Northern Financial Review

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group, the UK’s largest listed tech company, said on Wednesday its first-half revenue edged 1.9% higher to £975 million and operating…

Shares of Wilmslow, Chesire-based pet and vet retailer Pets at Home Group Plc fell about 7% on Tuesday as it rejected claims by Austin, Texas-based…

Shares of Bolton-based online electrical retailer AO World rose about 6% on Tuesday after it said in a trading update it “has grown market share and seen…

The UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will remain open until the end of October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on Tuesday. Sunak said the furlough…

Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons on Tuesday reported a 5.7% rise in group like-for-like sales in its latest quarter and said its online shopping business was expanding…

Blackpool-based polymer company Victrex said on Monday its reported revenue rose 4% to £151.5 million in the six months ended March 31, 2020, with first-half profit…

Latest figures from MIDAS, Greater Manchester’s inward investment agency, show it supported the creation of 3,458 jobs across the city region in the last financial…

Manchester-based cloud hosting firm UKFast said on Thursday its private equity investor Inflexion is increasing its shareholding to approximately 75%. Founders Lawrence and Gail Jones…

Shares of Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems firm Polypipe Group fell about 11% on Thursday after it issued a COVID-19 trading update and said it raised…

The UK’s central bank said on Thursday the UK could suffer its biggest economic slump for more than 300 years due to the coronavirus lockdown….

The 10 Greater Manchester councils that own a majority stake in Manchester Airports Group could be set to provide a £260 million finance package to…

Louise Wyman has been confirmed as Manchester’s new Strategic Director of Development, taking over from Eddie Smith following his retirement from the Manchester City Council…

Manchester-based Co-operative Bank said on Wednesday the impact of Covid-19 negatively affected its statutory loss before tax by about £12 million. In a first quarter…

Wakefield-based greeting card and gift retailer Card Factory said on Wednesday its web site has delivered sales growth of 267.5% since the coronavirus lockdown started. About…

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday it has blocked the purchase of Footasylum by JD Sports Fashion after finding it “would…

Bury-based retail giant JD Sports Fashion Plc has stopped Kath Smith, one of its non-executive directors, from taking up a similar role with Manchester fashion…

Runcorn-based workwear and linen rental company Johnson Service Group (JSG) said on Tuesday that revenue in its hotel, restaurant and catering markets fell 97% in April as…

Nottingham-based car retail group Pendragon plc said on Monday that its talks on a potential merger with Manchester-based Lookers plc “have ceased.” On March 10,…

Troubled shopping centre operator Intu Properties plc said on Friday it secured debt waivers from its creditors until June 26 amid a collapse in rental…

Shares of Wetherby-based biotherapeutics company Avacta Group plc rose another 14% on Friday after it announced it entered a collaboration with Massachusetts-based Adeptrix to develop…

Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retail giant, said on Thursday it has changed its mind about reopening 20 shops as a trial run next…

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said on Thursday it will resume some construction work, initially on a phased basis, from Monday May 4. In a stock…

Manchester-based global  consumer brand and technology firm The Hut Group (THG) said on Thursday it will launch its own cargo airline called THG Air via…

York-based house building giant Persimmon plc said on Wednesday its current forward sales position to date in 2020 is £2.4 billion compared to £2.7 billion last…

Legal & General said on Tuesday it will invest £150 million into Sheffield’s West Bar Square development to deliver the first phase of the mixed-use…

Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retail giant Greggs said on Monday it plans to reopen 20 shops from next Monday in a trial to see if it is…

Flintshire-based house building giant Redrow plc said on Monday it “intends to commence mobilising sites” in the week starting May 11 “with a phased return to…

Carlisle-based aviation and energy firm Stobart Group said on Monday it agreed to buy back regional airline Stobart Air and its leasing firm Propius for up…

Leeds-based Dart Group, owner of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said on Friday it expects an exceptional charge of £109 million due to its operations “currently being suspended…

York-based house building giant Persimmon plc said on Friday it will begin “a phased restart to work on site” with effect from Monday, April 27, “in…

