Lloyds Banking Group unveils £200m plan for head office January 27, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group has unveiled £200m plans to transform the headquarters of Scottish Widows to become the giant’s main base in Scotland. The Port Hamilton building on Morrison Street, Edinburgh, is to be designed in partnership with Drum Property Group. Lloyds Banking Group employs around 10,000 people in the Scottish capital. Located in the city’s [...]
London pubs giant targets new openings after sales success January 27, 2025 One of London’s largest independent pubs and dining groups is preparing for further expansion after reporting a jump in sales for its latest financial year. Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB) has announced that its turnover increased by 16 per cent to £60.5m in the 12 months to 28 April, 2024. The group added that the [...]
Wingstop and Popeyes serve up major UK expansion plans January 27, 2025 Fast-growing chains Wingstop and Popeyes have each announced major plans to expand further across the UK and create thousands of jobs. Popeyes has outlined proposals to almost double its footprint in the UK with the opening of more than 45 restaurants. The move will increase its presence in the likes of Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol [...]
Ferrari Group picks Amsterdam for $1bn float in fresh snub to London Stock Exchange January 27, 2025 Ferrari Group, which specialises in shipping luxury goods across the globe, has announced plans for a $1bn float in Amsterdam in another blow to the London Stock Exchange. The London-headquartered company has confirmed its intention to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on Euronext Amsterdam. Ferrari Group was founded in Italy in 1959 and has international operations [...]
Billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik injects £630m to prop up Netflix-rival DAZN as losses mount January 26, 2025 Billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik has injected a further $827m (£630m) into streaming giant DAZN in a bid to become a major rival to Netflix. The businessman has now invested more than $6.7bn (£5.3bn) in the London-based sports streaming service, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. DAZN is owned by Access Industries, a New York-based [...]
Zip World sold for £100m to Dolphin Capital January 26, 2025 A majority stake in adventure park operator Zip World has been acquired by private equity firm Dolphin Capital in a deal worth £100m. Zip World, which is headquartered in Llanrwst, Wales, has become the latest investment for the Oxfordshire-based private equity firm which already counts the likes of Snowcentres, Techmet and Dynisma in its portfolio. The [...]
Morrisons joins Sainsbury’s and Asda in major job cuts after Budget January 24, 2025 Morrisons has become the latest UK supermarket giant to announce a major round of job cuts in the wake of the government’s Budget in October. The Bradford-headquartered chain has confirmed plans to axe more than 200 roles from its retail people team. The move forms part of a wider drive to significantly cut costs and [...]
Rolls-Royce signs £9bn submarines deal to create 1,000 jobs January 24, 2025 Rolls-Royce has signed a £9bn submarines deal which will create 1,000 jobs and is the biggest UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contract in its history. The eight-year Unity contract covers research and technology, design, manufacture and in-service support of the nuclear reactors that power the Royal Navy’s fleet of submarines. The Derby-headquartered FTSE 100 giant [...]
Andy Burnham wants Manchester to add an extra £13bn a year to the UK economy – this is how January 24, 2025 A decade-long plan to increase Greater Manchester’s contribution to the UK economy by £13bn a year has been unveiled by the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham. The proposal, which has been made public today, would see the “whole Greater Manchester system mobilised” to deliver £1bn of investment every year between now and 2035. Burnham has also [...]
Sainsbury’s to axe 3,000 jobs and close all in-store cafes January 23, 2025 Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has confirmed plans to axe more than 3,000 roles as it prepares to close all its remaining in-store cafes. The major overhaul will cut two per cent of its current workforce, which stands at 148,000. The move will also make around 20 per cent of senior management roles at Sainsbury’s redundant. The [...]