Tyrrells buys Yarra Valley Snack Foods for global growth August 2, 2015 Upmarket crisps maker Tyrrells is speeding up its global expansion after announcing its acquisition of Melbourne-based organic snacks company Yarra Valley Snack Foods. Tyrrells launched a range of products in Australian supermarket Coles in April last year, and says the purchase will “accelerate the international growth”. It reported a net worth of over £26m last [...]
Stephen Hester’s role at risk as offer for RSA looks likely August 2, 2015 RSA boss Stephen Hester was given a hero’s welcome when he was appointed to lead the embattled insurer just over 18 months ago. However, following last week’s revelation that Zurich is mulling an offer for the group, he could be set to leave before finishing what he has started. The former Royal Bank of [...]
Bank of England hawks to vote for interest rate hike on Super Thursday August 2, 2015 The Bank of England will for the first time release a string of reports alongside its monthly monetary policy decision this week. And at least two hawks are expected to break rank and vote in favour of an interest rate hike. The so-called Super Thursday meeting will see the central bank publish its monthly decision [...]
UK immigration: Jump in accountancy and finance skilled non-EU workers as recruiters warn on visa rules August 2, 2015 There has been a sharp rise in the number of non-European Union finance professionals coming to the UK, new figures show this morning, highlighting the importance of firms’ access to skilled non-EU workers. The number of accountancy and finance professionals who entered the UK in 2014 climbed to 3,204, according to data from the [...]
Research reveals London’s lead as Europe’s top financial centre August 2, 2015 London was top of the pile of Europe’s biggest financial centres during the first three months of the year, with new research shedding light on the City’s contribution to the UK economy. The London Stock Exchange accounted for 28 per cent of total funds raised in Europe during the three months to March, according to [...]
Seven-year decline in lending to businesses set to end this year, says EY Item Club August 2, 2015 Business lending will grow for the first time since 2008, a group of economic forecasters said today. Banks lent £103.4bn to UK businesses in the first half of 2015 compared with £88.6bn in the first half of 2014. This trend is expected to continue throughout the rest of the year, according to the EY Item [...]
Insurgents Allenby Capital and Beaufort Securities lead charge up Aim broker rankings August 2, 2015 Two small stockbroking firms have zipped up the Aim adviser rankings after winning more than a dozen new clients in the last three months. Allenby Capital and Beaufort Securities were the standout performers from the quarterly ranking of junior stock market listed brokers, according to a study out today. Allenby gained six new [...]
Stock market comeback mooted for London bus operator Arriva August 2, 2015 Arriva, the company which runs London’s distinctive Routemaster buses, could make a return to the London stock market five years after being privatised. The firm’s German owner Deutsche Bahn last week flagged it was open to a partial privatisation by selling a minority stake in the group, but vowed not to sell it outright. An [...]
Gym Group IPO: Fitness chain warms up ahead of a £300m London market listing August 2, 2015 The owners of low-cost fitness chain Gym Group are eyeing a £300m float on the London stock market just over a year after abandoning plans to merge with rival Pure Gym. Phoenix Equity Partners, which bought controlling stake in the business in 2013, is understood to have held talks with bankers regarding a potential market [...]
Small businesses growing amid underwhelming export figures August 2, 2015 Small-and medium-sized manufacturers saw growth in the three months to July, despite a dramatic fall in export prices, according to a new survey out today. According to the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) SME trends survey, companies reported steady growth in domestic orders, a rise in output in line with expectations and a slight [...]