Ari Emmanuel snaps up West End theatre group ATG for £4.5bn Hospitality Hollywood tycoon Ari Emmanuel has snapped up the theatre group behind West End venues including the Savoy and the Ambassadors in a deal worth around £4.5bn. Emmanuel, who runs an A-list media agency and helms the group which owns UFC, said the deal underscores the “growing power of live experience and the passionate audiences it [...]
Apollo snaps up Easyjet after Castlelake walks away Aviation Easyjet has agreed a £5.7bn takeover deal with Apollo after rival bidder Castlelake pulled out of the bidding process. In a joint announcement with the low-cost airline on Thursday, the American private markets juggernaut said it had “reached an agreement on the terms and conditions of a recommended cash acquisition”. The offer has the backing [...]
Easyjet extends window for another Castlelake bid Aviation Easyjet has extended the window for another takeover bid from asset manager Castlelake after its offer was usurped by investment giant Apollo last month. The budget airline said on Monday that it was still set to recommend the Apollo deal to shareholders, which values its stock at £7.15 per share, but would extend Castlelake’s deadline [...]
Easyjet takes £200m profit hit in Iran war travel chaos July 23, 2026 Easyjet has revealed a £200m profit hit as the budget airline battles with the soaring energy costs and falling travel demand caused by the Iran war. The FTSE 250 carrier posted an £85m profit in the three months to June, down 70 per cent on £286m in the previous year, as passenger volume slipped by [...]
Easyjet shares crash on fears of EU probe July 22, 2026 Shares in Easyjet plummeted on Wednesday after reports the European Union was preparing a probe into the ownership of airlines, potentially complicating the carrier’s mooted takeover by Apollo. The London-listed budget airline said this month it was likely to accept an all-cash offer from the US investment behemoth, trumping an earlier bid from another US [...]
We reached Mars 50 years ago, why haven’t we sent people? July 20, 2026 Viking 1 landed on Mars 50 years ago, so why haven’t we sent people there? Because there are no property rights in space, says Rainer Zitelmann Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in the history of space exploration. On July 20, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to [...]
Thames Water creditors expect Burnham talks despite legal contigency plans July 18, 2026 The creditors bidding to rescue Thames Water remain confident they will be able to present a revised takeover proposal to Andy Burnham’s government, despite preparing for the possibility ministers reject the deal, a source told Morning Wire. People close to the London & Valley Water (L&VW) consortium said they expected to engage with the new [...]
Easyjet proves too tempting a bargain for gatecrasher Apollo July 10, 2026 Apollo has gatecrashed Castelake’s cut-price Easyjet bid – setting up a potential buyout behemoth battle for the skies, writes Ali Lyon, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the colourful force behind London’s Easyjet, founded his low-cost carrier on a simple philosophy: promise travellers cheaper fares, and open up budget air travel for millions of customers who for decades had [...]
Easyjet agrees to £5.7bn Apollo takeover July 10, 2026 Apollo has agreed to buy budget airline Easyjet for £5.7bn in a shock deal that usurps an earlier bid from alternative asset manager Castlelake. Easyjet said on Friday that it was poised to accept an all-cash offer from the US investment behemoth valuing the airline at 714p a share, trumping the 690p a share bid [...]
Exclusive: Reynolds never met Thames Water investors before rejecting rescue deal July 1, 2026 Environment secretary Emma Reynolds never met the investors behind a proposed Thames Water rescue package before slapping down their deal out of hand last month, Morning Wire can reveal. Reynolds, who is the minister responsible for water policy, has left officials in her department to meet representatives of a large creditors’ group, which includes investment [...]