Manchester’s Lookers defies car market slowdown
Manchester-based Lookers plc, the UK’s biggest car dealership, said in a trading update that its turnover of new cars increased 10% in the nine months to September…
Manchester
Canadian property firm to acquire WHR
Canadian real estate firm Avison Young said it agreed to acquire Manchester property consultancy WHR. The Manchester office will become Avison Young’s fifth office in…
Hodder £19m Manchester scheme approved
A £19 million plan for a 15-storey property development in Manchester has been approved by Manchester City Council. The location of the site is on…
Market value of North West firms up to £45.6bn
The third quarter of 2017 has seen listed companies in the North West of England add almost £2 billion to their total stock market values,…
Cussons warns UK consumers ‘shopping cautiously’
Shares of Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons edged lower after it said in an AGM trading update that it had experienced “tough trading conditions…
Grainger on course for £850m investment target
Newcastle-based Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, said in a trading update it expects to report full-year adjusted earnings approaching £70 million, up from £53.1…
Boohoo revenue up 106% to £263m, but shares fall
Shares of Manchester-based online fashion giant Boohoo.com fell 9% amid concerns over margin pressures despite the retailer reporting that revenue rose 106% and profit jumped…
Quayle is first female to lead KPMG Manchester
Auditing firm KPMG has appointed Nicola Quayle to lead the company’s Manchester office from October 1. Quayle is the first woman to be appointed as…
Warrington Council buys Birchwood in £200m deal
Warrington Borough Council said it added to its investment portfolio with the Warrington & Co led acquisition of Birchwood Park from Oaktree Capital Management. The…
Redrow profit hits record £315m on £1.6bn revenue
Shares of Flintshire-based house builder Redrow rose 4% after it said its revenue rose 20% to a record £1.66 billion and pre-tax profit jumped 26% to a record…
Eddie Stobart half-year revenue rises to £287m
Logistics firm Eddie Stobart said its reported revenue increased 7.6% to £286.8 million in the six months ended May 31, 2017, as it delivered its first…
New bank backed by Warrington Council opens
The challenger bank backed by Warrington Borough Council has opened for business just more than four months after securing its initial banking licence. Warrington Borough Council…
Addleshaw Manchester team on £677m deals
Law firm Addleshaw Goddard said its Manchester corporate team advised on 18 transactions with a total value of over £677 million in the second quarter…
Co-op in exclusive talks to buy Nisa for £140m
Manchester’s Co-op Group has begun exclusive talks with Scunthorpe-based convenience grocer Nisa to discuss a possible deal to buy the mutually-owned retailer for up to £140 million….
Newcastle’s Grainger buys £80m Salford development
Newcastle-based Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, said it agreed, subject to planning, to acquire a private rented sector (PRS) build-to-rent development at Gore…
TSK to create Kellogg’s HQ at MediaCityUK
Kellogg’s said it appointed workplace specialist TSK to create its new 46,000-square foot UK headquarters in MediaCityUK in Manchester. “The appointment comes as last month…
Lookers revenue £2.5bn, but shares fall on outlook
Manchester-based Lookers plc, the UK’s biggest car dealership, said its revenue increased 5% to £2.46 billion in the six months to June 30, but its share price…
Revolution Bars rebuffs Deltic amid Stonegate bid
Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group on Tuesday rejected a merger approach from nightclub company Deltic Group and said it would continue to discuss a £100 million takeover…
Co-op Bank loses 25k customers amid £135m loss
Manchester-based Co-operative Bank said on Thursday its losses before tax narrowed to £135.2 million in the six months to June 30, 2017, from £177 million…
Mace in for £330m Manchester Town Hall revamp
International construction firm Mace said it has been appointed as the project manager for the £330 million repair and upgrade project at Manchester’s iconic Town Hall…
Pets At Home Q1 revenue rises 5% to £256.5m
Shares of Chesire-based Pets At Home, the retailer of pet food, accessories and veterinary services, rose about 8% after it said its revenue grew 5% to…
Tilney acquires £162m assets of Manchester’s Midas
Investment and financial planning group Tilney announced an agreement to acquire the assets of Manchester-based private client investment management and advisory business Midas Investment Management….
