A London-listed marketing conglomerate which sacked three of its top executives this week has been approached about a £200m break-up. Sky News has learnt that Next 15 has been holding talks about a sale of its “legacy” assets, which include the financial public relations agency MHP, with an unnamed bidder. That would leave the rump
Business
Ten million pounds is to be spent on fixing shortfalls in the core numbers produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) amid a continuing lack of confidence in their accuracy. The body is tasked with producing official figures covering key areas of the economy and societal trends. It has faced particular criticism over the
One of the largest sponsors of international students at British universities has landed tens of millions of pounds of new funding from two major investment firms. Sky News has learnt that Study Group, which was acquired by the French private equity group Ardian in 2019, has sealed a deal which will see it become majority-owned
Shell has denied it is in talks with BP over a possible takeover of its smaller rival. The Wall Street Journal, citing a number of sources, reported on Wednesday evening that discussions between the two UK-based energy firms were at an early, but active, stage. The US publication added that BP was considering the approach.
High street retailer River Island has announced the locations of the 33 shops it is to shut. It confirms Sky News reporting that the clothing chain, which trades from about 230 stores, is to close 33 shops in a restructuring plan which will be put to creditors in August. The fate of another 70 shops
Guests have begun arriving in Venice for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s multimillion-pound wedding, which has had to find a new venue. The billionaire will marry Lauren Sanchez in the Italian city this week, and the couple will mark the occasion with three days of celebrations costing up to €48m (£41m). The venue where the couple
Global oil costs have fallen back sharply amid hopes that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran will end the threat of disruption to crucial energy flows for the world economy. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, was as high as $81 late on Sunday night as financial markets opened in
A health and beauty retailer founded on a Lancashire market stall more than half a century ago is lining up a debt funding package three years after it was sold. Sky News understands that Bodycare, which trades from about 130 stores across the UK, is close to unveiling new financing provided by Aurelius, the private
A violin worth more than £150,000 was stolen from a London pub – with police appealing for help to find the 285-year-old instrument. The violin belongs to a member of the London Philharmonia Orchestra who was in The Marquess Tavern in Islington on 18 February when it was taken. It was made in Florence in 1740
Sir Alan Bates has called for those responsible for the wrongful convictions of sub postmasters in the Capture IT scandal to be “brought to account”. It comes after Sky News unearthed a report showing Post Office lawyers knew of faults in the software nearly three decades ago. The documents, found in a garage by a
Retail sales volumes suffered their largest monthly fall since December 2023 last month, according to official figures which suggest a link to rising bills. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 2.7% decline in the quantity of goods bought in May compared with the previous month. The body said its interaction with retailers suggested
TalkTalk, the telecoms and broadband group founded by Sir Charles Dunstone, is preparing to hire City advisers to oversee a break-up of the company. Sky News has learnt investment banks were asked to pitch this week for a mandate to oversee a potential sale of TalkTalk’s two remaining businesses: its consumer arm and PXC, its
Sam Laidlaw, the former boss of Centrica, is among the candidates being considered as the next chairman of BP, Britain’s besieged oil and gas exploration giant. Sky News has learnt that Mr Laidlaw is being considered by BP board members as a potential successor to Helge Lund, who announced in April that he would step
A savings and retirement services group backed by Apollo Global Management is plotting a multibillion pound takeover of Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), one of the City’s biggest specialist insurers. Sky News has learnt that Athora, which was established by Apollo, the US-based alternative investments giant, is in talks to acquire control of PIC. If successfully
Hundreds more high street jobs are being put at risk as part of a sweeping overhaul of the family-owned fashion retailer River Island. Sky News has learnt that the clothing chain, which trades from about 230 stores, is proposing to close 33 shops in a restructuring plan which will be put to creditors in August.
“Exonerate and acknowledge” say victims of the Post Office Capture scandal. And it’s easy to see why patience is wearing thin. To understand what happened with Capture, you must first understand Horizon. Both scandals centre not on flawed software alone, but how the Post Office reacted to it. Please use Chrome browser for a more