Articles by Northern Financial Review



Ousted Stobart chief buys 12.2% of Flybe

The former chief executive officer of Carlisle-based Stobart Group Ltd, Andrew Tinkler, has bought a stake of just over 12% in British airline Flybe Group…




Stobart, Virgin group buy Flybe

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and transport firm Stobart Group has teamed up with Virgin Atlantic and Cyrus Capital to buy Flybe for a cut-price £2.2 million. A joint venture…


AO World enjoys highest sales month ever

Bolton-based online electrical retailer AO World said on Friday its revenue rose 8.2% in its third quarter, the three months to December 31, 2018. In a…


DFS Furniture warns of Brexit product delays

Doncaster-based DFS Furniture on Thursday reported underlying gross sales growth of 10% in a trading update for the five months to December 30, 2018. However DFS warned…


B&M quarterly sales revenue up 12% to £1bn

Liverpool-based bargain retailer B&M European Value Retail said on Thursday its total sales revenue increased 12.1% to £1.087 billion in the 13 week period to December…






Morrisons sales rise, boosted by wholesale

Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons said on Tuesday group like-for-like (LFL) sales excluding fuel were up 3.6% for the nine weeks to January 6, comprising contributions from…


Footasylum margins slashed amid tough trading

Shares of troubled Footasylum, the recently-floated Rochdale youth footwear and apparel retailer, fell more than 15% after it published an update on its trading performance for the…



Gleeson shares up on strong trading update

Shares of Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson plc rose 9% on Monday after it said it expects results for the half-year ended December 31, 2018, “to…



Reed Boardall revenue tops £61m

Yorkshire-based cold storage and transport business The Reed Boardall Group Limited said on Thursday its turnover rose 2.3% to £61.6 million in its last financial…


Landmark Leeds office sold for £32m

Investment manager APAM has acquired the landmark Leeds office building 1 City Square for £32 million on behalf of its client Britannia Invest. Aviva Investors put…


UK central bank appoints Bowe, Gadhia

The Bank of England, the UK’s central bank, said Colette Bowe and Jayne-Anne Gadhia have been appointed as external members of its Financial Policy Committee…


Drax completes £702m ScottishPower acquisition

Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group plc said on Wednesday it completed the acquisition of ScottishPower’s portfolio of pumped storage, hydro and gas-fired generation….






Wood, Amec Win $66m Sellafield Contract

Engineering giant Wood plc said it won a contract to supply “programmable digital control technologies” to the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria. Wood said the 10-year…


Grainger acquires £77m Birmingham scheme

Newcastle-based Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, said it agreed to forward fund and acquire a 373-home private rented sector development at Exchange Square in Birmingham for…


Mourinho leaves Man Utd

Manchester United announced on Tuesday that manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect. “The club would like to thank Mourinho for his…


Croda buys Brenntag Biosector for €72 million

Snaith, East Yorkshire-based speciality chemicals giant Croda International said on Monday it agreed to acquire Denmark-based Brenntag Biosector A/S from Brenntag Nordic A/S for about €72 million in cash….


Manchester Airports buys SkyParkSecure

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the operator of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said on Monday it acquired Blackpool-based SkyParkSecure for an undisclosed sum….






Port of Tyne hires new CEO

The Port of Tyne announced the appointment of Matt Beeton as chief executive officer with effect from January 7. Beeton joins the port from APT…



AJ Bell shares up 35% after £651m IPO

Shares of Manchester-based investment firm AJ Bell soared about 35% on Friday in their market debut on the London Stock Exchange. AJ Bell’s shares opened at…




NG Bailey wins £80m contracts

Ilkley, West Yorkshire-based NG Bailey said its services division, which incorporates the recently acquired Freedom business, has secured nine new client contracts worth more than £80 million….





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…







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…




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…




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…







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…






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…