Fashion logistics firm Clipper’s shares soar as it confirms takeover bid November 20, 2019 Fashion delivery player Clipper saw its shares soar in early trading after confirming a takeover approach from a private equity giant. Steve Parkin, who founded Clipper in 1992 before taking it public in 2014, is reportedly plotting a £300m offer for the firm alongside US private equity giant Sun Capital Partners. Read more: Clipper founder [...]
Black Friday 2019: Everything you need to know to find the best bargains November 15, 2019 Black Friday only launched in the UK in the last five years and has quickly become one of the biggest annual shopping events, kicking off the key Christmas trading period. Savvy shoppers can snap up bargains as stores offer huge discounts in the run up to the festive season. Here is everything you need to [...]
Boohoo shares soar as online retailer boosts full-year guidance September 5, 2019 Shares in online retailer Boohoo soared to an all-time high this morning after the fast fashion firm increased sales growth guidance for the year. Boohoo’s share price was up 15.37 per cent to 280.7p after the company announced sales growth would be between 33 per cent and 38 per cent, against previous guidance of 25 [...]
Klarna becomes Europe’s most valuable fintech in $460m raise August 6, 2019 Online payments giant Klarna has scooped up another $460m in an equity funding round led by Dragoneer, which values the fintech firm at $5.5bn. Other investors included Commonwealth Bank of Australia, HMI Capital, Starling Bank investor Merian Chrysalis, Forsta AP-Fonden, IPGL, Institutional Venture Partners and several funds managed by Blackrock. Swedish-born Klarna said it will [...]
Dividends for AIM-listed firms soar to record heights September 9, 2019 The dividends paid by companies listed on the stock exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) exchange reached record highs in the first half of the year, and are on track to beat 2018’s record full-year total of £1.1bn. First-half AIM dividends climbed 23.9 per cent year on year to £633m, according to new figures from Link [...]
London startup Snyk secures $70m from Facebook investor Accel September 10, 2019 Cybersecurity firm Snyk has raised $70m (£56.7m) in funding, led by venture capital stalwart Accel, to fuel the next stage in its international expansion. The round was also supported by existing investors GV and Boldstart Ventures. It follows a $22m investment in September last year, taking the London and Boston-based startup’s total amount raised to [...]
UK retail industry battles ‘toughest ever’ trading conditions July 22, 2019 The health of the UK retail industry is on the brink of falling to record lows as shops battle some of the “toughest trading conditions they’ve ever experienced”. The Retail Health Index, which takes into account consumer demand, gross margins and costs, fell from 77 to 76 in the second quarter, financial services firm KPMG [...]
Podcast: Why invest in AIM shares? June 27, 2019 AIM is 24 years-old! To celebrate, our head of equity strategy Lee Wild and head of markets Richard Hunter discuss why it can be a happy hunting ground for investors, and how to do it successfully. AIM was launched in 1995, has a combined market capitalisation of more than £70 billion, and is home to [...]
Homebase closes in on Bathstore takeover July 19, 2019 Homebase is set to buy struggling retailer Bathstore after the UK’s largest bathroom specialist fell into administration three weeks ago. Administrators BDO have since been looking for a buyer to save the flagging chain, and now Homebase are close to agreeing a deal, according to The Telegraph. Read more: Homebase named UK’s worst retail website [...]
Retailer Koovs hangs hopes on 2020 growth despite drop in sales July 17, 2019 Indian fashion retailer Koovs said it is on track for a return to growth in 2020, despite a decline in sales over the last 12 months. The London-listed firm posted net sales of £7.5m in 2019, down from £9.6m the previous years, while revenue was flat at £6.4m. Shares in Koovs dropped more than six [...]