Ministers to change UK merger rules in bid to speed up deals Business Whitehall is preparing a fundamental reset of the UK’s merger control regime, as ministers seek to accelerate deal-making and strip back some red tape for businesses. The Department for Business and Trade is expected to outline plans this week that would significantly change how the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reviews takeovers and sector-wide competition [...]
ABF: Primark owner’s shares sink as sales slow at FTSE 100 giant Retail Shares in Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) have plunged after posting what analysts branded a “mixed bag” of results. The FTSE 100 warned that challenging conditions were weighing on the company’s trading, listing consumer caution, geopolitical uncertainty and inflation as top factors. Shares plunged 13 per cent on the news to their lowest value [...]
Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill merger agreed Retail A deal to merge two of Britain’s biggest bread producers – Hovis and Kingsmill – has been agreed after months of talks. Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of Kingsmill’s parent company Allied Bakeries, has agreed a deal with investment firm Endless, which owns Hovis to acquire the brand. The financial terms of the deal have not yet [...]
Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill butter up £75m merger July 26, 2025 Bread producers Hovis and Kingsmill are set for a historic merger with their owners expected to ink an agreement after months of discussion. Kingsmill, whose immediate parent Allied Bakeries is owned by London-listed Associated British Foods (ABF), and Hovis could benefit from up to £50m of annual cost savings from a merger. The proposed agreement, [...]
Hovis: Losses widen amid Kingsmill merger talks July 9, 2025 Losses have widened at bread maker Hovis amid ongoing merger talks with the owner or rival Kingsmill, it has been revealed. Hovis, which is backed by private equity firm Endless, saw its pre-tax losses go from £3.6m to £4.7m in the year to 28 September, 2024. New accounts filed with Companies House also show its [...]
Mark Kleinman: This is not just any retail cyber attack… May 8, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column This is not just any retail cyber attack… It’s hardly an exclusive club these days: a big listed company is the victim of a major cyber attack, compromising its systems and ability to continue serving customers. [...]
City broker backs Kingsmill merger with Hovis May 6, 2025 A “merger of equals” between Kingsmill and Hovis may be necessary for the turnaround of both businesses, a City broker has said. Kingsmill-owner ABF confirmed this morning that it was exploring a merger with Hovis as one of several options for its bakery arm. ABF said the talks had been prompted by a “very challenging” [...]
Kingsmill-owner ABF confirms merger talks with Hovis May 6, 2025 Kingsmill-owner ABF has confirmed it is in talks to merge with Hovis in what would become Britain’s biggest bread maker. ABF said the talks had been prompted by a “very challenging” market for its products. Rising prices of wheat and lower demand for high-calorie goods like bread have made it tougher to make a profit [...]
Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill in merger talks May 3, 2025 The owners of two of Britain’s biggest bread producers – Hovis and Kingsmill – are reportedly in discussions regarding a merger between the two firms as challenges deepen for the market. Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of Kingsmill’s parent company Allied Bakeries, and investment firm Endless, which owns Hovis, are in talks about a [...]
Primark owner AB Foods’ shares drop after investors advised to sell up August 27, 2024 Shares in Associated British Foods, which owns British stalwarts like Primark, Kingsmills and Twinings, dropped this morning after stockbroker Deutsche Numis downgraded its rating from ‘hold’ to ‘sell’. Shares in the FTSE 100 firm, which owns businesses in five segments including grocery, sugar, agriculture, ingredients and retail, dropped more than three per cent in early [...]