UK financial services face talent crisis over social mobility and “boring” reputation April 21, 2019 The UK’s financial services sector is facing a talent crisis as would-be employees are put off by its reputation for being “boring”, a new survey has revealed. Research carried out by Big Four auditor KPMG showed 65 per cent of the UK population would not consider taking a job in the financial services sector. Read [...]
Reiss gets royal boost as luxury retailer defies high street gloom to post sales rise April 21, 2019 Upmarket fashion retailer Reiss has bucked the downward trend on the high street, posting double-digit sales growth in its full-year results. Read more: Retail sales jump higher than expected in March The figures Like-for-like sales rose 13.2 per cent in the year to the beginning of February. Total sales were up 8.3 per cent to [...]
US owner of healthcare firm The Priory Group eyes £1bn sale amid scandal over quality of care April 21, 2019 The US healthcare firm behind The Priory Group is mulling a £1bn sale of the mental healthcare provider amid a scandal over the quality of care in its hospitals. Acadia Healthcare has appointed a financial adviser to explore a possible sale of the firm, the Mail on Sunday reported, citing City sources. Read more: Only [...]
Anglo American gears up for takeover fight with mining tycoon Anil Agarwal April 21, 2019 Anglo American has called in the support of three investment banks to help it fend off a hostile takeover bid from mining tycoon Anil Agarwal. The London-listed mining firm has asked its advisers Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Centerview to draw up a plan to defend the company against Volcan Investments, Agarwal’s holding company, according [...]
HS2 ‘ignored concerns’ about winning bidder for £1.3bn Old Oak Common contract April 21, 2019 HS2 ignored warnings about a contractor’s ability to build a key station before awarding it the £1.3bn tender, according to a High Court claim. HS2 acknowledged a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Vinci was “severely under-resourced [and] a real risk to the safe and timely completion and handover” of the crucial Old Oak Common station [...]
Edinburgh Airport owner eyes £2bn sale as aviation infrastructure values soar April 21, 2019 Edinburgh Airport could be sold this year for as much as £2bn as its private equity owner looks to cash in on skyrocketing aviation infrastructure valuations. Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the airport’s largest shareholder, is eyeing the hefty price tag amid plans to sell its majority stake, the Sunday Telegraph reported, citing City sources. Read [...]
Standard Chartered looks to win over investors with $1bn share buyback April 21, 2019 Standard Chartered is set to launch a $1bn (£770m) share buyback scheme in a bid to win back trust from embattled investors. Analysts have said the London-headquartered bank, which is focused on Asian markets, is preparing to buy back shares for the first time in a generation. Read more: Standard Chartered settles Iran sanctions probe for [...]
Stagecoach wants inquiry after rail bid document was leaked to rival April 20, 2019 Stagecoach has called for a review of the way rail franchises are awarded after it emerged that a rival had seen the details of its bid. The transport company claimed that the department for transport (DfT) failed to investigate the incident properly, although the DfT deny that any information rival Abellio saw would have influenced the bid. Read [...]
Four Tesla directors to leave company in board streamlining April 20, 2019 Tesla has announced that four of the eleven members on its board will be leaving the company over the next two years in a move to increase efficiency. In a regulatory filing, the company said that Brad Buss, Antonio Gracias, Stephen Jurvetson, and Linda Johnson Rice would not be standing for re-election in the annual meetings [...]
Thomas Cook holds preliminary talks with suitors about potential takeover April 20, 2019 Thomas Cook has sparked the interest of a number of potential bidders as the company's lenders prepare to discuss its financial state. Several parties have made enquiries about taking over the company's tour operating business, or the entire company, according to Sky News. Read more: Uber's self-driving unit raises $1bn ahead of IPO Currently talks are at [...]