Sky in talks to buy ITV’s broadcasting arm for £1.6bn Media ITV has confirmed it is in early talks with Sky over the possible sale of its media and entertainment division, in a move that could reshape the UK television industry. In a statement to the market on Friday, ITV announced that it was in “preliminary discussions” regarding a potential sale of its broadcasting and streaming [...]
Allica Bank makes major acquisition as it eyes £1bn SME lending goal Banking Allica Bank is set to announce a fresh acquisition as the firm looks to beef up its lending capacity for small businesses, City AM can reveal. The digital bank has snapped up London-based fintech Kriya, which specialises in embedded finance and business loans. The takeover, set to be announced on Wednesday, marks Allica’s third acquisition [...]
Vape giant Supreme buys Slimfast in £20m deal Retail Wholesaler Supreme has bought meal replacement and weight management brand Slimfast in what promises to be an immediately earnings-enhancing deal, analysts have said. The deal, which saw Supreme buy Slimfast UK and Europe for £20.1m, sent the former company’s share price up more than six per cent in early trades. Slimfast is known for its [...]
Lord Alan Sugar sells part of empire to media giant Bauer September 17, 2025 Lord Alan Sugar has sold a part of his business empire to one of the largest media giants in the country. Amscreen, which produces digital signage, has been taken over by Bauer Media Group, according to new filings with Companies House. The division formed part of Lord Sugar’s Amshold Group and is headquartered in Bolton, Lancashire. [...]
EG Group: Billionaire Issa brothers sell £367m Italian arm August 12, 2025 EG Group, the empire co-founded by a major investor in supermarket giant Asda, has sold its Italian division in a deal which values it at €425m (£367m). The Blackburn-headquartered group has agreed terms with a consortium of established Italian operators comprising PAD Multienergy S.p.A., Vega Carburanti S.p.A., Toil S.p.A., Dilella Invest S.p.A. and GIAP s.r.l. [...]
Wood Group likely to recommend takeover sparking delisting fears July 28, 2025 London-listed engineering and consulting firm Wood Group said it is likely to recommend a takeover by Middle Eastern-based privately owned company Sidara sparking another potential delisting from the London Stock Exchange. Wood said on Monday that Sidara, formerly known as Dar Al-Handasah, had expressed interest in acquiring the group with a 35p per share deal. [...]
Compass: Catering giant buys Vermaat Groep in £1.3bn deal July 22, 2025 Compass has agreed to acquire European food services business Vermaat Groep for €1.5bn (£1.3bn). Shares in the hospitality giant rose by more than five per cent in early trades. Vermaat, which is a market leader in the Netherlands, will give Compass a “unique opportunity” for sustainable growth in Europe, the catering company told markets this [...]
Flutter market cap hits $51bn after latest FanDuel acquisition July 11, 2025 Sportsbook operator FanDuel is set for a $31bn valuation after Flutter Entertainment struck an agreement to take complete control. The Irish-American gambling firm reached terms with Boyd Gaming to acquire the five per cent of FanDuel it does not already own. The deal will see the final five per cent be transferred to Flutter Entertainment [...]
Direct Line bosses out ahead of £3.7bn Aviva deal after bumper bonus revolt June 23, 2025 The chief executive and chief financial officer of Direct Line are to step down when its £3.7bn sale to Aviva is complete, it has been announced. CEO Adam Winslow and CFO Jane Poole will leave their roles when the deal is finalised next month. In a statement, the company said a leadership team for Direct [...]
Deal fever: Banking giants plot takeovers to ramp up market share June 18, 2025 British banking is poised for a major shake-up as top names go on the hunt for fresh acquisitions. Lenders have been scouting new deals that would send shockwaves across the industry. Much of the prospective dealmaking involves London lender Shawbrook, whose private equity owners have been circling high street bank Metro. Ahead of this, Shawbrook [...]