Auction Tech fends off 11 takeover bids from largest shareholder January 5, 2026 Digital marketplace Auction Technology Group has fended off 11 hostile takeover bids from its largest shareholder. The London-listed tech firm said on Monday it had dismissed the latest offer from investment giant FitzWalter Capital, which valued ATG at 360p per share. ATG said the bid – which was received on 23 December – “fundamentally undervalued” [...]
Andy Murray’s luxury hotel returns to profit after losing over £1m January 5, 2026 The five-star hotel owned by Sir Andy Murray returned to profit during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The firm behind Cromlix Hotel, which is located near the two-time Wimbledon champion’s hometown of Dunblane in Scotland, has posted a profit of £193,379 for the year to 31 March, 2025. The profit has been confirmed [...]
LBC owner loses £140m despite revenue marching towards £1bn January 5, 2026 Global, the media giant behind the likes of radio stations LBC, Capital and Heart, lost £140m during its latest financial year despite its revenue continuing its march towards £1bn. The London-headquartered business, which also includes Smooth, Radio X and Classic FM, has reported its latest pre-tax loss after also losing £120.3m in the prior 12 [...]
Used car marketplace Motorway takes out £25m loan after losses widen January 5, 2026 Motorway has agreed a fresh £25m loan after the online car marketplace reported widening losses. The London-based tech firm, which hit a valuation of over $1bn in a 2021 funding round, said it secured the loan one day before Christmas Eve, with £15m having already been drawn down by the end of the year. The [...]
Betfred rakes in £1.5bn as founders enjoy jackpot payday January 5, 2026 The billionaire brothers who founded Betfred have shared a bumper payday after the betting giant raked in almost £1.5bn. The Warrington-headquartered business has posted a turnover of £1.45bn for the 78 weeks to 30 March, 2025. New accounts filed with Companies House also show Betfred made a pre-tax profit of £188.6m over the same period. [...]
KPMG spin-out Interpath Advisory makes third loss in four years as sale revealed January 5, 2026 KPMG’s former UK restructuring division, Interpath Advisory, has fallen to its third loss since breaking away from the Big Four firm in 2021, it has been revealed. The business has reported a pre-tax loss of £11m for the 12 months to 28 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. That comes after Interpath [...]
Euan Blair edtech Multiverse laid off dozens more staff after losses widened January 5, 2026 An edtech firm founded by Tony Blair’s son Euan laid off dozens more staff after reporting widening losses, its latest accounts show. Multiverse, which was launched in 2016 and hit a valuation of £1.2bn in a 2022 funding round, said it made 55 payments for loss of office in the year to the end of [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Shell and BP lead index near 10,000 amid oil tensions January 5, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire morning liveblog. The FTSE 100 kicked off the new year on the front foot marking an intraday high of 10,046.25p on Friday in the first trading session of 2026. Whilst it slipped back in later trading, strong performances across blue-chip heavyweights including Rolls-Royce and Fresnillo, led [...]
Exclusive: Brits say taxpayer shouldn’t bail out struggling football and rugby clubs January 5, 2026 The majority of Brits say that the government should not use taxpayer money to support professional football and rugby clubs that are teetering on the edge of financial difficulty. Exclusive research by Ipsos for Morning Wire shows that British adults think football teams (67 per cent) and rugby teams (66 per cent) should not seek [...]
UK economy showing signs of ‘zombie apocalypse,’ says think tank January 5, 2026 The UK economy faces a “zombie apocalypse” in the coming year, as years of tough trading conditions force thousands of unproductive firms to the wall, an influential left-leaning think tank has predicted. The Resolution Foundation forecasts a “triple whammy” of multi-year increases in interest rates, energy prices and the minimum wage will lead to the [...]