Northern Financial Review

Shares of Carlisle-based aviation and energy infrastructure firm Stobart Group rose about 9% on Monday after it announced its intention to change its name to Esken Limited….

Shares of Bury-based retail giant JD Sports Fashion Plc rose about 5% on Monday after it published a trading update on its performance following the Christmas…

Shares of Wilmslow-based pet and vet retailer Pets at Home Group rose about 6% on Friday after it published a trading update saying it anticipates…

Shares of Wetherby-based biotherapeutics company Avacta Group plc rose 3% on Thursday after it said it has entered into a license agreement with Point Biopharma…

Private equity firm Inflexion has agreed to make a significant minority investment in Digital Wholesale Solutions (DWS), an IT, communications and cloud wholesale platform that…

Shares of Barrow-in-Furness international marine services company James Fisher and Sons plc rose about 8% on Thursday after it published a trading update for the year…

Liverpool-based B&M European Value Retail said on Thursday it will pay a further special dividend of 20p per share — equating to £200 million in total…

Troubled Altrincham-based car dealership Lookers plc, whose shares have been suspended amid an accounting investigation, announced that Anna Bielby has been appointed as a director and…

Leeds-based retail logistics firm Clipper Logistics on Wednesday published a trading update for the Black Friday and Christmas periods saying that it experienced “unprecedented levels of…

Manchester-based Auto Trader Group plc — the UK’s largest digital marketplace for cars — on Wednesday published a trading update “as a result of the…

Shares of Newcastle-based bakery and food retailer Greggs rose about 10% on Wednesday after it published a trading update for the fourth quarter of 2020 showing…

Runcorn-based workwear and textile firm Johnson Service Group (JSG) said on Tuesday that its chairman Bill Shannon has advised the JSG board of his intention to retire…

Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons said on Tuesday its like-for-like sales for the first 22 weeks of its second half to January 3 were up 8.1%. “Shopping patterns…

LDC, the private equity division of Lloyds Banking Group, said it has backed the creation of a new UK-wide lettings and estate agency group in a £100…

ALK Capital, the US investment firm specialising in the sports and media sectors, said it has “completed its investment” in Burnley FC. The deal, approved…

Salford-based investment platform AJ Bell said on Wednesday that its CEO Andy Bell and AJ Bell Investcentre managing director Fergus Lyons sold 3.6 million and…

Almost 30% of shareholders have voted against directors’ remuneration at a general meeting of troubled Altrincham-based car dealership Lookers plc, whose shares were suspended amid…

Manchester-headquartered international law firm DWF Group plc said on Wednesday that independent non-executive director Vin Murria has decided to resign from its board with immediate effect….

Shares of Manchester-based beauty and nutrition giant The Hut Group (THG) rose about 9% on Tuesday after it agreed to acquire Dermstore.com for $350 million (£260…

Manchester-based residential property developer One Heritage Group has announced its entire issued ordinary share capital has been admitted to the standard listing segment of the official list…

Shares of Manchester-based molecular diagnostics firm Yourgene Health plc rose about 5% on Thursday after it announced that Yourgene Genomic Services has been added to the…

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group said on Wednesday it agreed to sell its businesses in Asia and Australia to The Access Group for £95 million. …

Shares of Doncaster-based DFS Furniture rose about 10% on Tuesday after it published a trading update for the first 24 weeks of its financial year to date,…

Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo Group plc — which has been under scrutiny for its corporate governance — said on Monday its board has approved…

Wakefield-based greeting card and gift retailer Card Factory plc on Monday announced the appointment of Darcy Willson-Rymer as chief executive officer. Willson-Rymer will join Card Factory…

Manchester-based Co-operative Bank said on Monday it has ended talks on a possible sale of the company. Co-op Bank has declined to comment on reports…

The Port of Liverpool said it will welcome Maersk and MSC’s TA2 transatlantic service on its inaugural call into Liverpool2, the port’s huge deep-water, west…

Shares of Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc rose about 10% on Thursday after it published results for the 52 weeks ended June 27, 2020, saying…

Hull-based meat processing giant Cranswick Plc said on Thursday it “has withdrawn from the acquisition process for Inspired Pet Nutrition Limited” just one day after…

Salford-based broadband giant TalkTalk Telecom Group said on Thursday it agreed a £1.1 billion takeover for 97p per share by shareholder Toscafund and private equity…

Hull-based meat processing giant Cranswick Plc has confirmed its “potential acquisition” of Inspired Pet Nutrition Limited, a UK pet food business. “The board of Cranswick…

The £265 billion Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) has acquired ownership of the Trafford Centre in Manchester through its wholly owned subsidiary CPPIB…

North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group said on Tuesday it agreed to sell Drax Generation Enterprise Limited (DGEL), which runs four Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT)…

Blackburn-based petrol station and convenience store giant EG Group announced it has agreed to acquire a network of 285 petrol station forecourts in Southern Germany from OMV Deutschland…

Bury-based retail giant JD Sports Fashion Plc said on Tuesday it acquired privately-owned Shoe Palace in the United States for a total of $681 million in…

Shares of Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems firm Polypipe Group rose about 11% on Monday after it published a trading update that said its recent performance…

Deloitte has announced plans to expand its northern England consultancy practice as it looks to create a further 200 jobs in the region over the…

Legal & General Assurance Society Limited said it has agreed a £385 million “buy-in” transaction with the Northern Gas Networks Pension Scheme “securing the pension…

Manchester-based smart meter company Calisen plc has agreed to be bought out for cash by a consortium of investors in a deal that values the smart…

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said on Friday it expects housing completions for the full year to July 31, 2021, to increase by around 25%….

