Ladbrokes in takeover talks with rival Gala Coral June 22, 2015 Ladbrokes last night confirmed it was in merger talks with rival bookie Gala Coral in a deal to create the UK’s largest gambling company. The FTSE-250 listed firm, which has 2,150 betting shops across the UK, said it was weighing plans to buy Gala Coral’s 1,800 Coral betting shops, its online business and Italian brand [...]
Aggreko to split itself into two new business units after review June 22, 2015 Power services firm Aggreko is splitting in two, separating its rental business from its power business. As part of a company review, announced in March, the board has decided to move the group from its current regional structure to the new structure, which will comprise of Aggreko Rental Solutions and Aggreko Power Solutions. Aggreko, which [...]
Tullow Oil agrees $250m settlement to wrap up Ugandan tax dispute June 22, 2015 Tullow Oil will pay the Ugandan government a $250m (£158m) settlement, bringing to an end a two year dispute over capital gains tax. The London-listed company has already paid $142m, and the remaining $108m is being paid in three separate $36m installments, one of which has already been paid. The total sum will be fully [...]
Capita is awarded NHS England admin contract worth up to £1bn June 22, 2015 NHS England yesterday awarded Capita the contract to become sole provider of administrative services for primary care across the UK. The four-year sole provider deal to manage and deliver services in England has a maximum value of £1bn, with an initial seven-to-ten year contract worth around £400m. Capita, along with its subcontractor Anglian Community Enterprise, [...]
Popped corks as Greene King-Spirit pub partnership gets green light June 22, 2015 Pub operator Greene King yesterday toasted the competition watchdog’s approval of its £774m takeover of Spirit. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was satisfied the proposed sale of 16 pubs by the combined group would fix concerns raised by the company’s acquisition of Spirit Pub Company, and would not be referring the [...]
Virgin Active to bulk up in size in Asia and Africa June 22, 2015 Virgin Active, one of the world’s largest gym chains, said yesterday it will step up growth in Asia and Africa, and embark on a complete overhaul of its online platform this year following, its acquisition by South African billionaire Christo Wiese. The fitness group was on course for a listing on the Johannesburg stock market [...]
Fastjet finally manages to sell its loss-making Fly540 Ghana for $1 June 22, 2015 African budget airline Fastjet sold its loss-making subsidiary airline Fly540 Ghana yesterday. It sold the business to airline DWG-G for $1 (£0.63). Operations in Ghana were suspended in May 2014 and since then the Fastjet management has been exploring opportunities to restructure or dispose of this loss-making business. In the year ended 31 December 2014, [...]
Sir Howard Davies appointment as RBS director pushed back due to UK Airports Commission June 22, 2015 RBS has said Sir Howard Davies' appointment as a director will be subject to a "short delay" due to his commitment to the Airports Commission, until its final report is published. It had previously been expected that Davies, who is due to become the bank's chairman in September 2015, would've become a non-executive director tomorrow to coincide with the bank's [...]
Twitter rules out Jack Dorsey as permanent CEO kicking off formal search for new boss June 22, 2015 Twitter has announced that it is formally searching for its new chief executive to replace Dick Costolo, who is standing down at the beginning of next month. Co-founder Jack Dorsey has been named interim chief executive of the social media giant. However, in a statement, the firm said it has established a search committee in [...]
Companies House has launched its free digital data service June 22, 2015 Companies House, the UK registrar of companies, today announced the launch of its public beta search service allowing users to access all of its digital data free of charge. This means users will be able to access over 170m digital records on companies and directors including financial accounts, company filings and details on directors and secretaries. Read [...]