Warrington Council buys Birchwood in £200m deal
Warrington Borough Council said it added to its investment portfolio with the Warrington & Co led acquisition of Birchwood Park from Oaktree Capital Management. The…
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Morrisons first-half profit up 40% to £200m
Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons said its first-half profit before tax rose 39.9% to £200 million on turnover up 4.8% to £8.42 billion. But Morrisons’ shares fell…
Drax unveils big plans for battery storage and gas
Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group said it gave notice to the UK’s Planning Inspectorate of its intention to consult on long-term options to repower…
Blackpool Council buys airport from Balfour Beatty
Blackpool Council said it completed the purchase of the Blackpool Airport site — taking the company back into “full public ownership” for the first time…
JD Sports half-year profit hits record £102.7m
Shares of Bury-based JD Sports Fashion rose about 9% on Tuesday after it said half-year profit before tax increased 33% to a record £102.7 million on…
Shares fall 47% at Oldham’s Ultimate Products
Shares of Oldham-based consumer goods firm Ultimate Products, which went public earlier this year, fell more than 47% after it said in a trading update that…
100 new jobs in global law firm’s Newcastle move
Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has announced plans to open a Legal Process Hub in Newcastle’s Quayside, creating around 100 new jobs over the next three…
Profit falls at Go-Ahead despite £3.48bn revenue
Newcastle-based rail and bus group Go-Ahead Group said revenue for the year to July 1 rose 3.6% to £3.48 billion — but pre-tax profit fell 5.7%…
Shares of Dart Group soar as Jet2 takes off
Shares of Leeds-based leisure and logistics firm Dart Group, owner of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, rose 4% on Thursday after it gave a positive trading update at its annual general meeting….
Yorkshire Bank owner: SME health at 18-month high
The health of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK has risen to its highest level in 18 months, according to the SME Health…
Boohoo hires Phone House founder as non-exec
Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo.com announced Pierre Marie Jean-Louis Cuilleret as a new non-executive director. Cuilleret will join the board and sit on each of…
Lancashire tissue firm Accrol appoints CEO
Lancashire-based tissue maker Accrol Group said it appointed Gareth Jenkins as its new chief executive. Jenkins’ previous experience includes 24 years at DS Smith plc, one…
Biggest ever commercial property letting in Leeds
The UK Government’s Cabinet Office has announced that 7 & 8 Wellington Place in Leeds will be the location of a brand new Government Hub…
Global Marine chooses Port of Blyth for expansion
Chelmsford-based Global Marine Group (GMG), an offshore engineering services company for the renewables, telecommunications and oil & gas industries, announced it has expanded its operations base…
Redrow profit hits record £315m on £1.6bn revenue
Shares of Flintshire-based house builder Redrow rose 4% after it said its revenue rose 20% to a record £1.66 billion and pre-tax profit jumped 26% to a record…
UK finance minister meets Northern Metro Mayors
UK finance minister Philip Hammond on Monday convened the UK Government’s first meeting with all three Metro Mayors from the North of England to discuss…
Northern Rock investors renew compensation fight
Thousands of Northern Rock shareholders who had their investments wiped out when the bank was nationalised by the UK state almost 10 years ago are…
Ramsdens shares up amid strong profit expectations
Shares of Middlesbrough-based pawnbroker and foreign currency exchange Ramsdens Holdings plc rose 18% after it said in a trading update it expects its interim and full year…
Leeds software firm EMIS hit by NHS slowdown
Leeds-based healthcare software and IT firm EMIS Group said its revenue increased by 1% to £79.2 million in the six months to June 30 “despite the uncertainty…
£300m road schemes to boost Merseyside, Cheshire
Highways England said that two major new road schemes worth more than £300 million are set to cut congestion and improve journey times for drivers…
Provident’s Crook gives up year of salary, benefits
Troubled Bradford-based Provident Financial said former CEO Peter Crook, who resigned from the firm 11 days ago amid major problems, “has agreed to forgo his base salary,…
Eddie Stobart half-year revenue rises to £287m
Logistics firm Eddie Stobart said its reported revenue increased 7.6% to £286.8 million in the six months ended May 31, 2017, as it delivered its first…
New bank backed by Warrington Council opens
The challenger bank backed by Warrington Borough Council has opened for business just more than four months after securing its initial banking licence. Warrington Borough Council…
Addleshaw Manchester team on £677m deals
Law firm Addleshaw Goddard said its Manchester corporate team advised on 18 transactions with a total value of over £677 million in the second quarter…
Co-op in exclusive talks to buy Nisa for £140m
Manchester’s Co-op Group has begun exclusive talks with Scunthorpe-based convenience grocer Nisa to discuss a possible deal to buy the mutually-owned retailer for up to £140 million….
