老九品茶

BGF has appointed Sagacity Solutions CEO and co-founder Anita Dougall as a non-executive director.

Dougall has scaled the consumer data intelligence business since 2005 and it ranked second in the Independent E2E Forum鈥檚 100 fastest-growing female-led UK businesses in 2025.

Her background spans senior roles in investment banking at NatWest Markets and credit strategy leadership at One2One (now EE).

The board shake-up also sees long-serving non-executive director Alice Avis stepping down in April 2026, as BGF continues its wider push to back UK growth companies, including a 拢300 million commitment to female-powered businesses within its 拢3 billion investment pledge.

Club L London has reported a record FY24-25, with turnover rising 48% year-on-year to 拢65.9 million and gross profit up 62% to 拢37.8m.

Profit before tax for the premium womenswear and lifestyle brand jumped to 拢14m from 拢3.1m, pushing margins from 6.9% to 21.1%, while net assets grew to 拢16.6m.

The performance was driven largely by international expansion, with especially strong growth in the US, Australia, the Middle East and several European markets supported by localisation efforts.

Investments in infrastructure and technology, including a dedicated US third-party logistics facility, have helped improve delivery speeds and customer experience as the brand scales globally.

Listed independent technology group Cohort plc has posted a solid first half, with revenue up 9% to 拢128.8 million, helped by growth across most of its businesses.

Adjusted operating profit dipped slightly to 拢9.7m and margins eased to 7.5%, largely due to a mix shift in Sensors and Effectors and planned lower-margin deliveries on a major Italian sonar programme.

Management kept full-year expectations unchanged and lifted the interim dividend 10% to 5.8p.

EMV Capital has backed another raise for portfolio firm Wanda Connected Health Systems, which has closed at 拢860,000 following strong US commercial momentum.

The funding combines 拢600,000 in equity, a 拢260,000 loan facility and a further 拢600,000 from exercised warrants, and will be used to scale operations with key US customers and deepen product development.

After the round, EMV Capital holds 16.5% of Wanda, valuing its stake at about 拢1.7 million, while EMV-syndicated third-party holdings in the business have risen to 29.6% – worth roughly 拢3.1m.

Wanda says demand is being driven by US health plans and employers seeking better chronic-disease and GLP-1 management, with the company targeting more than $5m ARR by the end of 2026.

The firm has also appointed former Greenbrook Healthcare founder Michael Steel as chair.

Lloyds Banking Group has named Peter Fitzgerald as its new chief investment officer, taking over from Kevin Doran who departs early next year after leading the group鈥檚 investment proposition.

Fitzgerald will run investment strategy and fund management across Scottish Widows and the recently acquired Schroders Personal Wealth arm, as Lloyds pushes for a stronger, more integrated customer offer.

He joins the FTSE 100 firm from Aviva Investors, where he was CIO for Multi-Asset & Macro, overseeing a global team managing more than 拢100bn.

With 25 years in multi-asset investing and macro strategy, he also brings senior experience from BNP Paribas Wealth Management and Insinger de Beaufort.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Cambridge-based Nu Quantum has closed an oversubscribed 拢45 million Series A funding round.

The round was led by National Grid Partners, with participation from Gresham House Ventures and Morpheus Ventures, as well as continued backing from Amadeus Capital Partners, IQ Capital, Ahren Capital, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, East Innovate, NSSIF and Sumitomo (Presidio Ventures).

The fresh capital will be used to accelerate the firm鈥檚 push toward fault-tolerant, distributed quantum computing 鈥� a route the company believes is the most realistic way to unlock the projected $1 trillion quantum computing market

Author: Jamie Roberts, managing partner, YFM

The most successful initial private equity meetings share a counterintuitive trait: they feel less like presentations and more like a conversation over coffee. Yet founders repeatedly make the same missteps, mistaking polish for preparation and performance for partnership potential.

It鈥檚 not Dragons鈥� Den. It鈥檚 not a bank meeting. It鈥檚 a two-way chat between people who could, if all goes well, be working together for years. And while every meeting is different, the same themes, and the same mistakes, pop up again and again.

Our investment team conducts hundreds of first meetings annually.

So what works – and what doesn’t?

Project Four Building Safety Experts (P4) has reported that annual turnover is up 53.6% from 拢2.83 million in 2024 to 拢4.35m in 2025, driven by rising demand for Building Safety Act consultancy and growing repeat work.听

The firm says expansion of its national technical team and its focus on practical compliance advice have helped it win bigger mandates across the UK.听

Now in its ninth year, P4 operates from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and London, with Birmingham next on the roadmap for 2026.听

The business has more than 200 active clients and a target of 拢11m turnover by 2030.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Made Tech has seen its revenues rise significantly for the six months to 30th November, with it spiking by 27% year-on-year to 拢27.7 million.

The London-listed firm, which provides digital, data and technology services to the UK public sector, also expects adjusted EBITDA to climb a third to around 拢2.4m, helped by better operational efficiency despite a higher-than-ideal contractor mix.

