Intu shares fall 35% as Peel consortium drops bid
UPDATE 2 — Shares of shopping center giant Intu Properties plc fell more than 35% on Thursday after a consortium led by its deputy chairman John…
November 2018
On the Beach revenue up 25% to £104m
Stockport-based beach holiday retailer On the Beach Group plc said on Wednesday its revenue increased 24.5% to £104.1 million in the year to September 30 while…
Co-op Bank hires CYBG’s Kerr to grow SME business
Manchester-based Co-operative Bank announced on Wednesday the appointment of Donald Kerr to the new role of Managing Director, SME Banking, as part of its bid…
AJ Bell IPO price range implies £675m market value
Manchester-based investment firm AJ Bell on Tuesday announced the price range for its planned IPO — implying a market capitalisation on admission of between £626 million…
Severfield first-half revenue up 9% to £149m
Thirsk, North Yorkshire-based steel group Severfield said on Tuesday its revenue rose 9% to £149.1 million in the six months through September 30 while underlying…
Pets At Home to buy back vet practices; profit falls
Chesire-based Pets At Home, the retailer of pet food, accessories and veterinary services, said on Tuesday it plans to buy back 55 vet practices from partners…
Greggs shares soar on strong trading, profit forecast
Shares of Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer, rose more than 10% on Tuesday after it said in a trading update that its sales rose…
New Eden Project plan unveiled for Morecambe
The Eden Project has unveiled its vision for Eden Project North in Morecambe, Lancashire. The Cornwall-based environmental charity has presented new images and details to…
United Utilities half-year revenue up to £916m
Warrington-based United Utilities, the UK’s largest listed water company, said on Wednesday its revenue for the six months to September 30 rose 4.6% to £916.4 million…
TalkTalk moves to Salford, launches fibre firm in North
TalkTalk announced on Wednesday it will relocate its headquarters from London to Salford to support its next phase of growth. Several hundred roles will be…
Sage profit up to £398m on £1.8bn revenue
Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group, the UK’s largest listed tech company, said on Wednesday its revenue increased 7.6% to £1.85 billion in the year to September…
Bonmarché profit falls 45% despite revenue rise
Wakefield-based Bonmarché, the discount fashion retailer aimed at women over 50, said on Tuesday its pre-tax profit fell 45% to £2.3 million in the half-year to…
KCOM shares fall 30% on growth warning, dividend cut
Shares of Hull-based communications firm KCOM plunged 30% on Tuesday after it warned its trading performance for the current financial year “will be weaker than originally…
Polypipe 10-month revenue up to £366m
Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems manufacturer Polypipe Group plc on Tuesday issued a trading update for the 10 months ended October 31, saying revenue was 4.5% higher…
AO World shares fall as it reports ‘tough trading’
Shares of Bolton-based online electrical retailer AO World fell about 6% on Tuesday after it said its revenue grew 9.9% to £404.2 million in the six months to…
North ‘gets half the transport spending of London’
Think tank IPPR North said on Tuesday that UK Government figures it has analysed show that transport spending per person has gone up twice as…
Yorkshire Bank owner makes £145m loss as PPI hits
UPDATE 2 — Shares of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG fell more than 15% on Tuesday after it said it increased underlying profit before tax…
Yorkshire Post owner heads for administration
Johnston Press — the debt-laden owner of The Scotsman, the i newspaper, the Yorkshire Post and about 200 local newspapers and websites — said late on Friday…
Foreign firms invest £123m in North West in Q3
Investments by overseas companies in North West of England assets has more than doubled in the past year, according to Deloitte. Figures from the business…
Bodycote revenue up to £243m in four months
Macclesfield-based engineering and thermal processing giant Bodycote on Thursday issued a trading update covering the four month period through October 31, 2018, saying revenue rose…
Dart profit soars, but shares fall on warning
Shares of Leeds-based Dart Group, owner of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, fell more than 15% on Thursday after it warned shareholders to expect increased losses in the second half of the…
Asda sales up ahead of Sainsbury’s merger
Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda — currently preparing to be taken over by Sainsbury’s — on Thursday reported a sixth straight quarter of underlying sales growth. For the…
Man Utd quarterly revenue falls 6.1% to £135m
Manchester United on Thursday announced financial results for the 2019 fiscal first quarter ended September 30, 2018, showing its revenue fell 6.1% to £135 million and…
Newcastle’s Grainger buys out REIT partner for £396m
Newcastle-based Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, said on Wednesday it would buy out Grip REIT plc for £396 million from its joint venture partner, Dutch…
Amey Consulting wins £50m North West roads contract
A contract with almost £50 million which will help shape the future of roads across the North West of England has been awarded by Highways…
ABP invests £65m at Immingham Bulk Terminal
Associated British Ports (ABP) agreed a new deal with British Steel in which ABP has agreed to invest £65 million into the Immingham Bulk Terminal…
Gear4music in management incentive plan
York-based Gear4music, the online retailer of musical instruments and equipment, announced on Tuesday a new long-term management incentive plan “to incentivise senior employees in a manner…
AO World to buy Mobile Phones Direct for £32.5m
Bolton-based online electrical retailer AO World plc said on Friday it agreed to acquire Mobile Phones Direct Limited for about £32.5 million in cash and shares….
Blackburn’s EG Group in £960m Australian deal
Blackburn-based petrol station and convenience store giant EG Group on Friday announced huge expansion plans in Australia by agreeing to buy Woolworths Group’s 540 site network (Woolworths Petrol)…
Toshiba scraps Cumbria nuclear plant; S Korea may bid
Japan’s Toshiba Corp said on Thursday it would cancel the £10 billion Moorside nuclear plant on the Cumbria coast after failing to find an investment partner…
AJ Bell assets hit £46bn as it readies for IPO
Manchester-based investment platform AJ Bell on Thursday notified the London Stock Exchange of its “potential intention” to float its shares as it unveiled full year…
Persimmon kicks out £76m CEO Jeff Fairburn
York-based housebuilder Persimmon said its chief executive Jeff Fairburn is to leave the company because criticism of his £76 million bonus package was a continuing distraction that had…
Co-op Bank seeks to restore its ‘ethical’ brand
Manchester-based Co-operative Bank plc on Tuesday announced an update on its trading performance so far in 2018 as the self-styled “ethical bank” continues to recover from…
Morrisons sales up 5.6% but growth slows
Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons said on Tuesday group like-for-like sales excluding fuel were up 5.6% for the 13 weeks to November 4. “As expected, retail LFL sales growth eased…
Sage appoints Steve Hare as CEO
Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group, the UK’s largest listed tech company, said on Friday it appointed Steve Hare to the role of chief executive officer…
Stobart Air in deal with BA CityFlyer
Carlisle-based aviation, energy and transport firm Stobart Group said on Thursday its Stobart Air business has secured an agreement to provide new aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI)…
MD leaves Provident’s Vanquis Bank
Embattled Bradford-based subprime lender Provident Financial said Chris Sweeney, managing director of its Vanquis Bank business, will step down from his role immediately. Sweeney will…