King’s favourite interior designer hits back at investor pressure Retail The under-fire chairwoman of King Charles’s favourite interior design firm has hit back at the “distracting” investor plot to remove her. Dame Dianne Thompson, chair of London-listed Sanderson Design Group, wrote to shareholders on Monday urging them to slap down a major investor’s “disruptive” attempts to oust her. LBV Asset Management, which owns 12 per [...]
Investor pressure mounts on boss of King’s favourite interior designer Retail A former National Lottery boss is under growing pressure to quit as chair of King Charles’s preferred interior design outlet over opposition to the group’s “lavish” relocation and “poor performance”. Dame Dianne Thompson is facing calls to resign from her role at Sanderson Design Group as part of a campaign against the wallpaper company’s drift [...]
Premier Inn’s German expansion not a mistake, Whitbread tells activist investor Hospitality Premier Inn owner Whitbread has been forced to defend its expansion into Germany after the activist investor seeking to gain a board seat cast significant doubt over the move. The FTSE 100 hospitality giant, which also owned Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, first expanded into Germany in 2014 and now operates 75 Premier Inn hotels in [...]
Premier Inn owner Whitbread faces board pressure from activist investor September 22, 2026 Premier Inn owner Whitbread is facing pressure to hand a board seat to an influential activist investor after it voiced “growing concern” with the firm’s turnaround plans. The FTSE 100 hospitality giant said in April it would slash thousands of jobs and sell off all of its restaurants in a bid to keep up with [...]
Activist investor accuses The Works of unfairly swaying crucial vote September 7, 2026 The activist investor seeking to tighten its grip on The Works has accused the retailer’s board of attempting to sway a crucial shareholder vote. Kelso, a London-listed activist investor, has been locked in a weeks-long row with the arts and craft retailer, as it attempted to convince shareholders to appoint a former Card Factory director [...]
The Works secures heavyweight backing in activist investor row September 2, 2026 The Works has secured the backing of a pair of heavyweight shareholder proxies in the discount retailer’s boardroom tussle with an influential activist investor. The stationary and crafts retailer has been locked in a row with Kelso, a London-listed investment firm, since the investor sought to force a director onto its board. Institutional Shareholder Services [...]
Activist investor accuses The Works chair of working from home – in New Zealand August 17, 2026 The activist investor locked in a boardroom battle with The Works has accused its chair of switching his residence to New Zealand and dialling in to crucial meetings. Kelso, a London-listed investment fund, is pushing to appoint a director of its choosing to the discount retailer’s board, but The Works has slapped down the move, saying it [...]
The Works activist investor hits back at retailer’s ‘absurd’ claims August 13, 2026 The activist investor seeking to gain a seat on the board at The Works has hit back at the discount retailer’s “absurd” claims the move would undermine its growth plans. Kelso, an activist investor, has criticised the AIM-listed retailer for urging shareholders to block its attempt to install retired private equity partner Graeme Coulthard as [...]
The Works braces for boardroom battle as activist investor pushes for more control August 13, 2026 Discount retailer The Works has been engulfed in a boardroom drama as a notorious activist investor pushes to install a retired private equity partner as a director. The retailer, which sells toys and arts and crafts, warned on Thursday that the attempted coup could “create unnecessary distraction [and] risk derailing” the board’s growth strategy. Kelso, [...]
Workspace urges investors to block ‘destructive’ Saba proposals July 9, 2026 Flexible office provider Workspace has called on investors to block “destructive” attempts by notorious activist investor Saba to force a sell-off of its properties. The FTSE 250 firm issued a plea to shareholders on Thursday urging them to vote against each of the proposals submitted by the New York-based hedge fund to its annual general [...]