Private equity groups circle UK pharmacy wholesaler Business HIG and Capvest have joined a line of private equity groups looking to buy the largest supplier of goods to British pharmacies, AAH Pharmaceuticals, from German private equity firm Aurelius. AAH has been put up for sale again only a few years after being bought by Aurelius in 2022, according to the Financial Times. The [...]
TDR Capital seeks £2.5bn-plus sale of training business BPP Private equity British private equity giant TDR Capital is reportedly planning a £2.5bn-plus sale of professional training course business BPP.
Retail: Insolvencies expected to ‘uptick’ as market consolidates amid Superdry and Ted Baker trouble Retail Less than two months into 2024 and six UK retailers have already gone bust, with a further two warning they may fall into trouble, as experts warn the market will “continue to see an uptick in insolvencies”. According to figures from Centre of Retail Research, over 400 job roles have been impacted by retailers shutting [...]
Private equity firm Aurelius swoops for The Body Shop October 29, 2023 Brazilian cosmetics maker Natura said in August that its board of directors had authorized the company to search for "strategic alternatives" for the British beauty products chain.
Aurelius: Lloyds Pharmacy owner joins race for The Body Shop October 3, 2023 The owner of Lloyds Pharmacy, Aurelius, is understood to have joined the race to buy ethical cosmetics brand The Body Shop, as it looks to change hands again for the third time in five years. The investment company has joined Epiris, the private equity firm, and Elliott Advisors, the owner of Waterstones in the bidding [...]
WH Smith, M&S and Argos among hundreds fined for failing to pay minimum wage June 21, 2023 Hundreds of businesses including high-street heavyweights WH Smith, M&S and Argos have been named and shamed after being fined for failing to pay workers the minimum wage. Firms from sole traders to household names were ordered to repay 63,000 staff lost wages totalling close to £5m, after breaching National Minimum Wage (NMW) law. WH Smith [...]
Five best read on City A.M.: EY ‘business as normal’, 1,300 Lloyds Pharmacies up for closure, Cameron Smith, F1 ‘marriage’ on the rocks and crypto ban March 10, 2023 EY’s decision to push ahead with mid-year promotions after KPMG called off its April round was this week’s best read story on City A.M. It had some stiff competition with sporting heroes Cameron Smith and Lewis Hamilton vying for readers’ interest, not to mention news of a crypto ban and high street closures. We look [...]
Lloyds Pharmacy puts all 1,300 sites under threat of closure in another blow for post-Covid UK high street March 3, 2023 Lloyds Pharmacy has put all of its 1,300 sites at risk of closure in another major blow for the highstreet. According to reports in The Sun, the private equity owner of the embattled chemist has launched a “strategic review of its entire UK store base”. It’s understood that process could lead to a sale of [...]
Game changer for holidaymakers: Lloyds Pharmacy to start selling take-at-home travel test January 5, 2022 Healthcare firm MyHealthChecked has signed a contract with Lloyds Pharmacy for the supply of at-home rapid Covid tests for individuals wanting to fly abroad. The Fit to Fly antigen tests can be taken at home before travelling, or overseas before returning to the UK, with results verified by a trained professional within two hours. The [...]
Millions dished out to inactive or new companies under covid loan scheme November 24, 2021 Lenders reportedly dished out a whopping £130m to questionable companies under a government Covid support scheme that issued loans up to £5m.