老九品茶

Author: Chris Maguire

The boss of Debenhams Group has said the turnaround of the fashion retailer is ahead of plan as the focus now switches to growth.

Debenhams Group is an online platform across five shopping destinations: Debenhams, Karen Millen, boohoo, MAN and PLT.

In an upbeat trading update this morning, the board announced its forecast delivery of 拢53m adjusted EBITDA in the financial year to February 28^th, 2026 – described as being 鈥榗omfortably ahead鈥� of the previously upgraded guidance in January.

This year-on-year 36 per cent increase in full year adjusted EBITDA is driven by a 76 per cent increase in H2 adjusted EBITDA.

Boohoo鈥檚 share price went up from 17.5p to 18.5p on early trading upon the news.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The takeover saga at listed FinTech CAB Payments has intensified after an activist shareholder accused the company鈥檚 independent board of acting against the interests of shareholders.

Last month investor Helios Consortium said it was considering making an improved 拢213 million bid for the London-listed FinTech. However board members excluding Nitin Kaul and Henry Obi CBE – who represent the interests of Helios – rejected this initial approach.

StoneX, a Fortune 500 payments firm listed on New York鈥檚 Nasdaq exchange, then said it was considering a bid of 拢241m for CAB. The independent board also rejected that approach, again claiming that it significantly undervalued the firm and its future prospects.

Now CAB has accused Helios of 鈥渓aunching an unsolicited firm offer for CAB Payments at an unrecommendable value鈥� and said this is 鈥渉ighly opportunistic鈥�.

Pointing to the higher value of the StoneX offer, it said it 鈥渨ould encourage the Helios Consortium to consider proposals at a premium to its own offer that could be in the best interests of the company’s shareholders as a whole, including minority shareholders鈥�.

However Helios called on CAB to provide it with specific, non-public information which is required when formalising a bid with regulators, saying it had so far refused to do so.

鈥淭he Helios Consortium considers this stance to be against the interests of CAB Payments shareholders,鈥� it added.听

Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie has been appointed as the next co-chair of the Creative Industries Council.

The council is a forum that brings industry and the government together to ensure the continued success of the UK鈥檚 creative economy. It aims to unite the sector and give them a clearer voice when advocating to the government.

Sir Peter Bazalgette will leave his position as co-chair when his term ends on 31 July, and Baroness Shriti Vadera on 31 December. Their tenures as co-chairs saw the government introduce a new growth blueprint for their sectors through the聽Creative Industries Sector Plan, published as part of the Industrial Strategy. Davie will join Vadera as co-chair from 1 August and become the sole industry chair upon her departure.

Davie will lead the council alongside co-chairs Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and 老九品茶 Secretary Peter Kyle. Under Davie, the council will continue to focus on Sector Plan priorities – including innovation, access to finance, workforce, trade and investment.

accesso Technology Group plc, a technology solutions provider to leisure, entertainment and cultural markets, has acquired Dexibit Limited, a purpose-built data analytics and artificial intelligence platform for the visitor attractions industry.

Dexibit’s capabilities will form the foundation of a new solution,聽accesso Intelligence, which will empower accesso’s clients to connect their full operational dataset, including third-party systems, and deliver actionable insight across their entire business.

The agreement, funded through the group’s existing cash reserves, is for an initial cash consideration of up to $7.1m. A potential additional consideration of up to $5m is also payable over a three-year period, subject to the satisfaction of certain performance conditions.

accesso has also published its 2025 results.

Revenue was 拢155.1m, an increase of聽1.8% on 2024, while statutory profit before tax was 拢14.3m, a rise of聽37.7%.

Author: Chris Maguire

Carl Ennis is leaving his role as chief executive of Siemens UK.

Ennis, who has spent more than 25 years at the technology giant, will leave on April 30.

He started his career at Rochdale Training 41 years ago and was appointed CEO of Siemens UK in January 2020.

As CEO of Siemens UK, he has worked closely with customers, partners and colleagues across the region and beyond.

Commenting on his decision, Ennis said: 鈥淚t has been a real privilege to be part of Siemens for so long and to work alongside many talented people.

鈥淎s someone who aspired to be a car mechanic, making it to country CEO of one of the most influential technology companies on the planet is pretty cool.

