Northern Financial Review

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…

Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retail giant Greggs said on Thursday it is issuing £150 million of commercial paper with a duration of 11 months under the…

Manchester-based branded merchandise firm The Pebble Group plc said on Wednesday its adjusted profit before tax rose 171.4% to £7.6 million in 2019 and revenue rose…

Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson plc said on Wednesday it raised £16.4 million by selling about 2.7 million new shares in the company via a placing of…

Andy Bell, chief executive of Manchester-based investment platform AJ Bell, said on Wednesday that “businesses need to have a social conscience if we are to…

Shares of Manchester-based online holiday retailer On the Beach Group plc (OTB) rose 28% on Wednesday after it explained that it is the only listed UK…

Sheffield-based Benchmark Holdings, the aquaculture health, genetics and nutrition firm, said on Tuesday it appointed Trond Williksen, 56, as chief executive officer with effect from June…

Leeds private equity firm YFM Equity Partners (YFM) announced the final close of its Buyout Fund II, ahead of target, with £80 million of committed…

Warrington-based healthcare real estate investment trust (REIT) Assura plc said on Tuesday it raised £185 million through a sale of 240.2 million shares at 77p…

Global debt across all sectors rose by more than $10 trillion in 2019, topping $255 trillion, according to the latest report from the Institute of…

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and civil engineering firm Stobart Group said on Monday it has utilised the UK Government’s job retention scheme to put 50% of its…

Macclesfield-based engineering and thermal processing giant Bodycote said on Monday its first quarter trading “has not been significantly impacted” by disruption from the coronavirus pandemic. “Nonetheless,…

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group warned investors on Monday it is likely that its “organic recurring revenue growth” will be below its previously guided range and…

Shares of York-based online music equipment retailer Gear4music regained some of their lost ground this week after it said on Thursday it expect profits for the…

York house building giant Persimmon plc said on Thursday its executive directors “have elected to take a voluntary, temporary 20% reduction in base salary effective from…

Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons said it will thank its staff for their efforts during the coronavirus crisis with a “threefold increase in bonus for next 12…

Chester-based price comparison website Moneysupermarket Group said on Thursday its revenue rose 2% to £107.3 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2020, and that it…

Wilmslow, Chesire-based pet and vet retailer Pets at Home Group Plc said on Thursday it has experienced “exceptional levels of demand” both in-store and online as…

Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said on Thursday that “no payments will be made directly” to its former CEO Alex Kanellis “in connection with his retirement.”…

The UK’s biggest banks should use the £7.5 billion of cancelled dividends and bonuses to write off debt repayments for retail and business customers affected…

Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons on Wednesday won a UK Supreme Court victory which brings to an end a fight for compensation by thousands of its staff…

Liverpool-based bargain retailer B&M European Value Retail said on Wednesday it will close 49 of its UK stores and give its UK staff a 10%…

Manchester-based Auto Trader Group plc — the UK’s largest digital marketplace for cars — said on Wednesday it raised about £186 million via a discounted…

The UK Treasury will seek to borrow a monthly record of £45 billion in April — by selling UK government debt securities (bonds) to institutional…

The Bank of England, the UK’s central bank, on Tuesday welcomed moves by Royal Bank of Scotland and Britain’s other biggest banks including Barclays, HSBC,…

The FTSE 100 index of major company shares in London has posted its biggest quarterly fall for more than 30 years amid the coronavirus crisis….

Shares of Sheffield-based European building materials supplier SIG fell about 9% on Monday as it announced the temporary closure of its UK and Ireland trading sites…

Hull Trains said it is temporarily suspending all train services from Monday, March 30, “as a result of unprecedented circumstances” surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. “Passengers…

Flintshire-based house builder Redrow plc said on Friday it is closing down all its sites and offices and is seeking help from its banks and the…

Shares of Manchester-headquartered international law firm DWF Group plc fell about 18% on Friday after it published a trading update amid the coronavirus crisis saying revenue growth…

The UK government said on Thursday it will pay grants to many self-employed people who have lost their livelihoods because of the coronavirus crisis. UK…

Shares of Manchester-based Yourgene Health plc rose more than 30% on Wednesday after it announced the signing of an agreement with Novacyt S.A. to support…

