Articles by Northern Financial Review


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)…




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…



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…







Sheffield commercial bank BBI has £1.2bn invested

British Business Investments (BBI), the commercial subsidiary of Sheffield-based British Business Bank plc, the UK’s national economic development bank, has published its annual accounts for…





Peel launches new housebuilding division

Manchester giant Peel Land and Property (Peel L&P) announced it has appointed Phil Wilson as chief executive of what will be its new housebuilding division,…






Bellway profit £641m on revenue of £2.96bn

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said its profit before tax rose 14.3% to £641.1 million and revenue increased 15.6% to £2.96 billion in the year ended July…









Greggs sales up 7.3%, helped by focaccia

Shares of Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer, rose about 5% after it said its sales rose 7.3% in the 13 weeks to September…


Cammell Laird wins £619m contracts

Merseyside-based shipyard and engineering company Cammell Laird said it won two 10-year contracts worth an estimated £619 million to support the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA)….


Bruntwood, L&G in £360m technology investment

Manchester-based commercial property company Bruntwood and Legal & General Capital said they established a landmark 50:50 partnership to create the UK’s largest property platform dedicated…


Peel consortium may take £2bn Intu private

A consortium including North of England billionaire John Whittaker, Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management and Saudi Arabia’s Olayan Group is considering a bid for Intu Properties, the shopping center…





Sunderland sofa firm ScS revenue up to £337m

Sunderland-based furniture and floorings retailer ScS Group said its revenue rose 1.3% to £337.3 million and profit before tax rose 10.5% to £13.2 million in the 52 weeks ended…





Boohoo half-year revenue up 50% to £395m

Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo.com plc said on Wednesday its revenue soared 50% to £395.3 million and profit before tax rose 22% to £24.7 million…




Drax Targets £1bn Of ScottishPower Assets

North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group is in talks to buy a number of ScottishPower assets as it continues to diversify away from coal-burning generation. Drax said…



Revenue tops £196m at Sheffield’s Gleeson

Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson plc said on Monday group profit before tax increased 12.1% to £37 million on revenue up 23% to £196.7 million in the…




Co-op first-half sales up 10% to £5bn

Manchester-based Co-op Group said its first-half sales increased 10% to £5 billion, driven by a strong food sales performance and the acquisition of Nisa. Group…




Morrisons first-half revenue up 4.5% to £8.8bn

Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons said on Thursday its first-half revenue rose 4.5% to £8.8 billion and underlying profit before tax rose 9% to £193 million. Morrisons CEO…


CEO leaves Manchester fashion giant N Brown

Manchester-based fashion retailer N Brown Group — whose brands include JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo — said on Wednesday that its CEO Angela Spindler will leave…



Shareholders OK Yorkshire Bank-Virgin Money Deal

Shareholders of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG and shareholders of Virgin Money on Monday overwhelmingly approved the all-share deal for CYBG to take over its Newcastle-based…


The Lakes Distillery mulls £15m IPO

The Lakes Distillery, the “English single malt” whisky distillery, announced it is exploring the possibility of seeking admission of its shares to trading on AIM,…




Blackburn’s EG Group in $305m US acquisition

Blackburn-based petrol station and convenience store giant EG Group announced on Tuesday a further expansion in the United States with the acquisition of 225 Minit Mart branded convenience retail stores and gas stations and related assets from TravelCenters of…


Redrow revenue up 16% to record £1.9bn

Flintshire-based house builder Redrow said on Tuesday its revenue rose 16% to a record £1.92 billion in the year to June 30 driven by higher legal completions and…


TSB CEO Pester Leaves After IT Fiasco

UPDATE 3 – TSB Bank Plc said on Tuesday that its CEO Paul Pester is leaving the company after months of pressure that followed a botched…



TSB hit by yet another IT problem

TSB — which is owned by Spain’s Banco Sabadell — said on Monday some of its customers are having problems using its internet banking facilities, its…




Eddie Stobart H1 revenue up 25% to £359m

Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics plc said on Thursday its revenue rose 25.3% to £359.3 million in the six months ended May 31, 2018. First-half profit was £1.4 million…