鈥淎 formal process is now underway to identify my successor. I am not going just yet, and there will be more to come over the next few weeks. I am looking forward to seeing as many colleagues, customers and partners as possible before I step down.鈥�

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Identity specialist GB Group plc has announced a 拢175 million refinancing deal.

The business, led by CEO Dev Dhiman (pictured), signed the revolving credit facility with major banks after reporting a large drop in six-month profits late last year.

The new facility will mature in September 2030, replacing the existing secured facility due to mature in July 2027. In addition, the new RCF contains two optional one-year maturity extension options.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Shirine Khoury-Haq has resigned as CEO of the Co-op after the group posted 拢126 million annual losses.

It follows a BBC report in February which aired warnings from senior managers of a “toxic culture” at executive level.

The 180-year-old member-owned food and services group, which has a reputation for upholding ethical values, faced allegations that it created “fear and alienation” among several senior staff.

On Thursday the group said a massive cyber-attack last year cost it an estimated 拢285m in sales.

Author: Chris Maguire

Conor Galvin and Levi Hague were fired in the latest dramatic episode of The Apprentice.

They found themselves in the losing team after all the candidates were required to sell products live on TV.

Lord Sugar and his grandson Joe watched on as the two teams tried to secure sales.

Estate agent Kieran McCartney survived another trip back into the boardroom after saying he鈥檒l be project manager in the next task 聽– and he鈥檒l walk if he fails.

There are now just seven candidates left vying for Lord Sugar鈥檚 拢250k investment and mentorship.

Galvin said: “I was disappointed to be fired, but I thought as project manager, when I got no sales, my head was definitely on the chopping block.”

Asked how it felt to be fired, Yorkshireman Hague said: “I weren’t shocked if I’m honest, I sort of expected it to come. Lord Sugar tends to invest in things like recruitment, trades and beauty brands, and when I came in with personalised pet cremation urns it鈥檚 quite a niche industry that a lot of people don鈥檛 really know about yet.

“I understood it might not be something he fully saw the potential in straight away. So when I was fired, I wasn鈥檛 upset, I was actually quite relieved and ready to get back home to my business, my wife and my six-month-old daughter.鈥�

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Autotrader and Just Eat are among five companies being investigated by the competitions watchdog as part of a crackdown on fake and misleading reviews.

The marketplace platforms are among five companies which may have infringed consumer law, says the Competition and Markets Authority.

In April 2025, several practices relating to online reviews became 鈥榖anned practices鈥� under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, meaning they are automatically deemed unfair and illegal.听

This includes obtaining and posting fake reviews, and paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised. It also covers how reviews are handled 鈥� for example, if negative reviews are hidden, or if star ratings present an inaccurate picture.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Oryx International Growth Fund has named a new chairman after Nigel Cayzer passed away.

Jamie Brooke will succeed Cayzer, who had led Oryx – a Guernsey-based investor listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange – since 1995.

Cayzer had also chaired Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC since 1995 and was a director of a number of private companies.

He chaired Maggie鈥檚, the leading cancer charity, from 2005 until 2014.

He was 71 and father to four children.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The co-founders of plant-based food brand THIS are behind a new AI-first law firm which has just raised 拢2 million in seed funding.

Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman sold their burger chain business back in 2016 and two years later founded THIS, a market-leading vegan brand with cheeky marketing which recently announced its first profitable month.

Now they have turned their attention to something completely different.

鈥淚n a quite natural and linear progression from selling vegan sausages, I’m proud to announce that I’m now co-founding a law firm called Keith,鈥� Shovel wrote on LinkedIn.

 

Tech Nation has unveiled the 25 innovative ClimateTech companies joining its 2026 Climate Programme.

Tech Nation, powered by Founder鈥檚 Forum Group – described as the UK鈥檚 leading growth platform and industry body for startups and their teams – selected high-potential companies tackling some of the most urgent challenges across food systems, industrial decarbonisation, energy, materials and nature restoration.

Collectively, the cohort has raised $250m+ in funding; works with global corporates including Microsoft, Shell, Salesforce, Heathrow, SUEZ and TotalEnergies; and represents a new generation of founders building commercially viable, scalable solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises.

The four-month growth programme accelerates high-potential tech startups that bridge the gap between climate innovation and industry. The programme supports leading ClimateTech companies to scale their impact by accessing the right investors and multinational customers, and by providing founders with a platform to advance climate policy and remove regulatory barriers.听

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A San Francisco company has completed the acquisition of UK PropTech WiredScore.

