Civil servant Sir John Chilcot dies aged 82 October 5, 2021 Sir John Chilcot, who published the damning inquiry into the Iraq war, has died aged 82. The civil servant’s report determined that Prime Minister Tony Blair had not been “straight” with the British public on the justifications for invading Iraq in 2003. The inquiry took seven years to complete after Chilcot was appointed by Gordon [...]
EG Group to divest some petrol filling stations after watchdog concerns October 5, 2021 Petrol station forecourt operator EG Group has announced it will divest 27 petrol filling stations. The group – owned by the billionaire Issa brothers – said it had entered into a binding agreement to divest more than two dozen stations across the country to Park Garage Group. It comes after the competition watchdog expressed concerns [...]
Marks Electrical eyes London IPO after online growth October 5, 2021 Online retailer Marks Electrical has announced its intention to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) on London’s AIM market. The group – which sells, installs and recycles a variety of household electrical items – has seen online growth swell as consumer behaviour has changed. Revenue hit £56m in the year to March 31 2021, up [...]
Starbucks joins Deliveroo for app orders October 5, 2021 Coffee chain Starbucks and delivery app Deliveroo have joined forces. More than 400 of the chain’s stores are available to order on the Deliveroo app from today, with more stores being added throughout the month. Londoners can now order coffees alongside sandwiches and other menu items. Other areas involved include Birmingham and Manchester. Standard delivery [...]
Food and beverage M&A activity at highest since 2010 October 5, 2021 UK food and beverage M&A market activity was at its highest since 2010 this summer. Deal value between May and August, was at an estimated £3.9bn, according to corporate finance house Oghma Partners’ latest report. The year-to-date total value of recorded deals are estimated at £5.8bn – the nearest annual total was that 2015’s figure [...]
Supermarket sweep: Sainsbury’s and Tesco singled out as next takeover targets October 4, 2021 Sainsbury’s and Tesco have been singled out as the next targets for buyout firms after the Morrisons deal. US investment company Fortress – which was beaten to the Morrisons takeover by private equity Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) at auction – has indicated it is interested in other UK acquisitions. Joshua Pack, financier at Fortress, [...]
Burger chain Five Guys thanks ‘curbside collection’ for mitigating Covid impact October 4, 2021 Burger chain Five Guys has said it is keen to continue a roll out of venues in the UK. New store openings were offset by the impact of the Covid pandemic in 2020, accounts filed to Companies House laid bare. The chain opened 10 new stores in the year, boasting 110 restaurants by the year [...]
BrewDog hopeful of a better year after filing 2020 losses October 4, 2021 BrewDog has said the most recent trading numbers for its bar division “tell a very different story” to its yearly results for 2020. The company’s venues division posted a pre-tax loss of £10.4m for the year ended December 31 2020. This is compared to a pre-tax loss of £653,000 in 2019. What’s more, the company [...]
McDonald’s pledges to achieve net zero emissions for all UK restaurants by 2030 October 4, 2021 McDonald’s has set out its strategy to help its operations in the UK and Ireland achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. The fast food chain has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its global operations by 2050. The chain will aim to achieve net zero emissions for all its restaurants and offices [...]
Investors inject £3bn into central London offices in third quarter October 4, 2021 Investor interest in central London office buildings has returned with a vengeance, with spend surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Around £1.5bn was spent on City office buildings in the three months to September 30, according to preliminary data from real estate advisors JLL, compiled for the Evening Standard. It comes as office workers have made their return [...]