Troubles at Steinhoff prompt private equity bidders Advent, Apax, Bain, CD&R, CVC and KKR to circle Poundland January 21, 2018 Speculation over the future of Poundland has attracted a pack of prospective private equity bidders ready to snap up the discount retailer. Buyout giants including Advent International, Bain, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, CVC and KKR are sniffing around the company in the expectation that it might soon be sold by its disgraced South African parent [...]
National security concerns prompt government to scrutinise Melrose’s hostile £7.4bn bid for GKN January 21, 2018 National security concerns mean turnaround firm Melrose will now have to jump another hurdle if it is to proceed with its £7.4bn bid for engineering giant GKN, as the government revealed that it is scrutinising any potential deal. Melrose was already battling with GKN’s board as the bid went hostile, and has been attempting to [...]
Property of the week: Pepys House in Southwark sits on the site of a 17th century bear pit and it’s on sale for £3.5m January 19, 2018 The City workers of 2018 may be halfway through Veganuary, but their 17th century counterparts were far less concerned about animal cruelty. This house behind the Globe Theatre on the Southbank bears testament to a pastime that was once just as popular with Tudor monarchs as ordinary Londoners. The property on Park Street, in between [...]
Long Weekend in Speyside, Scotland: Here’s where to stay and what to do if you’re heading up to the Highlands for a Burns Night mini-break January 19, 2018 Melissa York samples the scotch on St Andrew’s Day in the Highlands The Craigellachie, Speyside, Scotland The weekend: You’ve missed Saint Andrew’s Day and Hogmanay, but there’s one more Scottish winter festival to go. Burns Night is coming up on Thursday, and what better way to honour Rabbie than by heading up to the Highlands [...]
Focus On Aldgate: The shiny new towers of E1 are luring City bankers from their traditional west London hangouts January 19, 2018 Whitechapel or Aldgate? Whatever you call this area on the cusp of the City, it’s always been a dividing line between the bankers and proper East Enders. But that line is getting thinner and thinner every day. Skyscrapers now pierce the eastern sky from every angle, and the amount of development undergone in recent years [...]
Carillion rival Laing O’Rourke is late filing its figures, is it another major contractor we should be concerned about? | City A.M. January 19, 2018 Pinning down the finances of private companies can be a tricky task for City stakeholders. Public companies, however, are mandated to keep investors and other interested parties entertained with a steady stream of financial updates. When it comes to filing financial statements – the audited figures upon which financiers hang their hats – listed firms [...]
New homes: Property going on sale this weekend in Hackney, Croydon, Hampstead, Stratford and Elmswater January 18, 2018 New developments on the market this week Hampstead Reach, Hampstead From £999,000 Admirers of Hampstead’s Arts and Crafts-style mansion blocks may be interested in these 39 new one and two bedroom apartments in a private courtyard. Set across three and four storey buildings, there are two show homes appealing to young families and downsizers that [...]
Pearson shares drop on gloomy outlook for US college textbook market January 17, 2018 Publishing group Pearson was among the companies leading a fall in the FTSE 100 this morning, after it issued a trading statement. While the firm said its profits would reach the top end of guidance at as much as £606m, it revealed it was still grappling with the US textbook sector. Sales in the unit [...]
Houlihan Lokey commits to London as it acquires corporate finance data and analytics specialist Quayle Munro January 16, 2018 New York-listed investment bank Houlihan Lokey has today acquired Quayle Munro, a UK advisory firm which has worked on some of the biggest recent fintech deals in the country. The boutique firm also specialises in data and analytics, to help advise businesses on their commercial and general management decisions. Houlihan believes that, with the addition [...]
London house prices dragged down by Zones 2 and 3 says Rightmove data January 15, 2018 The price of London homes coming to market fell sharply over the last year, as properties in Zones 2 and 3 slumped, according to new data to be published today. Homes brought to market in the capital are now an average of £21,000 cheaper, a 3.5 per cent fall over the last year, according to [...]