Northern Financial Review

The brand value of Manchester-based Co-op Group has soared 45% to £2.05 billion, according to the 2019 Brand Finance UK 150 report by consultancy Brand Finance. The report…

Yorkshire safety barrier manufacturer A-Safe is set to expand overseas thanks to an eight-figure funding package from HSBC UK. A-Safe designs and manufacturers safety barriers…

Manchester-based Palatine Private Equity has supported the management buyout of Gateshead-based testing, inspection and certification (TIC) business Lucion Services. The investment from Palatine, together with…

Shares of Chesire-based pet and vet retailer Pets At Home rose about 10% on Wednesday after it said its full-year revenue rose 6.9% to £961…

Warrington-based healthcare real estate investment trust (REIT) Assura plc said on Tuesday it increased the value of its portfolio by £246 million to £2 billion in…

Shares of Greater Manchester-based healthcare and industrial adhesives firm Scapa Group fell about 15% on Tuesday amid news that CEO Heejae Chae is stepping down. Scapa…

Hull-based meat processing giant Cranswick Plc said on Tuesday volumes of pork exported to the Far East rose 16% in the past year after an African…

Leeds-based engineering services group Renew Holdings said on Tuesday it delivered record trading for the six months ended March 31, 2019, in part reflecting the…

Bradford-based supermarket group Morrisons said it will become the first British supermarket to introduce plastic-free fruit and vegetable areas in many of its stores. Customers will…

Goole, East Yorkshire-based emergency vehicle maker O&H Vehicle Technology said on Monday it took in £19 million in orders in the first quarter of 2019….

Liverpool-based Peel Ports Group said it has acquired Quality Freight (UK) Limited, based at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, for an undisclosed amount. Peel Ports CEO…

Manchester-based PRS REIT announced on Monday it has arranged a further £200 million of debt facilities with Scottish Widows and Lloyds Bank.  PRS REIT is…

Leeds-based WYG, the international project management consultancy, said on Monday its board unanimously accepted a £43.4 million cash takeover offer of 55p per share from…

Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International Plc said late on Friday it is in advanced negotiations to sell its HQ buildings at Shirebrook near Mansfield for…

The UK government said it will spend £1 billion to further upgrade the notorious trans-Pennine A66 road between Scotch Corner and Workington. Highways England is…

Newcastle-based software giant Sage Group, the UK’s largest listed tech company, said on Friday it expects full-year organic recurring revenue growth to be at the…

Manchester United on Thursday promised to use its financial strength to support new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær after a “turbulent season” as it stuck with…

Newcastle-based Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, said on Thursday its profit before tax increased 7% to £54.3 million and net rental income soared 33% to…

Non-Standard Finance Plc (NSF) said on Wednesday it would press ahead with its £1.3 billion hostile takeover bid for Bradford-based rival Provident Financial despite securing the…

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and civil engineering firm Stobart Group — still recovering from recent boardroom battles — announced the appointment of David Shearer to its…

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…

Walmart is “seriously considering” a stock market flotation for its Leeds-based subsidiary Asda after its deal to merge with Sainsbury’s was blocked by a regulator….

Stockport-based holiday retailer On the Beach Group plc said on Tuesday its revenue increased 41% to £63.5 million and adjusted profit before tax rose 14% to…

Shares of Greggs, the Newcastle-based bakery and “food-on-the-go” retailer, rose about 15% on Tuesday after it said in a trading update its total sales rose 15.1%…

The latest NatWest UK Regional PMI survey shows the North West of England enjoyed the fastest rise in business activity in April. The North West registered…

Business advisory giant Deloitte has launched a dedicated “corporate assurance hub” in Manchester, the firm’s first in the UK outside of London, as it looks…

The UK government must establish Northern airports as the “beating heart” of the Northern Powerhouse economy, business and civic leaders will say on Wednesday. They…

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it has imposed sanctions against KPMG Audit Plc (KPMG) and its audit partner Andrew Walker following their admission of…

The stock market value of listed companies in England’s North West rose £7.2 billion to a record high of £47 billion in the first quarter…

Leeds-based architecture and engineering consultancy Sweco UK has signed an agreement to acquire MLM Group, a UK engineering consultancy with services primarily within buildings, transportation…

Shares of Manchester-based Begbies Traynor Group plc, the business recovery, financial advisory and property services consultancy, rose about 15% on Tuesday after it said it expects…

Carlisle-based aviation, energy and civil engineering firm Stobart Group said it raised more than £53 million through a bonds issue. The bonds will have a five…

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the operator of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said on Thursday it raised £350 million in the UK capital…

Canadian investment firm Ivanhoé Cambridge is expanding its UK logistics investments through the acquisitions of four development projects via its partnership with PLP. PLP is…

Chicago-based JBT Corporation, a technology provider to the food & beverage industry, said on Tuesday it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Proseal UK Limited, a…

Thirsk, North Yorkshire-based steel group Severfield said on Thursday its order book rose to £274 million as at April 1, 2019, helped by the first orders from…

UPDATE 3 — The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Sainsbury’s £7.3 billion takeover of Walmart’s Leeds-based subsidiary Asda after finding it would…

The Guinness Partnership has completed the acquisition of a 928-home site – the biggest in the housing association’s 129 year history – with full planning…

Shares of Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo.com plc rose about 10% on Wednesday after it said its revenue soared 48% to £856.9 million and adjusted profit…

Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd (USSL), one of Britain’s biggest pension funds, on Wednesday announced a cash offer to acquire Hull-based IT and communications company KCOM Group…

North West of England listed businesses completed 17 cross-border transactions in the first quarter of 2019 – just one fewer than that seen in the…

Shares of Chester-based price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com rose almost 5% on Thursday after it said first-quarter revenue rose 19% to £104.9 million and that it remains…

Leeds-based leisure and logistics firm Dart Group, owner of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said on Wednesday it expects group profit before foreign exchange revaluation and taxation to be slightly ahead…

Shares of Wakefield-based greeting cards retailer Card Factory rose about 10% on Tuesday after it said its revenue grew 3.3% to £436 million in the year ended January…

Shares of Bury-based JD Sports Fashion Plc rose about 7% on Tuesday after it said its revenue soared 49.2% to £4.7 billion profit and before…

Shares of Carlisle-based agriculture and engineering firm Carr’s Group fell about 9% on Monday after it said its revenue rose 3% to £206.2 million in…

Wakefield-based fashion firm Bonmarché has rebuffed a cut-price £5.7 million takeover offer from Dubai-based retail entrepreneur Philip Day, saying it “materially undervalues” the company. Day, who…

Manchester-based developer Nikal and Liverpool’s Addy Consultancy have bought a one-acre site in the King’s Dock area of Liverpool to deliver a £100 million mixed-use,…

Blackburn-based petrol station and convenience store giant EG Group announced a further expansion in the United States with an agreement to acquire a portfolio of 54 Fastrac…

Thousands of new jobs and homes could be created in Warrington after the UK Transport Secretary approved £142.5 million for a new Western Link. The…

Lenders in Debenhams took control of the struggling retailer on Tuesday after it went into administration, wiping out shareholders including billionaire Mike Ashley who failed…

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley on Monday offered to underwrite a £150 million rights issue by Debenhams in exchange for the CEO role and a…

Edinburgh-based investment giant Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) said it has entered into a strategic partnership with Skipton Building Society to provide portfolio products for customers…

Manchester-based Co-op Group said on Friday its 2018 revenue grew 14% to £10.2 billion, driven by its acquisition of Nisa and a strong performance from its…

The North of England exported £11.1 billion of financial and related professional services in 2017, according to the most recent estimates of trade body TheCityUK….

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…