Newcastle’s Grainger buys £80m Salford development
Newcastle-based Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, said it agreed, subject to planning, to acquire a private rented sector (PRS) build-to-rent development at Gore…
Provident re-hires Gillespie to fix home credit
Shares of troubled sub-prime lender Provident Financial Group rebounded 20% on Friday after it announced it re-hired former executive Chris Gillespie as managing director of its home…
Leeds-based Jet2.com creates 1,700 jobs
Jet2.com — owned by Leeds-based leisure and logistics firm Dart Group — has announced a major recruitment drive with roadshows taking place across the UK to…
Provident shares fall ‘catastrophic’ 70% amid profit warning, CEO departure, suspended dividend, FCA probe
Shares of sub-prime lender Provident Financial plummeted more than 70% after it issued a second profit warning in roughly two months and said its CEO Peter…
Persimmon first half profit up 30% to £457m
York-based house builder Persimmon said its revenue rose 12% to £1.66 billion and profit before tax increased 30% to £457.4 million in the first-half of…
TSK to create Kellogg’s HQ at MediaCityUK
Kellogg’s said it appointed workplace specialist TSK to create its new 46,000-square foot UK headquarters in MediaCityUK in Manchester. “The appointment comes as last month…
Asda hails first quarterly sales rise in three years
Walmart said its Leeds-based subsidiary Asda reported a positive quarterly sales figure for the first time in three years for the April 1 to June 30 period. Asda said…
Lookers revenue £2.5bn, but shares fall on outlook
Manchester-based Lookers plc, the UK’s biggest car dealership, said its revenue increased 5% to £2.46 billion in the six months to June 30, but its share price…
£160m Sellafield contract for Amec, Interserve
OneAIM, a joint venture between Amec Foster Wheeler and Interserve, has won a four-year £160 million contract to support reprocessing plants and facilities at the…
Revolution Bars rebuffs Deltic amid Stonegate bid
Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group on Tuesday rejected a merger approach from nightclub company Deltic Group and said it would continue to discuss a £100 million takeover…
Yorkshire & Humber ‘has fastest growing output’
Yorkshire & Humber became the fastest growing region in England and Wales in terms of output in July, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Regional…
OK for Leeds Beckett £75m creative arts building
Leeds Beckett University said it has received planning permission for its new £75 million Creative Arts building. The university said the 14,500 sq m development…
DFS Furniture shares plunge on lower revenues
Shares of Doncaster-based DFS Furniture plunged as much as 7% after it said revenues for the second half of its financial year were 4% lower than the…
Co-op Bank loses 25k customers amid £135m loss
Manchester-based Co-operative Bank said on Thursday its losses before tax narrowed to £135.2 million in the six months to June 30, 2017, from £177 million…
Mace in for £330m Manchester Town Hall revamp
International construction firm Mace said it has been appointed as the project manager for the £330 million repair and upgrade project at Manchester’s iconic Town Hall…
Revenue up to £242 million at Doncaster’s Polypipe
Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems manufacturer Polypipe Group plc said its revenue rose 8.4% to £242 million and profit before tax rose 5.3% to £31.5 million in the six…
H1 revenue at Sheffield’s SIG up 4.7% to £1.44bn
Sheffield-based European building products distributor SIG said its statutory revenue rose 4.7% to £1.44 billion in the six months to June 30 but it made a statutory…
Bellway expects housing revenue +13% to £2.5bn
Newcastle-based house builder Bellway said in a trading update it expects its housing revenue to increase by more than 13% to £2.5 billion for the…
Pets At Home Q1 revenue rises 5% to £256.5m
Shares of Chesire-based Pets At Home, the retailer of pet food, accessories and veterinary services, rose about 8% after it said its revenue grew 5% to…
Leeds Building Society savings balances hit £12.5bn
Leeds Building Society said strong mortgage growth drove a 9% increase in profit before tax to a record £63.2 million in the first half of 2017….
Tilney acquires £162m assets of Manchester’s Midas
Investment and financial planning group Tilney announced an agreement to acquire the assets of Manchester-based private client investment management and advisory business Midas Investment Management….
