Diploma: Shares in FTSE 100 giant boom after profit upgrade March 18, 2026 Shares in specialist tech supplier Diploma boomed on Wednesday morning after the group slapped a hefty upgrade on its financial targets for 2026. The firm’s stock was up as much as 15 per cent on open to 5,771.06p. It came as the FTSE 100 giant said it expects revenue growth to come in at nine [...]
Glencore shares slide after Rio Tinto merger unravels February 5, 2026 Shares in Glencore tumbled on Thursday after talks over a blockbuster merger between the firm and rival Rio Tinto came to nothing. The London-listed mining giant said it was unhappy with the terms of Rio’s takeover offer, which included Rio keeping hold of top executive roles within the proposed combined business. “The key terms of [...]
Quality over quantity: UK M&A volume slips but deal value climbs February 4, 2026 UK merger and acquisition deal value increased last year despite a fall in volumes as investors turned their focus to acquiring fewer, higher-quality assets. The total number of UK deals fell 12 per cent year on year to 2,991, down from 3,411 in 2024, according to the latest industry trends data from PwC. But overall [...]
Irn-Bru maker shares jump after snapping up soft drinks rivals for £50m February 3, 2026 The drinks merchant behind Irn-Bru is forecasting a major boost to profit for the latest financial year after the firm stripped back costs and snapped up a pair of its soft drink rivals. AG Barr, which owns brands such as Boost, Funkin Cocktails and Rubicon, told markets it had sealed a near-£38m deal to buy [...]
Fitzwalter backs off Auction Tech after hostile bidding campaign February 2, 2026 Investment giant Fitzwalter has backed off Auction Technology Group after a hostile campaign between the two led to 13 different takeover attempts of the latter. The London-headquartered said on Monday ATG’s Board had unanimously rejected its proposed offer of 400 pence per share. The offer sat above the UK market median for similar cash transactions [...]
Ryanair boss could land near-£2bn payout after Elon Musk feud January 21, 2026 The boss of Ryanair could land a cash payout of as much as £1.7bn if the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, acts on his threats to buy the airline. Michael O’Leary, who has been chief executive of the County Dublin-based business for more than 30 years, has accumulated the sixth-largest stake in the company, with [...]
Ministers to change UK merger rules in bid to speed up deals January 18, 2026 Whitehall is preparing a fundamental reset of the UK’s merger control regime, as ministers seek to accelerate deal-making and strip back some red tape for businesses. The Department for Business and Trade is expected to outline plans this week that would significantly change how the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reviews takeovers and sector-wide competition [...]
Urban Pubs & Bars launches acquisition spree after strong Christmas sales January 16, 2026 Urban Pubs & Bars has embarked on an aggressive acquisition spree as the London-based hospitality group toasted strong demand over the Christmas season. This week the company announced it had acquired The Birdcage in East London from Brewdog, marking its sixth acquisition of 2026. The deal follows the recent completion of five premium hospitality venues [...]
UK fintech Zilch eyes deals spree on march towards public debut January 7, 2026 Consumer payments giant Zilch is eyeing more deals after snapping up a Lithuanian challenger bank ahead of its long-awaited public debut. The UK fintech has acquired Fjord Bank, helping it to secure a European banking licence and accelerate overseas plans. “We needed a regulatory umbrella that would allow us to go and move really fast [...]
Monzo snaps up UK mortgage broker in first major acquisition December 16, 2025 UK fintech Monzo has made its first major acquisition with a deal to snap up a digital mortgage broker in a bid bulk up its “all-in-one” superapp. The digital bank announced on Friday it had snapped up Habito, a fintech firm which uses tech to accelerate the home-buying process with free online advice. The deal [...]