Northern Gritstone hits £312m amid pension fund boost
Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on university spin-outs and IP-rich businesses in the North of England, has announced a final close of £312 million,…
October 2023
Safestyle shares suspended amid sale negotiations
Bradford-based window and door company Safestyle UK plc said on Friday it has requested that its shares are suspended from trading on AIM with effect from…
Vimto firm Nichols in big board changes
Merseyside-based Vimto and soft drinks firm Nichols plc has announced changes to its board. Richard Newman will join the board as a director with effect…
ScS agrees to £99m takeover by Italy’s Poltronesofà
ScS Group, the Sunderland-based furniture and floorings company, said its board has agreed to a takeover offer worth £99.4 million from Italian firm Poltronesofà S.p.A….
Greater Manchester Authority CEO Boylan to retire
Eamonn Boylan has announced his intention to retire as chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and chief executive of Transport for Greater…
McBride shares up 20% amid private label growth
Shares of Manchester-based household products firm McBride rose about 20% after it published a trading update saying its “favourable trading environment and momentum of the…
AJ Bell assets rise 11% to record £70.9bn
AJ Bell plc, the Salford-based investment platform giant, said its customer numbers increased 12% to 476,532 as its assets under administration (AUA) rose 11% to a…
Bodycote hires Jim Fairbairn as CEO
Bodycote, the Macclesfield-based heat treatment and thermal processing giant, announced the appointment of Jim Fairbairn as group chief executive to succeed Stephen Harris on his retirement….
Ladbible parent buys US firm focused on women
LBG Media plc, the Manchester-based parent of Ladbible, announced the acquisition of Betches Media, a US-based media brand “founded by women and focussed on digital media content…
Revolution Bars sales rise 8% to £152m
Greater Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc said its sales rose 8.4% to £152.6 million in the year to July 1, 2023, “as a result of…
Bellway profit falls 18% to £532m; reservations down
Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said its revenue slipped 3.7% to £3.4 billion and underlying profit before taxation fell 18.1% to £532.6 million in the…
Liverpool’s Surface Transforms wins £100m deal
Shares of Liverpool-based Surface Transforms, makers of carbon fibre reinforced ceramic automotive brake discs, rose about 7% after it announced it was selected “as a tier…
Bruntwood SciTech gets new £500m investment
Manchester-based Bruntwood SciTech has secured £500 million of additional investment and welcomed the UK’s largest local authority pension fund, Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF), to…
Sheffield’s ITM Power targets US market
ITM Power, the Sheffield-based green hydrogen and energy storage firm, has announced that the company is “commencing bidding into projects” in the US market. “We are…
Electricity North West shareholders ‘mull stake sales’
Several shareholders in Warrington-based Electricity North West (ENWL) are exploring a potential sale of their stakes in the network operator, according to a Reuters report. A…
Dechra revenue rises to £761m before it goes private
Cheshire veterinary drugs giant Dechra Pharmaceuticals reported revenue growth of 5.5% to £761.5 million for the year ended June 30, 2023, and said underlying operating…
Sheffield’s SIG sees shares plummet on weaker demand
Shares of SIG plc, the Sheffield-based international building materials supplier, fell more than 10% after it issued a trading update for the three months to September…
Carr’s of Carlisle reports record order book of £63m
Carlisle-based agriculture and engineering firm Carr’s Group announced a trading update for the year ended September 2, 2023, saying its order book has reached a…
Yorkshire’s Croda cuts profit forecast to £320m
Croda International, the Snaith, East Yorkshire-based FTSE 100 speciality chemicals giant, has cut its forecast for full year adjusted profit before tax to between £300 million and…
Bodycote buys $145m US businesses, opens LA facility
Bodycote, the Macclesfield-based heat treatment and thermal processing giant, has announced the acquisition of two US-based specialist technology focussed businesses for $145 million and outlined…
Durham’s Banks Group sells $1bn renewables unit
County Durham family firm the Banks Group announced that its renewable energy division Banks Renewables is being acquired by Brookfield, the Canadian asset manager with…
Victorian Plumbing flags higher revenue, profitability
Skelmersdale, Lancashire-based bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing Group, said its revenue increased 6% in the year ended September 30, 2023. In a trading update, Victorian Plumbing said: “Revenue…
Boohoo shares hit as H1 revenue falls 17% to £729m
Shares of Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo fell about 10% after it announced results for the six months ended August 31, 2023, showing revenue down…
Greggs Q3 sales up 21% amid £200m spending plan
Newcastle-based Greggs reported that its third-quarter total sales rose 20.8% for the 13 weeks to September 30, 2023, with company-managed shop like-for-like sales up 14.2%….
United Utilities plans £13bn spend, 7,000 jobs
Warrington-based water giant United Utilities said it has submitted its business plan covering the 2025-30 period, involving £13.7 billion of expenditure and support for 30,000 jobs — 7,000 of…