Luke Johnson hires bankers for Gail’s Bakery sale November 6, 2019 Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson has reportedly appointed bankers to explore a sale of Gail’s Bakery. Johnson has appointed bankers at Nomura to oversee the sale of Gail’s parent company Bread Holdings, Sky News reported. A sale process is expected to be launched in the next few months with a price tag of £150m, the report [...]
O2 steps into 5G driverless car testing in London as it grows mobile customer base November 5, 2019 O2 will have a hand in an ambitious project to trial driverless cars on London roads, using its 5G network to help test the vehicles in Greenwich. The mobile phone network, which this morning announced it had hit 34m customers following its 5G rollout last month, said using the technology on the roads could reduce [...]
BHS buyer Dominic Chappell banned from directorships for 10 years November 5, 2019 Dominic Chappell, the businessman who bought BHS from Sir Philip Green for £1 a year before the company collapsed with 11,000 jobs lost, has been barred from serving as a company director for ten years. Sky News first reported today that the Insolvency Service had handed the the three-time bankrupt the decade-long ban. Read more: [...]
Speaker election: The seven candidates to succeed John Bercow November 4, 2019 The seven candidates to take over from John Bercow and step into the House of Commons’ speakers chair have been announced this morning. After 10 years in the chair, Bercow will be replaced this evening in the speaker’s election after a secret ballot is held. Read more: Boris Johnson pays backhanded tribute to speaker John [...]
Investment bank in talks for £500m Neil Woodford healthcare portfolio November 4, 2019 A consortium led by a boutique life sciences investment bank is in talks to acquire £500m of healthcare assets bought by former star fund manager Neil Woodford. A WG partners-led consortium is the frontrunner to buy the stakes in roughly 15 companies held by Woodford Investment Management, Sky News reported. The potential deal follows Woodford’s [...]
EDF Energy purchases electric vehicle charging start-up Pivot Power November 4, 2019 French energy giant EDF Energy has bought UK electric vehicle charging and battery storage start-up Pivot Power as it continues its push into the renewables sector. The move will allow state-owned EDF, which is already the biggest low carbon electricity producer in the UK, to push into the battery storage market. Read more: EDF Energy [...]
Tories unveil domestic policy pledges ahead of election November 4, 2019 The Conservative Party has announced four domestic policies on low pay, prisons, police and education as it gears up for a general election next month. The policy pledges included an independent review backing plans for an increase to the national living wage and investment at seven prisons to help reduce drug smuggling and the use [...]
Mothercare to appoint administrators for 79 UK stores November 4, 2019 Mothercare has confirmed it is preparing to appoint administrators to its UK retail arm later today in the latest blow to the British high street. The company announced this morning that a notice of intent to appoint administrators to Mothercare UK and Mothercare Business Services has been filed with the court. Read more: Mothercare warns [...]
Labour’s election campaign rides on shameful NHS scaremongering November 4, 2019 Labour’s campaign will be wildly populist, gambling on the theory that voters are ready for a radical alternative. To make their case, promises of free education, free social care, higher pay, lower rent and better services will be offered alongside a dystopian vision of Tory Britain under Boris Johnson. Read more: Corbyn brands government’s fracking [...]
Mothercare ‘finalising plans’ to put UK business into administration November 3, 2019 Mothercare is said to be finalising a restructuring plan that could involve putting its British operations into administration this week, in what would be the latest blow to the UK’s struggling retail sector. The company, which now leans heavily on its franchising business abroad, has readied administrators to take over the unit in the coming [...]