Carillion announces significant contract wins July 6, 2016 Support services provider Carillion today unveiled two new contracts worth up to £600m in welcome news to investors of the FTSE 250 company. The company said the larger contract relates to the maintenance of 12,000 properties in the Belfast and County Down areas. It is worth up to £366m over 10 years and will contract [...]
Costain purchases speed camera company for £17m July 6, 2016 Crossrail engineer Costain has acquired transport technology provider Simulation Systems Limited (SSL) in a deal worth £17m, it was announced today. "This transaction will further broaden our ability to deliver technology-based solutions to meet the increasingly complex requirements of our major blue chip customers in energy, water and transportation," said Costain chief executive Andrew Wyllie. [...]
Sanofi and US army combine efforts in search for Zika vaccine July 6, 2016 French pharmaceuticals firm Sanofi today revealed it has teamed up with the US military to accelerate development of a vaccine for the Zika virus which has swept through South and Central America. Sanofi said that it had agreed to work with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) which will hand over its Zika vaccine technology. The [...]
Aviva to pay half of earnings back to shareholders from 2017 July 6, 2016 Insurance giant Aviva plans to increase its dividend payout to shareholders, it told investors this morning. Ahead of its capital markets day, the UK’s second-largest insurer by market capitalisation said it planned to increase its payout ratio to 50 per cent in 2017 from its current level of 42 per cent. The announcement comes as positive [...]
Global deals hit by Brexit and US presidential election July 5, 2016 Global M&A activity fell by over a quarter during the first half of 2016 as political upheavals including Brexit took their toll according to a report released today. Concern about the UK referendum on EU membership and the upcoming US presidential election were cited as the drivers for the downward trend. Global deals totalled $1.32 [...]
Irish service sector business sentiment tumbled in June July 5, 2016 Irish service sector business expectations have dropped to their lowest levels in almost three years a survey released today indicated. Many firms expressed concern over the impact of Brexit on the Irish services sector even though the majority of responses were collected before 23 June. The Investec Purchasing Managers Sub-Index – which indicates the underlying [...]
National Grid warns that the UK could be almost entirely dependent on gas imports by 2040 July 5, 2016 Nearly all Britain’s gas supply may come from abroad by 2040 if there is not enough investment in the domestic sector a report by the National Grid said today. Britain currently imports about 50 per cent of its gas needs, but this could rise to 93 per cent by 2040 under one of the report’s [...]
Sainsbury’s remains committed to Home Retail purchase despite Brexit vote July 5, 2016 Sainsbury’s reaffirmed today its desire to purchase Home Retail group despite the increased economic uncertainty after the UK voted to leave the EU. "We remain absolutely convinced by the strategic rationale of the deal and we think it will strengthen our business. We remain committed to making the deal happen," said CEO Mike Coupe. The [...]
OPG Ventures announces £45m solar energy investment July 5, 2016 Aim-quoted power generator OPG Power Ventures today announced a £45m investment in four solar projects. The company, which specialises in developing and operating power plants in India, said that it had won a competitive bidding process for the projects, to be built on sites across the Karnataka region. It expected them to be delivering positive [...]
