Northern Financial Review

Shares of Bolton-based online electrical retailer AO World fell 6% on Thursday after it said its revenue is expected to rise around 13% to £900 million…

London-based housing association L&Q, formerly known as London & Quadrant, said it is in talks to merge with Trafford Housing Trust (THT) in Greater Manchester….

Dubai-based retail entrepreneur Philip Day has bought 52.4% of the shares in Wakefield-based fashion firm Bonmarché from a subsidiary of private equity group Sun Capital at…

Hyde, Greater Manchester-based online retail and education business Findel said on Monday it received a letter of support from its second-largest shareholder Schroders Investment Management…

Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has hailed a “year of strong progress” with levels of investment and growth reflecting strong demand from new and existing customers….

Darlington-based commercial vehicle hire company Northgate Plc said on Thursday that its non-executive chairman Andrew Page — currently under attack from activist shareholder Crystal Amber…

Manchester-based invoice finance firm Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance said on Thursday it has increased its lending balances by 54% with £194.7 million invested in…

UPDATE 2 — Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics plc said on Thursday new contract wins helped its revenue grow 35% to £843.1 million in the year ended…

CYBG plc, owner of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, said it lent more than £2 billion to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in 2018. This…

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway said on Wednesday its revenue rose 12.4% to £1.49 billion in the 26 weeks to January 31 and profit before…

The UK’s Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Christine Tacon has ordered the Manchester-based Co-op Group to introduce major changes to its governance, systems and processes after…

Welcome to Yorkshire announced on Friday that its chief executive Gary Verity has resigned “on health grounds” with immediate effect following an investigation into “his…

Sheffield-based construction group Henry Boot plc said on Friday its 2018 revenue slipped 3% to £397.1 million and profit before tax fell 12% to £48.6 million in…

Investment in North of England tech companies has reached a 10-year high as investors worldwide target the region’s fast-growing digital sector, according to research by…

Assets worth around £1 trillion are moving from London to hubs in the European Union ahead of Brexit, with the number of jobs that could…

Huddersfield-based SimplyBiz, a provider of compliance services to financial advisers, said it conditionally agreed to acquire fintech firm Defaqto for £74.3 million. SimplyBiz said Defaqto…

Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems firm Polypipe Group plc said on Tuesday its 2018 revenue rose 5.2% to £433.2 million and underlying pre-tax profit rose 2.1%…

Shares of Wakefield-based Bonmarché, the fashion retailer aimed at women over 50, fell another 20% on Tuesday after it warned of a bigger full-year loss…

Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda and Sainsbury’s on Tuesday committed to deliver £1 billion of annual price cuts as they attempt to salvage their proposed merger….

Bury-based JD Sports Fashion Plc said on Monday it agreed to acquire Rochdale-based Footasylum Plc in a deal valued at up to £90.1 million. That…

The economies of the Borderlands area of the North of England and South of Scotland are to benefit from up to £447 million of investment….

Doncaster-based DFS Furniture said on Thursday said its revenue rose 29.1% to £422.3 million and profit before tax more than doubled to £14.1 million in the 22…

Manchester-based car dealership Lookers plc said on Wednesday its 2018 turnover increased 3.9% to £4.88 billion thanks to growth in its used cars and after…

Embattled Bradford-based subprime lender Provident Financial, which has rejected an unsolicited £1.3 billion all-share offer from smaller rival Non-Standard Finance plc (NSF), on Wednesday reported…

Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons said on Wednesday its revenue rose 2.7% to £17.7 billion and profit before tax and exceptionals was up 8.6% to £406 million in the…

Nissan Motor Co’s premium brand Infiniti said on Tuesday it will discontinue the Q30 sedan and the QX30 sport-utility vehicle (SUV) and cease their production…

Edinburgh-based water retailer Business Stream, a subsidiary of state-owned Scottish Water, said on Friday it won a four-year contract worth up to £62 million with public…

Sports Direct said late on Thursday it has requisitioned a general meeting of Debenhams plc to appoint its CEO Mike Ashley to an executive role…

UPDATE 2 — Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer, said its sales rose 7.2% to a record £1.029 billion in 2018. Pre-tax profit excluding exceptional…

The Port of Tyne said it secured a £60 million refinancing package from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking to support its investment programme. The five-year agreement,…

Deloitte said it has appointed Manchester-based Sharon Thorne as the designated incoming chair of the Deloitte global board of directors. Effective June 2019, Thorne will…

Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International Plc said on Monday it will offer to buy Hyde, Greater Manchester-based Findel plc in a deal that values the online…

Shares of Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc fell more than 20% on Friday after it published disappointing results for the 26 weeks to December 29,…

Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society said on Thursday its 2018 pre-tax profit rose 16% to £192.5 million as its gross mortgage lending increased 10% to a record…

Leeds Building Society said on Wednesday its mortgage balances increased 6% to £15.8 billion in 2018, with total assets rising 5% to £19.4 billion. Profit…

