Blackstone buys Clearbell Capital’s £120m logistics portfolio March 23, 2020 Private equity firm Blackstone has bought 22 logistics sites from Clearbell Capital as consumers turn to online shopping in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Clearbell Property Partners III, a fund managed by private real estate fund manager Clearbell Capital, has sold its industrials and logistics portfolio for £120m. The portfolio comprises of 22 small to [...]
Ted Baker completes London HQ sale to British Airways pension fund March 23, 2020 Ted Baker has agreed terms for the sale of its London headquarters, the Ugly Brown Building, with a British Airways Pension Trustees unit. Following the announcement of a strategic asset review in December, Ted Baker has today exchanged contracts with British Airways’ pension fund and the deal, worth £78.8m, is expected to be completed in [...]
All new jury trials halted in England and Wales amid coronavirus outbreak March 23, 2020 The head of the judiciary has ordered all new jury trials to be suspended until systems are brought in to ensure social distancing measures amid the coronavirus outbreak. Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett said courts had already put in place arrangements to use telephone and video to allow some hearings to continue. But he said [...]
Coronavirus: Government temporarily suspends rail franchise agreements March 23, 2020 The Department of Transport is taking emergency measures to help the rail network survive a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers as coronavirus prevents travel across the UK. Rail franchise agreements have been suspended temporarily to avoid collapse, and the government will instead pay train companies a small fee to keep operating some services. [...]
Coronavirus: PM to rush emergency legislation through the Commons March 23, 2020 The Prime Minister is hoping to rush sweeping new coronavirus legislation through the House of Commons, as the country faces the prospect of a lockdown. MPs will return to the Commons today to debate the government’s emergency coronavirus bill, which was set out last week. Under the proposals, which would be time-limited for two years, [...]
M&A in the UK falls a third on coronavirus and recession fears March 20, 2020 Dealmaking in the UK fell off a cliff this month with outbound M&A dropping to a seven-year low, as activity slowed amid the coronavirus outbreak. The global pandemic has sent markets into a frenzy, fuelling fears of severe damage to the economy and forcing central banks to take drastic emergency stimulus measures since the financial [...]
London hospital Northwick Park declares critical incident after surge in coronavirus cases March 20, 2020 London hospital Northwick Park in Harrow has declared a “critical incident” after experiencing a surge in coronavirus patients. In a message to staff seen by the Health Service Journal, Northwick Park Hospital said it has no critical care capacity left and has contacted neighbouring hospitals about transferring patients who need critical care to other sites. [...]
Coronavirus live: Social distancing needs to be in place for most of a year, say government advisers March 20, 2020 1.35pm: Social distancing measures need to be in place for “most of a year” Scientists advising the government have said social distancing measures need to be in place for “at least most of a year” to combat the coronavirus outbreak. In a press conference last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK could “turn [...]
Coronavirus: British Airways pilots to take 50 per cent pay cut March 20, 2020 British Airways pilots will take a 50 per cent pay cut in April and May as it battles to survive the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. BA’s 4,500 pilots will take two weeks of unpaid leave each month but the reduction to their wages will be spread over the next three months, according to Sky [...]
CMC’s shares jump as it raises forecast again after trading volume surge March 20, 2020 Trading platform CMC Markets surged in early trading as it boosted its annual earnings target for the fourth time in less than six months. CMC expects net operating income ahead of market consensus at £219m, and profit before tac of £72.9m. Shares jumped 16.11 per cent to 156.75 on the FTSE small-cap index. CMC said: [...]
