Boots shapes up for potential London IPO April 21, 2026 The owners of Boots have hired advisors to get the high street chemist into shape ahead of a potential London floating which could come as soon as next year. Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm which owns Boots, have been in talks with advisers in recent weeks on the possibility of floating in the capital. [...]
Government urged to halt food inflation ‘before it’s too late’ April 21, 2026 The food industry’s leading trade body has urged the government to act on food inflation before it’s “too late” to protect consumers and businesses. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) expects food inflation to soar from three to between nine and 10 per cent this year, and has accused the government of lacking “urgency” to [...]
S&U takes ‘Margaret Thatcher’ approach as profit swells April 21, 2026 Specialist lender S&U recorded a major bump to profit in the last year as the bank said it was following the teachings of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The London-listed bank – which was founded in 1938 and once known as Sports and Utilities – posted a pre-tax profit of £31.8m in the year ending 5 [...]
THG defies retail gloom with best quarter in five years April 21, 2026 THG shares rocketed on Tuesday as the firm shrugged off wider gloom in the retail market after delivering its best quarterly performance in five years. The Manchester-based beauty and nutrition e-commerce firm posted revenue growth of 7 per cent for the first quarter of 2026, adding that growth was only “modestly impacted” by disruption in [...]
Saba Capital will likely gain “effective control” of IEM after tender offer April 21, 2026 Investment trust Impax Environmental Markets have acknowledged Saba Capital is likely to have “effective control” following the completion of its exit tender offer, as the US hedge funds looks to oust the board. In response to a letter sent to the board by Saba, Impax Envrionmental Markets (IEM) confirmed its exit tender offer remained on [...]
Job vacancies fall to lowest level in five years April 21, 2026 The UK jobs market took a turn for the worst as job vacancies fell to their lowest level in nearly five years, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of vacancies fell by an estimate of 29,000 in the three months to March. It is the lowest level of [...]
‘It doesn’t work anymore’: Wealthy Brits snub UK property market in search of better returns April 21, 2026 Affluent Brits are pulling out of the UK property market at pace, the boss of a major London bank has said, as high taxes, burdensome regulation and stagnant house prices prompt investors to look elsewhere for greater returns. Ian Rand, chief executive of Monument Bank, which caters for mass affluent account holders with six figures [...]
Pension schemes need more carrot and less stick to back the UK April 20, 2026 The Pensions Bills Scheme will empower the government to tell pension schemes where to invest. But telling always ends badly.
ETFS are no longer a side experiment after record 2025 growth April 20, 2026 Global ETFs are no longer functioning as solely investment products, after record growth last year cemented its position as a “backbone” of portfolios and the use of active strategies gained popularity. The global exchange traded funds (ETF) market jumped 32.8 per cent last year from $14.8 trillion to $19.8 trillion according to the latest findings [...]
Let’s be honest, not all small businesses are meant to survive April 20, 2026 The fact that not every small business survives is far from a bad thing; in fact it's the sign of a healthy economy, writes Alexandra Rosen.