Retail M&A slowdown as private equity backs away from high street January 30, 2017 The value of UK retail mergers sunk to a three-year low in 2016, with just 36 mergers agreed – down from 47 in 2015 according to law firm RPC. The new figures released today suggest that total deal values have also slumped from £20.7bn down to just £4.7bn, a decline which outpaced a post-Brexit slowdown [...]
Saudi Aramco IPO: UK-based consultancy firm said to land role in mega-float January 26, 2017 A UK-based consultancy firm was reportedly hired for work on what is expected to be the world’s largest-ever initial public offering (IPO). Gaffney, Cline & Associates (GCA), which is headquartered in Alton, Hampshire, was selected to assess Saudi Aramco’s crude oil reserves, the Wall Street Journal first reported. The audit is said to have now completed, [...]
Barclays is reportedly preparing to move its EU headquarters to Dublin January 26, 2017 Barclays is planning to move its EU headquarters to Dublin, according to sources. The bank is preparing for the relocation ahead of Brexit, Reuters reported. "We have made clear repeatedly that we will plan for a range of Brexit contingencies, including building greater capacity into our existing operations in Dublin," a spokesman for Barclays said. [...]
Whitehall looks for private sector bidder to give civil servants lessons in international trade lingo ahead of Brexit negotiations January 26, 2017 Civil servants will be given a crash course in the language of international trade ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union. Whitehall officials are looking for a private sector bidder to deliver training across government on “the key areas and terminology of international trade policy”, according to a new tender document published this [...]
Surge in spoof humour book sales boosts WH Smith on the high street – but travel’s still the stationer’s lifeblood January 25, 2017 Well, it couldn't rely on adult colouring books forever, could it? The fad around adult colouring books might be slowing, but WH Smith has instead seen a surge in sales of spoof humour books, such as Five on Brexit Island and Five Give Up the Booze, spoofing Enid Blyton's The Famous Five. There's also the Ladybirds for Grown-Ups series, [...]
Airbus senior exec warns on UK future investment over Brexit free movement January 24, 2017 A senior Airbus executive has warned the company's future investment could be hit if Brexit disrupts the movement of talent and products. "At the moment we're continuing to invest because we take the view that Airbus in the UK is an integral part of the family of Airbus, so we're still highly committed to the UK," said Tom Williams, chief operating [...]
Why the UK is falling out of love with fashion: M&S, Debenhams and Ted Baker offer solutions to the high street clothing crisis January 24, 2017 In 2016, Britons were focused less on fashion, and more on enjoying themselves. We ate out and drank more, but spent less on clothes. In other words, we “shifted towards the experience economy”, according to Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics. “Since Brexit, the components within the economy holding up well have been consumer expenditure [...]
The year of the stock picker: Which value shares look underpriced in 2017? January 24, 2017 We've heard it before. When there is greater volatility and more dispersion in the market, canny investors should be able to beat the index. The great rotation in equities which markets are anticipating due to looser fiscal policy and higher interest rates under Donald Trump is filling active managers with optimism that they can use [...]
In full: GCHQ director Robert Hannigan’s resignation letter and foreign secretary Boris Johnson’s response January 23, 2017 Robert Hannigan has stepped down as director of GCHQ due to personal reasons, the spy agency confirmed today. Here's Hannigan's resignation letter in full: Dear Foreign Secretary, I have had the great privilege of leading the men and women of GCHQ since 2014. I am proud of what we have achieved in those years, not least setting [...]
GCHQ director Robert Hannigan has resigned for personal reasons January 23, 2017 GCHQ top boss Robert Hannigan has stepped down citing personal reasons, the surveillance agency has announced. Hannigan became GCHQ director in 2014. Prior to this, he was director general of defence and intelligence at the Foreign Office. In his resignation letter to foreign secretary Boris Johnson, he wrote that his public service roles "demanded a great deal of my ever patient [...]