Newcastle Building Society said on Wednesday that “despite a very competitive mortgage market and weak mortgage market growth” its gross residential mortgage lending was maintained…

Skipton, the UK’s fourth largest building society, said on Wednesday its 2018 underlying profit before tax rose 12.3% to £186.1 million. Skipton increased its membership…

Shares of Merseyside-based Vimto and soft drinks firm Nichols plc rose 3% on Wednesday after it said 2018 revenue rose 7% to £142 million and…

Snaith, East Yorkshire-based speciality chemicals giant Croda International said its 2018 adjusted profit before tax rose 3.5% to £331.85 million, missing analysts estimates. Croda also…

Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group plc said on Tuesday its 2018 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 9% to £250 million,…

Barrow-in-Furness marine engineering services company James Fisher said on Tuesday its 2018 revenue increased 13% to £561.5 million and underlying profit before tax rose 15%…

Embattled York-based housebuilder Persimmon confirmed interim chief executive David Jenkinson as its CEO on Tuesday as it reported its revenue increased 4% to £3.74 billion…

The stock market value of North West England’s listed companies was hit by tough trading conditions in the last quarter of 2018 as the value…

Bradford-based subprime lender Provident Financial on Monday rejected an unsolicited £1.3 billion all-share offer from smaller rival Non-Standard Finance plc (NSF) as “irresponsible” and “highly…

Shares of troubled Bradford-based subprime lender Provident Financial rose about 15% on Friday after it received an unsolicited £1.3 billion all-share offer from smaller rival…

Liverpool Football Club boosted the Liverpool City Region economy by £497 million gross value added (GVA) during the 2017-18 season, according to a report compiled…

Selby, North Yorkshire-based power company Drax Group plc on Thursday announced that big changes will be taking place during 2019 on its board of directors. “The…

Shares of shopping center giant Intu Properties plc — which runs Manchester’s Trafford Centre, Newcastle’s Eldon Square, Gateshead’s Metrocentre and Glasgow’s Braehead — fell 8%…

UPDATE 3 — Shares of Sainsbury’s fell 15% on Wednesday after the UK’s competition regulator delivered a potentially fatal blow to its £7.3 billion proposed…

Shares of Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer, rose 11% on Tuesday after it reported an “exceptionally strong” start to 2019 boosted by publicity…

Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda — currently preparing to be taken over by Sainsbury’s — on Tuesday reported a slowdown in the rate of underlying sales growth…

Associated British Ports (ABP) said it won a two-year contract with Belgium-based manufacturer VPK Packaging Group to handle 35,000 tonnes of paper per year at…

Shares of troubled Rochdale-based fashion retailer Footasylum soared about 80% on Monday after its close neighbour, Bury-based JD Sports Fashion, bought an 8.3% stake in Footasylum…

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and civil engineering firm Stobart Group on Friday claimed a High Court victory over its former CEO Andrew Tinkler, who had launched a…

Manchester United said on Thursday it posted record second-quarter revenue £208.6 million compared with £177.4 million a year earlier. The firm also said that for…

Shares of Chester-based price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com rose 6% on Thursday after it said 2018 revenue grew 8% to £355.6 million and pre-tax profit rose…

Shares of Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson plc rose 6% on Thursday after it said its revenue increased 19.4% to £88 million and profit before tax…

Shares of Leeds-based WYG, the international project management consultancy, plummeted 40% on Wednesday after it warned in a trading update its operating profit would not…

Turkish-born curator Fatos Üstek has been announced as the new Director of Liverpool Biennial. She will take up her position in May 2019. The 11th…

Chester-based identity data company GB Group (GBG) said it conditionally agreed to acquire IDology, a US-based provider of identity verification and fraud prevention services, for…

An expert panel chaired by Cambridge public policy professor Diane Coyle has unveiled the results of an independent prosperity review on the current state and future of…

An international Caribbean shipping service has started using multiple routes to the Port of Hull, handling thousands of tonnes of breakbulk and project cargo per…

Liverpool Football Club on Friday announced its annual financial results for the year to May 31, 2018, saying turnover increased £90 million to £455 million…

Newcastle-based house building giant Bellway on Thursday issued a trading update for the six months ended January 31, 2019, ahead of its interim results on…

Flintshire-based house builder Redrow said on Wednesday its revenue rose 9% to a first half record of £970 million and first half pre-tax profit rose 5% to a…

Shares of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG rose about 14% on Wednesday after it lifted its forecast for margin growth and reported a rise…

Nissan Motor Company announced on Sunday that its next-generation X-Trail for the European market will be produced in its Kyushu plant in Japan — not…

Salford-based broadband giant TalkTalk Telecom Group said on Friday it added 44,000 customers in its third quarter, taking its base to 4.29 million, while average…

Chesire-based NWF Group plc, the agricultural and distribution business that delivers feed, food and fuel across the UK, said on Tuesday half year revenue for…

Shares of Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons fell 15% on Tuesday after it said it expects a decline in profit for the year ending May,…