Inmarsat bidders look to appease government ahead of $3.4bn takeover July 18, 2019 The private equity firms behind a $3.4bn (£2.6bn) bid for Inmarsat have agreed a number of undertakings with the government over the future of the satellite firm’s UK operations. Read more: Competition watchdog to probe $3.4bn Inmarsat takeover The consortium, led by Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus, said it will guarantee that the majority of [...]
Google suspends Viagogo from advertising amid claims ticket site has not changed its ways July 17, 2019 Google has today dealt a blow to controversial second-hand ticketing company Viagogo by suspending its website as an advertiser. It is the second setback for the firm this month. Earlier in July, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it would take Viagogo to court. Read more: MPs warn consumers against using ticket reseller Viagogo [...]
Chris Grayling admits Cabinet overruled him on Eurotunnel ferry settlement July 17, 2019 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has said he personally wanted to fight Eurotunnel’s legal challenge against the government’s no-deal Brexit ferry strategy in court but that Cabinet collectively decided to settle it. In what was most likely his last appearance before the Transport Select Committee, Grayling was asked why the Department for Transport (DfT), which he [...]
Stranger Things vs Mickey Mouse: How the media old guard is adapting to disruption July 17, 2019 As I discussed earlier this month, disruption is everywhere (see Five things every investor needs to know about disruption). Incumbent companies have a choice: they can either deny the changes are happening, or they can adapt to the new regime. Faced with the seemingly inexorable rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, [...]
Competition watchdog to probe $3.4bn Inmarsat takeover July 16, 2019 The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into the proposed $3.4bn (£2.6bn) takeover of satellite communications giant Inmarsat by a consortium of private equity firms. Read more: Inmarsat shareholders approve $3.4bn private equity takeover Inmarsat earlier this year unveiled a buyout deal led by Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus, who tabled a cash offer of [...]
Indivior shares soar as Suboxone posts slower market share decline July 11, 2019 Indivior soared on the markets this morning as it raised full-year guidance after its Suboxone lost less market share than was expected. Shares had jumped nearly 40 per cent by around 9am, as the company raised net revenue guidance to between $670m (£495m) and $720m. It had previously forecast revenues of $525m to $575m. They [...]
A share in a housing nightmare? The problems with leasehold contracts and shared ownership July 10, 2019 The saga around leasehold contracts gets more complicated for buyers using the shared ownership scheme
Swiss stocks buoyant despite Berne-Brussels bust-up July 9, 2019 For a market locked in a bitter battle with the European Union, Switzerland’s top-flight share index is looking remarkably chipper. But then, this may have something to do with the fact that since the breakdown of relations between Berne and Brussels, anyone wanting to deal in Swiss company stocks has to do so inside Switzerland’s [...]
CMA puts brakes on Amazon’s Deliveroo investment July 5, 2019 The UK’s competitions watchdog will examine Amazon’s investment in Deliveroo, it said this morning, putting the brakes on the multi-million pound deal. The internet retail giant took a stake in Deliveroo in May, leading a $575m (£450m) funding round. It did not reveal the exact size of the stake. Read more: Amazon leads £450m Deliveroo [...]
TfL gives Indian ride-hailing app Ola the green light July 4, 2019 Transport for London has given Indian ride-hailing app Ola the green light to launch in the city. Ola said it has received a private hire vehicle licence and planning to launch around September. Read more: French ride-hailing app Kapten puts Uber in its sights “We are looking forward to building world-class mobility offerings for London [...]