Department store chain Beales falls into administration January 20, 2020 Department store chain Beales has entered administration this morning, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. The retailer had been in crisis talks with potential buyers in a bid to stave off a collapse, however the company was unable to secure a deal. Professional services firm KPMG has been appointed as administrator, and the firm’s [...]
Lockdown London: A tale of two cities July 14, 2020 On Sunday evening, a friend and I had a game of tennis in a small unremarkable suburban local park. Surrounded by terraced houses, it is the kind of park of which there are 3,000 dotted across the capital. Too hilly for a game of football but with a couple of rarely used tennis courts for [...]
City Pub Group posts strong results to weather coronavirus June 12, 2020 City Pub Group saw a strong increase in revenue in 2019, it revealed this morning, but suspended its dividend as the company bolsters itself against the potential impact of the coronavirus crisis. The figures The pub operator’s revenue surged 31 per cent to £60m in the year ended 29 December 2019, up from £45.7m the [...]
US tech stocks plunge as FTSE 100 drops on no-deal Brexit fears September 8, 2020 Wall Street opened lower while the FTSE 100 fell back into the red this afternoon as a US tech sell-off and Brexit fears rattled markets. Downward pressure on the pound, as well as a strong set of corporate results, had initially boosted London’s premier index, but by the mid-morning the 0.5 per cent increase had [...]
City Moves for 24 February – Who’s switching jobs at Artemis Resources, 4Ways and Nestify? February 24, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Artemis Resources, 4Ways and Nestify Artemis Resources Artemis Resources has announced the appointment of Mark Potter as non-executive chairman. Mark has over 14 years’ experience in natural resources investments and holds several board positions across the mining industry. He currently serves as the chief investment officer (CIO) of Metal Tiger, and [...]
Coronavirus: Taylor Wimpey cancels dividend and draws down £550m March 24, 2020 Taylor Wimpey has cancelled its dividends for the year and drawn down £550m in credit facilities to protect its balance sheet against the impact of Covid-19. The housebuilder said it had felt the effect of government shutdowns in its UK and Spanish businesses over the past few days. Taylor Wimpey said it had put contingency [...]
Estate agents Countrywide and LSL ‘plot £500m merger’ February 23, 2020 Countrywide and LSL Property Services are said to be in talks over a £500m merger that would create the largest estate agency group in the UK. The companies, which are two of Britain’s largest listed estate agents, are in discussions over a potential all-share deal, Sky News reported. The negotiations are said to be “serious”, [...]
Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty House could sell Jaguar Land Rover supply business November 12, 2019 Sanjeev Gupta’s industrial conglomerate Liberty House is considering selling a major automotive supplier to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Renault. The company has hired advisers from Grant Thornton to look into how to address market issues facing Liberty Pressing Solutions (LPS). Read more: GFG Alliance launches $15bn Liberty Steel Group One of the options on [...]
Blackstone buys Clearbell Capital’s £120m logistics portfolio March 23, 2020 Private equity firm Blackstone has bought 22 logistics sites from Clearbell Capital as consumers turn to online shopping in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Clearbell Property Partners III, a fund managed by private real estate fund manager Clearbell Capital, has sold its industrials and logistics portfolio for £120m. The portfolio comprises of 22 small to [...]
UK firms cut more than 106,000 jobs amid coronavirus pandemic August 19, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has battered the UK economy since it arrived in early 2020 – and no sector has remained unscathed, with more than 100,000 job cuts planned during the pandemic. The government’s furlough scheme has allowed millions of people to keep getting a paycheck, but fears are growing that when this is phased out [...]