Swiss bank Julius Baer opens in Manchester, Leeds
Swiss private bank Julius Baer said it is opening new offices in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow and it has hired a number of experienced relationship…
DFS shares up as it buys Sofology and refinances
Shares of Doncaster-based DFS Furniture rose almost 5% after it said it agreed to buy Golborne-based sofa retailer Sofology Limited and announced an agreement to refinance its existing borrowings. DFS…
B&M in £152m deal to buy Heron Food Group
Liverpool-based B&M European Value Retail said it is acquiring East Yorkshire-based discount convenience retailer Heron Food Group Limited for up to £152 million. Heron operates predominantly…
Yorkshire Building Society H1 profit slips to £92.3m
Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society said it increased its core operating profit by 35% to £84.2 million in the first half of 2017 but its profit before…
North West firms’ market value up 5% to £43.7bn
UPDATE 1 — The North West’s listed companies added £2.1 billion to their stock market values in the second quarter of 2017, according to Deloitte….
Skipton savings balances up to £14.6 billion
Skipton Building Society said it increased its membership by almost 26,000 to more than 886,000 and recorded a 19% increase in underlying group profit before tax…
Stonegate in £100m offer for Revolution Bars
Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc said it received a conditional proposal from Slug & Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company Limited to acquire Revolution “on a recommended…
Feed, food and fuel firm NWF revenue soars to £556m
Chesire-based NWF Group plc, the agricultural and distribution business that delivers feed, food and fuel across the UK, said revenue rose 19.3% to £555.8 million,…
Greggs plans ‘Drive-Thrus’ as H1 sales rise to £453m
Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer Greggs said its sales for the 26 weeks to July 1, 2017, grew 7.3% to £453 million, with like-for-like sales in…
McColl’s deal to take Morrisons wholesale to £1bn
Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons announced a long-term wholesale supply initiative with convenience retailer McColl’s which it said will take its wholesale supply sales eventually to more than…
Shares of Yorkshire Bank owner soar after trading update
UPDATE 2 — Shares of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG rose about 9% after it announced a positive trading update for the three months…
Stobart aircraft leasing buys three jets for $56m
Stobart Group said its aircraft leasing business Propius Limited signed an agreement with a special purpose company managed by GOAL German Operating Aircraft Leasing to…
Bonmarché sales boosted by online success
Wakefield-based Bonmarché, the discount fashion retailer aimed at women over 50, said its total sales for the 13 weeks ended July 1, 2017, increased by…
Endless leads buyout at Antler luggage firm
The Manchester office of private equity firm Endless has backed a management buyout of British upmarket luggage company Antler. Antler CEO David Sharman will continue…
Provident Financial profits fall 45% amid agent woes
Bradford-based home credit firm Provident Financial said its first half statutory profit before tax fell 45.6% to £90 million amid ongoing problems with its move from using self-employed…
Cussons profit up 5% despite Nigeria currency woes
Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said its reported revenue fell 1.5% to £809.2 million but statutory profit before tax rose 5% to £88 million…
Newcastle’s Sage buys cloud firm Intacct for $850m
Newcastle-based Sage Group, the UK’s largest tech company, said it agreed to acquire San Jose-based Intacct Corporation, a provider of cloud financial management products in North America…
Board moves as Virgin Money H1 profit hits £128m
UPDATE 1 — Edinburgh and Newcastle-based challenger bank Virgin Money Holdings on Tuesday announced changes to its board and said underlying profit before tax rose 26%…
‘Rail electrification U-turn would derail Powerhouse’
UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been criticised after supporting London’s multi-billion Crossrail 2 plans just days after hinting that rail electrification plans for northern…
£1bn Manchester Airport expansion under way
The UK Government unveiled plans to develop a new UK Aviation Strategy as a £1 billion programme to double the size of Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 was…
Sports Direct profit slumps, but outlook lifts shares
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International said its reported profit before tax fell 22.2% to £281.6 million in the year ended April 30, 2017, but the firm’s shares…
Manchester’s 101 Embankment sold for £105m
The Manchester office development 101 Embankment has been sold to M&G Real Estate for £105 million. 101 Embankment, the new headquarters of UK insurer Swinton,…
Drax makes £83m loss amid coal asset depreciation
Shares of Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group fell more than 3% on Wednesday after it said “increases to depreciation and amortisation costs and unrealised…
£1bn plan unveiled to transform Bolton town centre
A £1 billion plan has been unveiled to regenerate Bolton town centre, with Bolton Council promising to provide £100 million of the funding. The council…