Northern Financial Review

NEL Fund Managers, long-standing North East of England business investor, said it has taken the total amount it has invested in growing regional companies past…

L&Q, one of the UK’s largest housing associations and developers, has completed the acquisition of Manchester-based Trafford Housing Trust. L&Q said the deal will facilitate…

Shares of Sunderland-based furniture and floorings retailer ScS Group fell 7% on Tuesday after it said its gross sales improved £5.8 million to £333.3 million in the 52 weeks…

Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group said on Tuesday its sales rose 6.7% to £151.4 million in the 52 weeks ended June 29, 2019. Adjusted profit before tax fell…

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it has referred the completed acquisition by Bury-based JD Sports Fashion plc of Rochdale-based Footasylum plc…

Shares of Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer Greggs fell 6% on Tuesday after it said in a third-quarter trading update that its rate of sales growth…

Manchester-headquartered international law firm DWF on Monday announced new targets to increase the diversity within its senior leadership positions over the next three years. DWF…

A new growth company for Liverpool City Region called Growth Platform has been established to co-ordinate business support, growth and investment across the City Region…

Doncaster-based DFS Furniture said on Thursday its underlying pre-tax profit rose 31.1% to £50.2 million on a pro forma 52-week basis to June 30. On the same basis,…

Warrington-based United Utilities, the UK’s largest listed water company, said on Wednesday it expects its first-half revenue to be higher than the first half of last…

Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo Group plc said on Wednesday its first half revenue rose 43% to £564.9 million, taking revenue in the last 12 months above…

New York-listed Manchester United announced financial results for the 12 months ended June 30, 2019, saying it made record revenues of £627.1 million. However, the…

Wakefield-based greeting card and gift retailer Card Factory said its first-half revenue rose 5.5% to £195.6 million but profit before tax fell 14.4% to £24.3…

The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to shut down parliament in the run-up to Brexit was unlawful….

Shares of Manchester-based holiday retailer On the Beach Group plc (OTB) rose 9% on Monday after it issued a stock exchange statement giving details of the…

Liverpool-based Peel Ports Group, the UK’s second largest port operator, has attracted bids for a stake of up to 25% in the group from international…

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Thursday the proposed merger of Bury-based JD Sports Fashion and Rochdale-based Footasylum raises competition concerns. The CMA said…

Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics plc confirmed on Wednesday it had received a “highly preliminary” expression of interest from TVFC Ltd, a company controlled by Stobart…

Ancala Partners LLP, the infrastructure investment manager, announced on Tuesday it completed the acquisition of a 45% interest in Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) for…

Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda — which is considering a future UK stock market listing — said its operating profit rose 9.2% to £803.2 million in 2018…

Shares of Scarborough-based Sirius Minerals plc, the firm behind the controversial $5 billion fertilizer mine in North Yorkshire, fell more than 50% on Tuesday after it said it will slow down the…

Troubled Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics said on Monday the firm “is relying more heavily on its available debt facilities” and “is currently engaging with its…

Sheffield-based affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson plc said on Monday its revenue increased 27% to £249.9 million and profit before tax rose 11% to £41.2 million in the…

Oil prices rose more than 15% at the open on Sunday after an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities on Saturday that knocked out more…

London Stock Exchange Group plc (LSEG) on Friday rejected the recent $39 billion takeover approach from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). The Hong Kong…

Shares of Manchester-based fashion retailer N Brown Group fell as much as 10% on Thursday after it said it saw a significant increase in PPI insurance information requests…

Manchester-based Co-op Group said on Thursday its first-half sales increased 12% to £5.4 billion but it warned a “no deal” Brexit would create “an increased risk…

Shares of Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons rose about 4% on Thursday after it forecast improved sales in the second half of the year and said first-half…

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) made a surprise $39 billion takeover approach for the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Wednesday. The approach aims to…

Wakefield-based video game developer Team17 Group — which went public in 2018 — said on Tuesday that its revenues increased 97% to £30.4 million for the six months ended…

Shares of Bury-based JD Sports Fashion Plc, the UK’s biggest sportswear retailer, rose about 6% on Tuesday after it said its revenue increased 47% to £2.7 billion and…

Shares of Intu Properties plc — which runs 17 shopping centres including Manchester’s Trafford Centre and Arndale Centre, Newcastle’s Eldon Square and Gateshead’s Metrocentre — rose…

Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) said on Monday it will make extra provisions for payment protection insurance (PPI) claims of between £1.2 billion and £1.8 billion…

Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics Plc said on Monday its third largest shareholder, Isle of Man-based DBAY Advisors Limited, has made a preliminary expression of interest…

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on Friday approved plans to invest £172 million in public and sustainable transport to drive inclusive growth across the city…

