Sainsbury’s share price edges up as it sells pharmacy business for £125m July 29, 2015 Shares in Sainsbury's rose 0.7 per cent to 261.1p after it announced a deal with the German owner of UK chain LloydsPharmacy to sell its pharmacy business for £125m. Read more: Growth at Co-op for the first time in a year as Tesco and Asda decline yet again As part of the deal, Celesio’s LloydsPharmacy will [...]
Chemist chain Day Lewis Group secures £160m M&A funding and targets 150 pharmacy acquisitions March 7, 2016 Chemist chain Day Lewis Group has secured £160m of investment from banking partners as it targets the acquisition of 150 pharmacies. The family-owned business currently owns 277 sites across the UK and is aiming to build this number up to more than 400 by 2021. Day Lewis Group also said it aims to double its [...]
Hayfever season has arrived – here’s how you can protect yourself against the pollen April 13, 2015 With sunshine, blossoming flowers and every other pleasant thing that arrives with the warmer months, there's also pollen – the culprit of many a summer day spent in extreme discomfort. The hayfever season is upon us, and already sneezes and itchy eyes are causing irritation across the nation. The bad news is, as yet, [...]
Is Tesco saved? A small victory for Dave Lewis in the supermarket’s Christmas results, but 2016 remains a challenge January 14, 2016 Tesco reported its best Christmas trading results since Dave Lewis has been at the helm but does this really mean that ‘Drastic Dave’ and his management team can breathe a little easier? The dynamics of grocery shopping has changed with value and convenience the two biggest factors for consumers. Competition has never been fiercer so it would [...]
EU referendum: Asda, HSBC, Vodafone and nearly 200 sign letter saying Brexit would threaten jobs – but Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s are not on the list February 23, 2016 The bosses of HSBC, BT, Vodafone and Asda are among those to have put their name to an open letter backing the remain camp and Prime Minister David Cameron's reforms in Europe. More than a third of the UK's biggest companies were represented in the letter, which was published in The Times this morning, saying they represented [...]
Bestway pays Co-op £620m for pharmacies October 6, 2014 THE CO-OPERATIVE Group completed the sale of its pharmacy business to Bestway for £620m yesterday, with the funds going to pay down some of the mutually owned company’s debts. The completion follows the announcement this summer that Bestway had fought off competition from other suitors for the 774-store chain, including Lloyds Pharmacy, Carlyle Group and [...]
The Co-operative Group completes £620m pharmacy deal with Bestway October 6, 2014 The Co-operative Group has completed the sale of its pharmacy business to Bestway for £620m today, with the funds going to pay down some of the mutually-owned company's debts. The completion follows the announcement this summer that Bestway had emerged victorious from a hotly contested bidding war for the chemist arm. Bestway fought [...]
Endgame approaches as bidders fight for Co-op pharmacy chain June 30, 2014 The sale of Co-op’s chemist business may be nearing its conclusion as several big bidders compete to be chosen as the winner of the long-running disposal. The Co-op group, which is also selling its farms business, is selling its chemist chain, including over 700 pharmacies employing around 6,500 staff. An outcome is likely in a [...]
Britain’s biggest companies call on Westminster for fundamental business rates reform September 16, 2014 Some of Britain's biggest businesses including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Tesco, General Motors and Tata Steel have called on the government to rip up the current business rate regime claiming the current system is “a critical problem for all of British business”. The controversial tax delivers around £25bn to the Treasury every year, but [...]
London Report: Fall in financials brings London’s market down July 28, 2014 THE FTSE 100 yesterday ended down after weak US housing data discouraged investors in America and Europe during a data-light European day. The blue chip index lost 0.1 per cent to close at 6,788.07. Earlier in the day it had traded as high as 6,809.61, but moved lower together with other markets after pending home [...]