WiredScore, based in London, is a global certification platform for digital connectivity and smart technology in real estate.

The acquisition by Meter, a provider of internet infrastructure for enterprise, delivers an exit for transatlantic venture capital investor Beringea.

UK pet insurance brand Waggel has appointed Katie King as its first chief marketing officer, as the business continues to scale under new CEO Henri Dowling.

The firm has a technology-led approach to pet insurance.

King joins Waggel from Capital One UK, where she served as UK marketing director.

Prior to this, she held senior roles at high-growth FinTech companies in Australia, including OnDeck and Athena Home Loans.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The Government says people in Barnsley are set to benefit from shorter hospital waiting lists and fewer missed appointments under a new pilot scheme being trialled in the UK鈥檚 first ‘Tech Town’.听

Residents and local firms will also have the chance to gain AI skills thanks to a new Government fund.

The two pilots will demonstrate how AI can support both local workers and frontline services, building a blueprint that can be used by communities across the country, the Government added.

As part of this, local SMEs in key industries like manufacturing – as well as residents who may not typically have the confidence or resources to use AI – could receive targeted training through a new 拢800,000 AI Upskilling Challenge Fund.听

 

Eunice, a London-based company building institutional-grade due diligence infrastructure for regulated markets, raised 拢6 million in seed and pre-seed funding.

The round was led by Moonfire Ventures and Speedinvest, with participation from Openspace Ventures. The round includes founders of Anchorage, ComplyAdvantage and more.

Eunice was founded on a simple premise: as alternative assets grow in scale and complexity, the standards for documenting and defending investment decisions must evolve with them. The company builds due diligence infrastructure that standardises how complex investment decisions are assessed, documented and defended across regulated markets.

More than 20 Ukrainian tech and cyber companies visited Greater Manchester last week as part of the UK-Ukraine TechBridge roadshow, meeting local businesses, investors and support organisations across the city region.听

The visit took place during UK Tech Week and comes at a time when President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the conflict in Iran is delaying progress on peace negotiations for Ukraine.

Organisers said Manchester鈥檚 role on the roadshow reflected the continued resilience of Ukrainian tech firms and the strength of Greater Manchester鈥檚 digital and cyber sectors.

The TechBridge programme, launched by the UK and Ukrainian governments in 2024, is designed to deepen collaboration in innovation, technology, and investment. It sits within the wider 100鈥憏ear partnership between both countries, announced in 2025 in Kyiv by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Zelensky.

Greater Manchester was selected as a host city due to its established capabilities across the tech sector. The region is home to more than 6,000 cyber professionals and over 150 cyber firms, alongside strong clusters in data science, digital commerce, advanced manufacturing and creative technology.

Mark Hughes, Chief Executive of The Growth Company, said the TechBridge programme was 鈥渁bout turning international collaboration into practical partnerships between UK and Ukrainian businesses鈥�.

More than 70 delegates took part in the Manchester session, including Ukrainian founders working across AI, software engineering, digital and cyber, alongside representatives from the Department for 老九品茶 and Trade (DBT), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub and around thirty Greater Manchester tech firms.

Digital Catapult has invested 拢500,000 in London-based startup Exabler to support the practical application of its deep tech solution in cross-border trade and strengthen UK industrial supply chain resilience.

With international trade increasingly impacted by tariffs, supply chain setbacks and complex regulatory requirements, Exabler鈥檚 solution uses proprietary software to empower business leaders by simplifying processes and streamlining trade operations.

Founded in 2015, Exabler is an alumnus of Digital Catapult鈥檚 Digital Supply Chain Hub where it partnered with defence primes BAE Systems and Leonardo UK to develop a solution for the defence and security sector.

Exabler鈥檚 solution is also helping to transform trade in other highly regulated and complex sectors including logistics, pharmaceuticals and financial services, by using advanced analytics to help businesses reduce costs, improve operational efficiency and mitigate future supply chain disruptions.

Point74 has acquired QUOR, creating the UK鈥檚 first unified platform for food product development and lifecycle management.

The deal brings a unique offering to food manufacturers and retailers, allowing faster and safer new product launches while enabling them to streamline their operations, improve product quality, and strengthen their regulatory compliance.

Author: Chris Maguire

THG CEO Matt Moulding said the company was 鈥榦n the front foot鈥� after publishing its results for 2025.