Klarna challenger Zilch becomes fastest-ever British unicorn November 10, 2021 London-based fintech Zilch has today closed a mammoth $110m Series C funding round and become the UK’s latest billion dollar company in record-breaking time. The round brings Zilch, whose product capitalises on the lucrative Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) sector but in many ways resembles a credit card, to a $2bn valuation – four times [...]
This is not just results: London markets boosted by M&S profit hike November 10, 2021 UK retail institution Marks and Spencer boosted London markets during the opening session today as investors poured into the stock after it hiked its profit outlook. The capital’s mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which M&S is listed on, advanced 0.34 per cent to 23,445.61 points. The premier FTSE 100 index was up 0.33 per cent to [...]
ProCook London IPO set to stir a near £160m valuation November 10, 2021 ProCook’s upcoming London initial public offering (IPO) is set to secure the gourmet kitchen retailer a nearly £160m valuation. The retailer will offer shares for 145p a piece, which will rally the £158m valuation. “We have been thrilled with the level of interest and support from a range of institutional and retail investors,” CEO and [...]
Shepherd Neame reports strong recovery as pandemic restrictions end November 9, 2021 Shepherd Neame is brewing a comeback as demand recovers following the end of pandemic restrictions. Its full-year results reveal consumer appetite has been robust in a recovering market, with retail pubs achieving 62 per cent of 2019 sales between 12 April and 16 May when pubs re-opened outside, and 97 per cent of previous sales [...]
Abrdn confirms talks underway for £1.5bn Interactive Investor acquisition November 8, 2021 FTSE 100 asset manager Abrdn has confirmed it is in talks to snap up Interactive Investor, the UK’s second-largest fund supermarket, in a £1.5bn deal that would represent its third major digital investment this year. In a move that would represent another push into UK adviser and consumer markets by CEO Stephen Bird, who took [...]
Abrdn in advanced talks to buy Interactive Investor for £1.5bn November 7, 2021 Asset manager Abrdn has set its sights on snapping up DIY stock-picking platform Interactive Investor in a deal worth £1.5bn. Reportedly Abrdn is being advised by bankers at JP Morgan and is in advanced discussions with JC Flowers and Co, the private equity group that has owned a majority stake in Interactive Investor since 2016. [...]
Focus On: Islington – An area that has all a savvy buyer needs November 5, 2021 One of those neighbourhoods that has it all, Islington combines lively restaurants and bars, inviting pubs and attractive residential areas with Georgian townhouses, garden squares and quaint terraces. Less bourgeois than west London, it attracts a mix of high-earning middle class millennials and boomers, families, and hipster house sharers with a liking for arts and [...]
Shoppers are flocking back to UK high streets faster than EU rivals, footfall data shows November 5, 2021 UK retail destinations have reported footfall recovering to near-pre-Covid levels faster than those in major EU economies. Total UK footfall was down 13.7 per cent in October compared to 2019, the pre-Covid comparative. There was a 3.2 percentage point improvement from September. This was ahead of Spain (-19.8 per cent), Germany (-26.1 per cent), Italy [...]
London market boosts insurer Hiscox November 2, 2021 Hiscox this morning said its gross premiums written for the first nine months of the year is up 6.1 per cent to to $3.46bn. Its London market did particularly well, with gross written premiums up 7.1 per cent. Huge weather events continue to play a large part in the global insurance and reinsurance market and [...]
Is Open Interest data pointing to an imminent Bitcoin sell-off? November 1, 2021 Open Interest in Bitcoin Futures is giving crypto analysts cause for concern as it closes in on its all-time high, leading to the possibility of a brutal correction.