Will the government’s £2bn affordable housing top-up make a difference? March 25, 2025 The government has ploughed a ‘top-up’ investment of £2bn into the UK’s affordable housing sector as part of its pledge to revitalise residential construction. Officials say it will get working people and families into secure homes, while detractors say it doesn’t go far enough and might even be less money than the sector had anticipated. [...]
Pantheon International and Harbourvest’s investment shakeup boost returns and cuts fees March 25, 2025 Private equity trusts like Pantheon International and Patria PE have undergone a significant shakeup in investment structure over the last decade, which analysts say is set to cut fees and boost returns. “There has been a major shift in the composition of many of the listed private equity companies portfolios in recent years,” explained Stifel [...]
Woodford investors join case against Hargreaves Lansdown March 25, 2025 Investors in Neil Woodford’s former fund have seen their numbers in the legal case against Hargreaves Lansdown swell to over 8,300. RGL Management, which is leading the claim, said it had added a further 1,700 investors to the claim in recent weeks in a claim that estimates suggest could reach as large as £200m. Following [...]
Analysis: Why Reeves faces political pressure over the Spring Statement March 25, 2025 Over the next 24 hours, Rachel Reeves will be putting the finishing touches to Wednesday’s Spring Statement. It marks her second fiscal event as Chancellor, and – despite the promised manifesto commitment of “one major fiscal event a year” – the economic backdrop, and wider political pressure, makes it hard to see the contents of [...]
Arriva’s Chiltern Railways announced as first East West Rail operator March 25, 2025 Arriva Group’s Chiltern Railways has been selected to operate the first stage of the East West Rail project linking Oxford and Cambridge. The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Tuesday it expected services to start later this year, connecting Milton Keynes to Oxford for the first time in 60 years. East West Rail, a proposed [...]
Retail sales plummet as trade fears and taxes weigh on confidence March 25, 2025 Retail sales dropped in March and are expected to fall further as low confidence worsens a decade-long decline in retail. Sales volumes in the UK dropped “markedly” in the year to March, according to the CBI’s latest trading survey. It was the sharpest drop since last July and marks the sixth consecutive months of decline, [...]
Government approves Lower Thames Crossing March 25, 2025 Ministers have given the go-ahead to the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing road tunnel, one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in UK history. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the development consent order (DCO) for the scheme on Tuesday. It will be funded primarily by the private sector, according to the Financial Times, confirming speculation after [...]
Drax agrees £200m deal for battery storage investor March 25, 2025 Drax has agreed a £200m deal to acquire the battery storage investor Harmony Energy Income Trust (HEIT) as it looks to shore up the UK’s power supply. The deal represents a premium of 11 per cent to HEIT’s closing price on 24 March, the last business day prior to the announcement. Drax said the deal, [...]
Soft drinks sales pop at Irn-bru maker AG Barr and Fevertree March 25, 2025 AG Barr and Fevertree have both reported a sales boost despite increased competition in the soft drinks market. AG Barr’s share price ticked up a marginal 0.1 per cent in early trades, while Fevertree’s share price rose more than six per cent. AG Barr, which owns brands Irn-bru, Rubicon, Boost and Funkin, told markets this [...]
Profit jumps at electrical retailer AO World March 25, 2025 Profit has risen more than twice as fast as sales and far outstripped revenue growth at online electrical retailer AO World. The company told markets this morning that it expects retail revenue to increase by around 12 per cent in the 12 months to March 31. It expects like-for-like revenue to increase by around seven [...]