Shares of Sheffield-based European building materials supplier SIG plc fell about 6% on Friday after it warned of a “marked deterioration” in the level of construction…

Shares of Thirsk, North Yorkshire-based steel group Severfield rose about 5% on Thursday after it published a strong AGM trading update that revealed that a number…

Shares of banking group CYBG — owner of Yorkshire Bank, Virgin Money and Clydesdale Bank — fell more than 20% on Thursday after it said…

Flintshire-based house builder Redrow said on Thursday its revenue rose 10% to a record £2.1 billion in the year to June 30 and pre-tax profit climbed…

The chief executive of Newcastle-based bus and rail giant Go-Ahead Group has signalled potential interest in Aberdeen-based FirstGroup’s under-review UK bus division. Speaking to the…

Shares of Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo Group plc rose about 15% on Thursday after it issued a first-half trading update saying its performance “has…

Banking group CYBG — owner of Yorkshire Bank, Virgin Money and Clydesdale Bank — said on Wednesday evening it expects to increase its provisions for…

The UK Government said on Tuesday the proposed high-speed rail project to improve links between London and northern England will cost about £20 billion more…

Shares of Blackburn-based tissue maker Accrol Group rose about 4% on Tuesday after it said it had carried out a “successful and rapid turnaround” of the…

Peel L&P said on Tuesday it has prepared and submitted fresh evidence ahead of the public inquiry commencing on October 1 in support of its…

UPDATE 3 — Tesco Bank announced on Tuesday the sale of its mortgage portfolio to Lloyds Banking Group for £3.8 billion in cash.  “The mortgage portfolio has…

Chesire-based veterinary drugs giant Dechra Pharmaceuticals Plc said on Monday it changed the ownership of all its UK marketing authorisations to a new unit in…

England’s North West and Yorkshire & The Humber clearly led regional job growth in the UK in 2018, with both areas enjoying a 3.5% increase…

Shares of Leeds-based retail logistics firm Clipper Logistics plc rose 3% on Friday after it said its revenue increased 15% to £460.2 million in the…

The Liverpool Cruise Terminal at Peel L&P’s £5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme has been given the go-ahead by planners. The city’s new terminal will be…

Shares of York-based Gear4music, the largest UK-based online retailer of musical instruments and music equipment, rose more than 5% on Friday after it released a trading…

Shares of Reabold Resources and Union Jack Oil rose on Thursday after the firms said well testing has revealed that their West Newton project near…

Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said on Thursday it agreed to sell its Greek food subsidiary Minerva and its Polish personal care brand Luksja…

West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is developing proposals for an advanced mass transit system for the Leeds City Region, said it is now seeking “ideas…

Sheffield-based property investment and construction group Henry Boot plc said on Friday its profit before tax fell 8% to £24.1 million for the six months…

Warrington-based Eddie Stobart Logistics plc said on Friday its CEO Alex Laffey will “stand down … with immediate effect” as the firm said it will suspended…

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and civil engineering firm Stobart Group — still recovering from recent boardroom battles — on Thursday announced a new partnership with the largest low-cost airline…

Transport for the North said on Wednesday it has submitted a bid for £700 million of investment in the region’s roads over the next five…

Shares of Leeds-based Tracsis plc, a provider of software and services for the traffic data and transportation industry, rose about 5% on Tuesday after it announced a…

Scandal-hit York house building giant Persimmon said on Tuesday its revenue and profit fell in the six months to June 30 as it spent money…

The influential Business Roundtable in the United States on Monday announced a new “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” signed by 181 CEOs that…

Companies in the North West of England showed continued appetite for cross-border transactions in the first half of 2019, with 22 firms in the region…

Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda has reported a like for like sales decline of 0.3% for the first half of 2019 compared to the same period…

Leaders from across the North of England on Thursday called on the UK Government to commit to a “Northern Budget” to deliver a boost to…

Elland, West Yorkshire-based landscaping products company Marshalls plc said on Thursday its revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2019, grew 15% to £280.1 million…

Shares of Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International fell 10% on Wednesday after it said in a stock exchange statement that Grant Thornton is to quit…

Manchester-based car dealership Lookers plc on Wednesday posted a 27.5% drop in first-half underlying pretax profit to £29.2 million amid what its CEO called “an…

Transport giant FirstGroup plc said on Wednesday its First Trenitalia partnership has been awarded the contract to operate the lucrative train services on the West Coast…

Doncaster-based plastic piping and ventilation systems firm Polypipe said on Tuesday its first-half revenue rose 6.2% tot £223.3 million with a strong contribution from recent acquisitions. First-half…

Shares of Wakefield-based greeting card and gift retailer Card Factory fell 5% on Tuesday after it said its second quarter was “a little weaker” despite total…