Electric vehicle battery startup company Britishvolt said on Friday it has selected a site in Blyth, Northumberland, to build the UK’s first battery gigaplant, creating 3,000…

Manchester-headquartered international law firm DWF Group plc said on Thursday its revenue increased 15% to £167.6 million and adjusted profit before tax rose 23% to £13.4…

Manchester-based online holiday retailer On the Beach Group plc (OTB) said on Thursday it made a GAAP pre-tax loss of £46.3 million for the year ended…

Almost a quarter (22%) of FTSE 350 defined benefit (DB) pension schemes with rated sponsors expect corporate insolvency before they reach buy-out, according to analysis…

Shares of Huddersfield-based SimplyBiz, a provider of compliance and business services to financial advisers and institutions, fell about 8% on Wednesday afternoon after the firm hosted…

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group said on Wednesday it agreed to sell its Polish business to funds advised by Mid Europa Partners LLP for about…

Harrogate-based IT firm Redcentric Plc said on Wednesday it granted a total of 874,709 options over new ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each in the…

Leeds-based Asda has announced it will not open its stores on Boxing Day and give thousands of staff “the opportunity stay at home with loved…

The UK Government has asked Liverpool City Council to reveal details of “any proposals or plans for your authority” to carry out commercial property deals…

Manchester Airport Group Investments Limited (MAGIL) on Wednesday published its financial statements for the half year ended September 30, 2020, showing its revenue fell 81.1%…

New analysis from EQ (Equiniti Group plc), one of the largest providers of outsourced pension administration in the UK, suggests that nearly half of full-time British…

Leeds-based engineering services group Renew Holdings announced what it called “a set of record results” on Tuesday for the year ended September 30, 2020, showing revenue…

Manchester-based corporate rescue firm Begbies Traynor Group plc said on Tuesday its revenue in the half year ended October 31, 2020, rose 11% to £37.5 million. …

Chester-based identity data company GB Group (GBG) said on Tuesday its revenue rose 9.8% to £103.5 million in the six months ended September 30, 2020,…

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it has formally launched an inquiry into the £6.8 billion acquisition of Leeds-based Asda from Walmart Inc. by…

Gateshead-based Vertu Motors plc said on Monday it acquired 12 BMW and Mini showrooms in York, Sunderland, Teesside, Durham and Malton from The Cooper Group Limited,…

Harrogate-based equipment rental group Vp plc said on Monday its revenues fell 24% to £142.1 million in the six months to September 30, 2020, and it…

Manchester-based e-commerce, beauty and nutrition giant The Hut Group (THG) on Monday raised its annual revenue forecast for the second time since its September IPO. Full-year 2020…

Wilmslow-based pet and vet retailer Pets at Home Group said on Friday it will repay in full the £28.9 million of business rates relief received…

Shares of Manchester-based household cleaning products firm McBride plc rose about 7% on Friday after it published a trading update saying it expects profit before tax…

Leeds-based Asda has announced it will pay its business rates of £340 million in full to the UK Government and Devolved Administrations, waiving the relief it…

Liverpool-based B&M European Value Retail said on Thursday it expects its annual earnings to be ahead of analysts’ estimates — as it became the latest…

Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson plc faced a revolt by shareholders over directors’ pay at its virtual AGM on Thursday. Nonetheless, MJ Gleeson’s shares rose about 13%…

Shares of Newcastle-headquartered international rail and bus giant Go-Ahead Group rose about 8% on Thursday after it published a trading update for the period from June 28…

Shares of Manchester-based investment platform AJ Bell rose about 5% on Thursday after it said its revenue rose 21% to £126.7 million in the year to…

Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons said late on Wednesday it will follow rival Tesco in paying back to government the business rates relief it received to help…

Manchester-based Co-operative Group said on Wednesday it entered into a 13-year partnership agreement with Markerstudy Group for motor and home insurance products and has sold…

The UK Municipal Bonds Agency (UKMBA), which raises money in the debt markets for local authorities, has cancelled a bond issue for Warrington Borough Council,…

Manchester-based Co-operative Bank said on Tuesday the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) confirmed a reduction in the bank’s Individual Capital Requirement (ICR) following its standard Supervisory…

Ferrovial’s Amey said it has been awarded the £180 million Area 12 Maintenance and Response (M&R) contract for Yorkshire and Humberside by Highways England. “The eight-year contract…