Sheffield-based video gaming firm Sumo Group plc said on Wednesday it has complied with the FCA’s request that listed companies observe a moratorium on preliminary…

Shares of Manchester-based molecular diagnostics company Genedrive soared more than 280% on Wednesday after it issued a trading update saying it has “refocussed a significant part…

York house building giant Persimmon plc said on Wednesday it will close all its sales offices from Thursday, March 26, until further notice and said its…

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said on Wednesday its revenue rose 3.6% to £1.54 billion in the half year ended January 31, 2020 — but…

Wilmslow, Chesire-based pet and vet retailer Pets at Home Group Plc said on Tuesday it will remain open “so we can focus our energies on providing…

Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics plc said on Tuesday it is “experiencing exceptional volumes that we would typically see around Christmas” amid the coronavirus crisis. The…

Ineos said on Tuesday it will build a hand sanitiser plant near Middlesbrough in 10 days to make one million bottles per month. It said…

Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retail giant Greggs said on Monday it will temporarily close all its shops and scrapped its 2019 final dividend amid the coronavirus…

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority said this weekend it is asking listed companies to delay publication of their preliminary results for “at least two weeks”…

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has instructed pubs and restaurants across the UK to close amid the coronavirus outbreak — as the UK Government announced…

Manchester-based online beauty and wellness firm The Hut Group (THG) said on Friday it plans to bring forward the creation of more than 500 new…

Asda, Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary, said on Friday it plans to hire more than 5,000 temporary workers who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus…

The UK central bank on Thursday cut interest rates to 0.1%, its second emergency rate cut in just over a week, and pledged to buy…

Manchester-based retail giant Co-op Group said on Thursday it plans to create 5,000 store-based jobs “in a bid to provide temporary employment for hospitality workers who…

Shares of Manchester-based Auto Trader Group plc — the UK’s largest digital marketplace for cars — rebounded about 8% on Thursday after it published an…

Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said on Thursday that Jonathan Myers will join its board as chief executive officer on May 1. “He joins from…

The European Central Bank launched a €750 billion emergency bond purchase programme late on Wednesday in a huge effort to push down borrowing costs as…

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group said on Wednesday afternoon that “in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic” it has suspended its recently announced share buy-back…

Leeds-based Dart Group, owner of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said in a trading update late on Wednesday that it has suspended its flying programme until at…

Shares of Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc fell about 32% on Wednesday after it issued a trading update regarding COVID-19. Revolution Bars said it expects…

Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons announced on Wednesday the proposed sale of its Nigerian dairy business Nutricima and the completion of the previously announced sale…

Shares of Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons rose about 11% on Wednesday after it published results for the 52 weeks to February 2, 2020, showing profit before…

Northwich, Chesire-based veterinary drugs giant Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc said on Tuesday it agreed terms to acquire worldwide rights to the Mirataz product portfolio from Kindred…

Shares of Rotherham-based property and land regeneration firm Harworth Group fell almost 20% on Tuesday as it published 2019 results and said CEO Owen Michaelson…

Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems firm Polypipe Group said on Tuesday its 2019 revenue rose 3.3% to £447.6 million and underlying profit before tax rose 5.5%…

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and civil engineering firm Stobart Group said on Tuesday its talks to sell a 25% stake in London Southend Airport have been put…

Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons said on Tuesday it will implement “a number of measures to support colleagues and customers” during the Coronavirus outbreak — including the…

US stocks suffered their biggest one-day drop since 1987 on Monday as the Federal Reserve’s surprise move to cut interest rates to near zero increased…

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the operator of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said on Thursday it will introduce enforced annual leave, reduced working…

French carmaker PSA — owner of Vauxhall — announced on Monday afternoon it will close plants all over Europe including its Ellesmere Port factory on…

Manchester-based waste and infrastructure business Peel Environmental – part of Peel L&P – said on Monday the UK needs to invest over £7.5 billion in…

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group said this week it completed the disposal of Sage Pay to Elavon, a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, for £232 million…

Shares of Carlisle-based agriculture and engineering firm Carr’s Group fell about 30% on Thursday, March 12, after it said in a trading update it expects…

Macclesfield-based engineering and thermal processing giant Bodycote announced on March 12 a restructuring that will reduce its exposure to the internal combustion engine. The news came…