Hargreaves Lansdown reveals vote date and lenders for takeover deal September 27, 2024 The private equity consortium set to take over Hargreaves Lansdown has added a host of lenders to the group financing the £5.4bn takeover deal. This morning, buyout giant CVC, alongside Nordic Capital and Platinum Ivy, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, said that it had added four new lenders to fund the cash [...]
Primark owner-backed food chain eyes £300m listing September 26, 2024 One of the world’s oldest commodity traders, backed by Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF), is plotting a £300m float on the London Stock Exchange. Czarnikow, which ships a variety of foodstuffs, has begun meeting with groups of institutional investors with a goal of floating in the next few months, Sky News reported. The group [...]
Abrdn trust to strike £350m deal with Travelodge owner September 26, 2024 Abrdn Property Income fund is in “advanced discussions” to sell almost all of its portfolio to fund managed by Travelodge owner, Goldentree Asset Management. The £227m investment trust saw a bid from Custodian Property Income REIT voted down earlier this year, leaving the trust to begin winding down. Only 60.8 per cent of Abrdn shareholders [...]
Pound’s strength against the dollar risks ‘damage’ to UK’s competitiveness September 25, 2024 The pound reaching its highest level in over two years against the dollar risks damaging the international competitiveness of the UK, City analysts have warned. Sterling now sits at $1.34, its highest since February 2022 and far from its low point of $1.03 in the days after Liz Truss’ mini budget. However, while the strength [...]
More bad news for London’s AIM: Secondary funding tanks by a third September 25, 2024 Secondary funding on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) has dropped 33 per cent in the last year alone, as more bad news piles on the junior market. While IPOs have dried up on AIM, secondary funding hasn’t fared much better: Only £1.2bn was brought in through secondary fundraisings over the last year to 31 August, [...]
Schroders launches first ‘retail’ LTAF with private equity focus September 25, 2024 Schroders has launched the UK’s first ever retail-focused Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF), as the investment vehicle finally starts to become available to the wider market. The LTAF, which will be available to wealth managers with retail clients, is the first LTAF Schroders has launched not targeted at pension schemes, charities, or institutional investors. James Lowe, [...]
FCA boss: Watchdog’s mindset ‘is changing’ on financial advice September 24, 2024 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said its “mindset is changing” as it attempts to make financial advice more accessible to consumers. The watchdog is aiming to shift the way it regulates to take a “more outcomes-based approach”, said Sarah Pritchard, executive director of markets and international at the FCA, in a speech today. With [...]
3i Group: Inside Britain’s biggest retailer you’ve probably never heard of September 24, 2024 £32.5bn investment trust, 3i Group, owns Britain’s biggest retailer: Action. You’ve likely never heard of Action, and that’s because it doesn’t actually operate in the UK, instead having close to 3,000 stores across 12 European countries like Germany, the Netherlands and France. The group is kind of like B&M: Selling items at a low cost, [...]
FCA chair cleared of wrongdoing in whistleblowing case September 23, 2024 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chair Ashley Alder has been cleared of wrongdoing after an investigation over his handling of a whistleblower complaint. Last month, a former employee of the FCA claimed that Alder had failed to keep their identity secret, with a second former employee coming forwards with a similar allegation shortly afterwards. The FCA [...]
London Stock Exchange boss warns AIM is under threat of collapse September 23, 2024 London’s junior market AIM is under threat of collapse from potential plans to hike taxes on its shares in next month’s budget, the chief of the London Stock Exchange has warned the government. In a letter to City minister Tulip Siddiq, LSE boss Dame Julia Hoggett said that the “ongoing viability” of AIM would be [...]