Bury-based retail giant JD Sports Fashion Plc said on Friday it will not pay a final dividend this year and said its senior management agreed…

Manchester-based Co-op Group said on Friday its revenue grew 7% to £10.9 billion in the 52 weeks to January 4, 2020. And the mutually-owned group said…

Shares of York-based online music equipment retailer Gear4music rose 11% on Thursday after it published a year-end trading update covering the 12 months to March 31,…

Snaith, East Yorkshire-based speciality chemicals giant Croda International said on Thursday it will pay its final 2019 ordinary dividend of 50.5p per share — about…

Doncaster-based DFS Furniture said on Thursday it raised £64 million through the placing and subscription of 42.6 million shares at 150p each. DFS said the 150p…

Shares of Manchester-based investment platform AJ Bell rose 17% on Thursday after it published a trading update for the three months to March 31, 2020, showing…

Chester-based ID verification company GB Group (GBG) said on Wednesday it expects its revenue for the year to March 31, 2020, to grow 38.7% to…

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said on Wednesday its directors have agreed to a voluntary, temporary 20% reduction in basic salary and fees effective from…

Shares of North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group plc rose about 16% on Wednesday after it published a trading update saying that its 2019 final dividend…

Shares of Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo Group plc rose about 10% on Wednesday after it said its revenue soared 44% to £1.235 billion in the…

Sheffield-based video gaming firm Sumo Group plc said on Tuesday it will continue to look for acquisitions as it announced final results for the year…

Warrington-based robotic process automation (RPA) software firm Blue Prism said on Tuesday it raised £100 million by selling just over nine million shares in a…

Investors withdrew £8.7 billion from UK-domiciled funds in March as the Covid-19 pandemic sparked panic and British funds suffered their largest ever monthly outflows, according…

Flintshire-based house builder Redrow plc on Monday provided a further update on actions it is taking to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its…

Liverpool-based IT services and cloud hosting firm SysGroup plc said on Monday it expects to report revenue growth of 53% to about £19.5 million for…

Shares of Doncaster-based DFS Furniture rose about 11% on Monday after it confirmed it is in the advanced stages of negotiating an additional debt facility of…

Manchester-based online beauty and wellness firm The Hut Group (THG) said on Friday its technology services division THG Ingenuity signed a major contract with Nestlé Health…

Shares of Leeds-based credit card, identity and mobile phone protection firm CPP Group rose about 30% on Thursday after it announced its full year results for…

Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said on Thursday it is experiencing “exceptionally high demand” for its Carex hand wash and sanitiser gel products and its Imperial…

Carlisle-based aviation and energy firm Stobart Group confirmed on Thursday media speculation that it is considering buying back regional airline Stobart Air and its leasing firm…

Shares of Carlisle-based agriculture and engineering firm Carr’s Group rose about 9% on Wednesday after it published “resilient” first-half results for the 26 weeks ended…

Preston-based life and pensions consolidator Chesnara plc said on Wednesday it remains well capitalised as it proposed an increase in its dividend and revealed its…

Manchester-based commercial property giant Bruntwood on Wednesday updated the market on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business. Bruntwood said as of April…

West Yorkshire-based natural stone and landscaping products firm Marshalls plc on Tuesday issued a further update on measures it is taking in response to the coronavirus…

Shares of Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc rose more than 40% on Tuesday after it published a “COVID-19 and banking facilities update” showing NatWest agreed…

The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday the global economy could shrink by 3% in 2020 — an IMF downgrade of 6.3 percentage points from…

The UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said on Tuesday the British economy could shrink by 35% in the April to June period and unemployment…

Up to £52 billion of UK company dividends could be scrapped in 2020 as London-listed firms cancel payouts to protect cash and avoid criticism amid the…

Flintshire-based house builder Redrow plc said on Thursday it has been confirmed as an eligible issuer for the UK’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) with a…

The UK’s central bank has agreed to temporarily lend the UK government money via its Bank of England overdraft facility if required to help finance…