAG owns and…
Sainsbury raises £3.5bn for £7.3bn Asda takeover
Sainsbury’s, which agreed a £7.3 billion cash and shares takeover of Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda in April, said on Wednesday it agreed a financing package of…
McWilliam returns to Asda as chief financial officer
Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda — currently preparing to be taken over by Sainsbury’s — announced on Tuesday that Rob McWilliam will return to the supermarket as…
Regulator probes KPMG over Conviviality audit
The UK’s Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into auditor KPMG’s work for Conviviality, the Crewe-based alcohol wholesaler which owned Bargain Booze and Wine…