Carillion bags £4.1bn government contract August 10, 2015 Carillion has won a new government outsourcing contract that could be worth up to £4.1bn. The FTSE100-listed business has been selected as part of a new “facilities management services agreement”, which will run until 2019. The new agreement replaces the current framework for facilities management contracts and relates to central government departments, executive agencies and [...]
Shire ramps up bid to win over Baxalta board August 10, 2015 The board of Baxalta will come under renewed pressure to open takeover negotiations this week, following early campaigning by Shire to promote its $30bn (£19.4bn) offer for the US firm. However, Baxalta insists that it will not accept this offer, with a company source describing the bid price as being “nowhere near” the value [...]
Chinese insurance giant Anbang nears £750m Heron Tower deal August 9, 2015 The Heron Tower in the City that is part-owned by property tycoon Gerald Ronson could soon change hands after a Chinese insurance giant emerged as a frontrunner to buy the skyscraper for £750m. Anbang Insurance, a privately owned group that last year snapped up New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel for almost $2bn (£1.3bn), is close [...]
British Gas: Just 4pc applying to engineering roles are women August 9, 2015 British Gas has revealed that just four per cent of applicants to its technical and engineering apprenticeships are women. Since conducting an analysis of its intake, the company has launched a recruitment drive targeting young women, hosting open days and launching a new mentoring programme. Claire Miles, managing director for HomeCare at British Gas, said: [...]
Hobbs’ losses widen after costly revamp August 9, 2015 Womenswear retailer Hobbs saw losses widen to £15.6m last year, despite a slight pick-up in sale as its new management team struggled to turn the chain around. The brand, whose fans include the Duchess of Cambridge, suffered a £15.6m pre-tax loss in the year to 31 January, up from £14m last time. Turnover rose from [...]
UK oldest bank C Hoare & Co comes into digital age with fresh app August 9, 2015 C Hoare & Co, the UK’s oldest private bank, is moving into the digital age with the launch of a mobile app. The bank, which has offered services to figures such as Lord Byron and Jane Austen, will launch the app more than 340 years after its historic foundation in 1672. The creation of a [...]
Apple supplier Foxconn invests £5bn in India August 9, 2015 Electronics maker Foxconn is investing $5bn in a new factory in India, as the Apple supplier seeks to mitigate rising wage costs in China. Foxconn has announced the new manufacturing facility will be in the western state of Maharashtra, and the $5bn investment over the next five years marks one of India’s largest foreign-investment deals [...]
Pret a Manger float? No IPO appetite from owners Bridgepoint August 9, 2015 Bridgepoint, the private equity owner of Pret a Manger, has poured cold water on a report that it could potentially float the lunchtime favourite of City workers. The sandwich chain already has interest from potential bidders, Reuters reports, and is considering a market listing for 2016, maybe in the US, citing unnamed sources. A Bridgepoint [...]
Here’s what we can learn from the 10 biggest deals in pharmaceutical history August 7, 2015 The pharmaceutical world is abuzz about a major deal struck between AbbVie and small biotech company Pharmacyclics last night. The US pharma giant bought Pharmacyclics for a massive $21bn (£13.8bn), after fending off fierce competition from the likes of Johnson & Johnson. Why? To get its hands on the firm's super-successful cancer drug Imbuvrica, whose [...]
The rise of the posh burger: How London has fallen for Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Byron, Honest Burger, Five Guys and Shake Shack August 7, 2015 We’ve all seen them: on busy streets and in trendy back alleys, London has been invaded by posh burger joints. When did this invasion start? And who are the main protagonists? We’ve chosen five players in the influx and charted their progress in the capital. Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), Byron, Five Guys and Shake Shack. [...]