Swiss bank Julius Baer opens in Manchester, Leeds
Swiss private bank Julius Baer said it is opening new offices in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow and it has hired a number of experienced relationship…
North West firms’ market value up 5% to £43.7bn
UPDATE 1 — The North West’s listed companies added £2.1 billion to their stock market values in the second quarter of 2017, according to Deloitte….
Stonegate in £100m offer for Revolution Bars
Manchester-based Revolution Bars Group plc said it received a conditional proposal from Slug & Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company Limited to acquire Revolution “on a recommended…
Stobart aircraft leasing buys three jets for $56m
Stobart Group said its aircraft leasing business Propius Limited signed an agreement with a special purpose company managed by GOAL German Operating Aircraft Leasing to…
Endless leads buyout at Antler luggage firm
The Manchester office of private equity firm Endless has backed a management buyout of British upmarket luggage company Antler. Antler CEO David Sharman will continue…
Cussons profit up 5% despite Nigeria currency woes
Manchester-based soaps and consumer products company PZ Cussons said its reported revenue fell 1.5% to £809.2 million but statutory profit before tax rose 5% to £88 million…
‘Rail electrification U-turn would derail Powerhouse’
UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been criticised after supporting London’s multi-billion Crossrail 2 plans just days after hinting that rail electrification plans for northern…
£1bn Manchester Airport expansion under way
The UK Government unveiled plans to develop a new UK Aviation Strategy as a £1 billion programme to double the size of Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 was…
Manchester’s 101 Embankment sold for £105m
The Manchester office development 101 Embankment has been sold to M&G Real Estate for £105 million. 101 Embankment, the new headquarters of UK insurer Swinton,…
£1bn plan unveiled to transform Bolton town centre
A £1 billion plan has been unveiled to regenerate Bolton town centre, with Bolton Council promising to provide £100 million of the funding. The council…
Balfour Beatty, Carillion win HS2 contracts
Infrastructure and construction group Balfour Beatty said that it was awarded two contracts by High Speed 2 (HS2) — the UK’s planned high speed rail…
High speed rail confirmed for north of England
UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed plans to extend Britain’s HS2 high speed rail lines from Birmingham to the North-West, East Midlands and Yorkshire. The…
Education spurs Manchester fashion boom
Move over London, Paris and New York — Manchester is catching up fast as an international fashion business hub. Manchester is now home to a…
Endless buys corporate travel firm CTI
Leeds-based private equity investor Endless LLP said it acquired a majority stake in Manchester-based business travel management company CTI for an undisclosed sum. The deal,…
Employees get ownership at Manchester’s Tangerine
Manchester-based communication company Tangerine said that it will place 64% of its shares into an employee ownership trust. The announcement comes as the company celebrates…
N Brown takes £40m hit for ‘flawed’ insurance
Shares of Manchester-based fashion retailer N Brown Group fell almost 4% after it announced that it “identified flaws in certain general insurance products which were…
Manchester Airports Group revenue up to £838m
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) said its revenue rose 7.7% to £838.4 million and operating profit before significant items rose 9.1% to £210.2 million in the 12 months ended March…
£100m Manchester Airport logistics plan under way
Icon Industrial, a logistics-focused joint venture formed by TPG Real Estate and Stoford Developments, said it acquired a 45-acre brownfield site adjacent to Manchester Airport…
Lake District wins World Heritage List status
Cumbria’s Lake District has been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. “Located in northwest England, the English Lake District is a mountainous area, whose valleys have…
Manchester global city plan ‘adds £2.2bn to economy’
Leaders from the private and public sectors have joined together to launch the Greater Manchester Internationalisation Strategy, a three year framework for action which they…
Manchester Airport ‘third worst’ despite record May
New routes helped Manchester Airport have its busiest May on record with 2.5 million passengers passing through its terminals, an increase of 12%. However, despite…
Manchester’s CIS Tower sold for more than £65m
NOMA — the joint venture between Hermes Investment Management and the Co-op — said it exchanged contracts with Castlebrooke Investments for the sale of The CIS…
Go-ahead for £60m Manchester Citylabs expansion
Manchester City Council has approved plans from science and technology park operator Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) for a £60 million investment in a two-phase expansion…
M6 and M60 ‘most in need of investment’
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said drivers believe that the M60 north of Manchester and the M6 north of Birmingham are two of the three most highly…