Newcastle Red Bulls: Energy drinks titan can lead rugby renaissance in north August 12, 2025 Red Bull has been tipped to lead a rugby “renaissance in a football heartland” after purchasing Prem Rugby team Newcastle Falcons and enacting a rebrand. Newcastle Red Bulls will join a wider sporting portfolio which includes a Formula 1 team and a string of majority – such as Leipzig – and minority – including Leeds [...]
Labour lines up advisers for Thames Water administration August 12, 2025 Labour ministers have reached out to top insolvency practitioners in the scenario Thames Water falls into special administration, it has been reported. The UK’s largest water company is at a crisis point after private equity giant KKR pulled out of a multi-billion pound investment deal that could have offered it a lifeline given Thames Water [...]
Losses double at global recruiter despite sales passing £2bn August 5, 2025 Losses at a UK-headquartered global recruitment giant more doubled despite its revenue passing the $3bn (£2.2bn) mark during its latest financial year. Altrincham-headquartered NES Fircroft has posted a pre-tax loss of $67.7m for the 12 months to 31 October, 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The loss comes after the business also [...]
Y-Combinator-backed agritech Supplant put up for sale after plunging into administration August 5, 2025 An agritech firm backed by the likes of Y-Combinator has been put up for sale after being plunged into administration, City AM can reveal. Cambridge-based Supplant, which had raised more than £25m in funding since launch, is now searching for a rescue buyer and will accept offers over just £2.5m, according to an insolvency marketplace [...]
Industry chief warns fresh tax grab will push ‘loved’ retailers to the wall July 31, 2025 More of Britain’s “well-loved” retailers will go to the wall if the government unleashes another round of tax hikes on businesses in the Autumn, the boss of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned, as fresh data from the body found that nearly nine in 10 high street bosses are struggling with the tax burden. [...]
Agritech firm Vertical Future put up for sale on insolvency marketplace after losses widen July 30, 2025 One of Britain’s biggest vertical farming businesses has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace after reporting widening losses, City AM can reveal. London-based Vertical Future, which has raised more than £37m in capital since it was founded in 2016, saw its losses surpass £10m in 2024 after turnover tumbled from £6.7m to [...]
Dragons’ Den athlete sentenced for using Covid loans to buy £1m house July 23, 2025 A British world champion sprinter who appeared on Dragons’ Den has been given a suspended prison sentenced after using Covid loans to help fund a £1.3m house purchase. Rick Beardsell, who competed on the senior Masters circuit, obtained two maximum-value £50,000 Bounce Back Loans for his sportswear manufacturing business Sports Creative Limited in 2020 and [...]
One month on, the wheels are already coming off the government’s industrial strategy July 23, 2025 Today marks one month since the publication of the government’s shiny new industrial strategy. Businesses everywhere could hardly contain their excitement after hearing the scale of Downing Street’s ambitions. So, what has happened since? Here are some of the highlights. A biodiesel plant in Lincolnshire has been closed, as well as a nearby bioethanol plant. [...]
Planning permissions for home improvements falls to lowest level in a decade July 21, 2025 Planning permissions for home renovations has plummeted as the low consumer confidence permeates the construction industry. Consents for developments in England totalled 151,177 in the 12 months to March, 27 per cent below the 10-year average, according to data from Savills. This is despite a 24 per cent uplift in housing transactions as buyers rushed [...]
Insolvencies ease in signs of UK businesses’ resilience July 18, 2025 Insolvencies declined slightly in June in signs UK businesses under pressure from higher costs have weathered through tax rises and low national spirits. In new data published by the Insolvency Service, company insolvencies fell by eight per cent in June compared to the month before. The number of insolvencies – 2,043 – was also 16 [...]