First real estate float on challenger stock market Aquis Property A Yorkshire retail centre will become the first real estate asset to float on Aquis, London’s challenger stock exchange, with the firm to issue more than £25m in shares, City AM can reveal. Scotch Corner Designer Village will launch its IPO in April, becoming the first listing as part of Aram, Aquis’ real estate division. [...]
Why does no one want to buy Costa Coffee? Business The coffee’s gone cold and the milk has soured for the once dominant high street staple Costa, as owner Coca-Cola struggles to find a buyer to take the chain off its hands. The US beverage giant suspended talks with remaining bidders earlier this week, blaming the decision on low offers, bringing the months-long auction process [...]
Coca-Cola abandons Costa Coffee sale plans as Asda owner bids low Business US beverage giant Coca-Cola has reportedly scrapped plans to sell the world’s second-largest coffee chain after offers from private equity firms came in below expectations. The company brought talks with remaining bidders for Costa Coffee to a halt in December, ending an auction process which had lasted several months, according to the Financial Times. Sources [...]
I’ve been speaking to CEOs all year – this is what they really think December 24, 2025 After spending a year interviewing some of the UK’s top business leaders, a number of themes have emerged which paint a concerning picture of their confidence in this country’s future prospects – but there is also hope. In 25 episodes of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast series in 2025, a large number of the CEOs [...]
Labour has ‘unbelievably harsh stance’ on big businesses November 4, 2025 It is “unbelievable” that the Labour government has “taken such a harsh stance” on big businesses, the chief executive of restaurant chain Pizza Express has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Paula MacKenzie said the industry had been “somewhat decimated” by the Covid-19 pandemic and has then been hit [...]
Pizza Express slices value by over £40m as sales slide September 25, 2025 Pizza Express slashed its value by more than £40m in 2024, it has been revealed, as its sales also dipped. The restaurant chain’s pre-tax losses went from £7.9m to £40.7m while new accounts filed with Companies House also show its revenue slipped from £454.5m to £442.1m over the same period. In the UK and Ireland, [...]
Pizza Express orders up £55m in extra dough April 3, 2025 Pizza Express has secured a boost worth £55m after agreeing a refinancing deal which will significantly cut its debt. The restaurant chain has negotiated a £55m par debt paydown which will see its debt position reduced to £280m. As part of the deal, shareholders including Bain Capital Special Situations will inject £20m equity into the [...]
Retail crime bill goes before Parliament – but it doesn’t include delivery drivers February 25, 2025 The government’s crime and policing bill will go before Parliament today, February 25, but detractors have said it does not go far enough to protect delivery drivers. Although delivery drivers do not qualify as retail employees due to their status as self-employed, a group of businesses have campaigned to extend the bill’s scope to cover gig [...]
From Pizza Express to Channel 4: Who is Luke Johnson, Revolution Bars Group’s new chair? September 9, 2024 After a lengthy restructuring process that included £12.5m in emergency funding, Revolution Bars has appointed Luke Johnson as its new chair. The former Pizza Express and Channel 4 chairman provided £3m of the financing and owns a 20 per cent stake in the company. He will replace outgoing chair Keith Edelman, whose nine years in the role [...]