Cash generation also stayed solid, leaving the group with net cash of 拢11.9m and no debt, reinforcing the 鈥渃apital-efficient, technology-enabled platform鈥� model it has been pushing over the last two years.

The board now expects FY26 trading to be 鈥渟ignificantly ahead鈥� of market expectations, guiding to revenue about 10% higher than forecasts and pointing to improving EBITDA margins.

Optima Health Plc has reported an increase in half-year revenues – but听EBITDA was down ‘reflecting the impact of National Insurance increases and plc costs’.

Optima – founded in 1947 and headquartered in Sheffield with bases in several UK cities – is a provider of technology enabled corporate health and wellbeing solutions.

For the six months to 30th September 2025, revenue was 拢59.5 million, 17% up on the previous year.

Adjusted EBITDA was 拢8.3m, down from 拢8.7m in HY 25.

During the period, it acquired Irish firm Cognate Health, the group’s first acquisition outside of the UK.

Listed IT managed services provider Redcentric plc has reported a fall in half-year profits – but profit before tax was up.

The Harrogate-based firm, which is in the process of selling its data centre division for 拢127m, reported 拢66.8m revenue for the six months ended 30th September 2025 – down听3.6% on the prior year.

Profit before tax was 拢1.9m, up听18.7%.

The company appointed Michelle Senecal de Fonseca, formerly a non-executive director, as CEO in May 2025 after Brian Woodford had lasted just two months in the role.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Netcall plc has acquired Jadu, a Leicester-based provider of digital experience platforms, in a deal worth a potential 拢19.2 million.

The initial consideration is for 拢15.2m, with a 拢4m potential earn-out.

Netcall, headquartered in Bedford, is a listed provider of intelligent automation and customer engagement software.

It says the deal expands its presence in UK local government from around a third to a half of local councils, while also supporting international growth via an established US partner channel and customer base.

Author: Chris Maguire

New fact-checking measures have been introduced on health episodes of Steven Bartlett鈥檚 hit Diary of a CEO podcast.

Diary of a CEO (DOAC) claims to be the first major podcast to implement consistent on-screen fact-checking for health episodes after making a 鈥榮ignificant investment in editorial rigour鈥�.

The announcement was discreetly rolled out via the Dragons鈥� Den star鈥檚 personal website 鈥撎�听鈥� on November 24^th听and has gone largely unreported in the media.

It鈥檚 a far cry from the backlash last December鈥檚 BBC investigation into the podcast caused.

Back then, BBC World Service claimed their analysis of 15 health-related podcast episodes听 found each contained an average of 14 harmful health claims that went against extensive scientific research.

Following the changes each health-focused episode is now reviewed by a medical PhD graduate, who provides notes that appear alongside the conversation.

The statement on Bartlett鈥檚 website said the approach went 鈥榖eyond simple corrections鈥�.

Author: Chris Maguire

THG founder and CEO Matt Moulding has increased his stake in the Manchester-headquartered online retailer to 25 per cent after the conversion of a convertible loan.

An announcement to the London Stock Exchange revealed that the 53-year-old鈥檚 equity interest equates to 429,873,034 shares in the company.

This comprises 307,682,946 ordinary voting shares and 122,190,088 unlisted ordinary shares.

Moulding, who founded THG 2004, reportedly acquired 209.1 million new voting shares at 32.3p worth 拢67.5m, in a convertible loan conversion.

THG鈥檚 share price currently stands at 45.61p, giving it a market cap of 拢729m.

This represents a significant recovery from its share price of 27p on September 4^th.

In March 2025 it was revealed that Moulding had committed up to 拢60m of his own money as part of a debt refinancing package and equity.

One analyst said at the time: 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the biggest founder subscriptions on the stock market in UK history.鈥�

PCMIS Health Technologies has partnered with NHS England to launch the Nationwide Digital Pathway for the Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS).

The digital pathway, now live across England, will facilitate dedicated psychological support to those infected or affected by the national infected blood scandal.

PCMIS has been implemented as a standalone system to enhance the confidentiality provided to infected or affected people.

The launch represents a significant national undertaking, involving the coordination of multiple NHS services, specialist psychological care teams and clinical safety officers.

The FTSE 100 is up by around 15 points so far today in a quiet day for London’s biggest listed firms.

WPP (+6.03%) is the biggest riser so far, having reportedly won the UK Government’s 拢1.5bn strategy, planning and buying business ahead of Omnicom.

Defence companies on the prestigious index are also on the up, with Babcock (+2.47%) and BAE Systems (+2.07%) both experiencing price rises.

North East-based tech firm Sage (+2.48%) and education giant Pearson (+1.72%) are other incremental gainers making up the top five.

Meanwhile, Tesco (-1.73%) has dropped as it faces pressure from competitors as we enter the festive period.

The biggest loser so far today is Antofagasta (-3.01%) but the company is up by over 5% over the course of the last month. Easyjet (-1.49%) has also very slightly lost ground.

In the FTSE 250, Trustpilot (+5.38%) is the biggest riser. This follows a multitude of 鈥渢ransaction in own shares鈥� RNS announcements and could be related to an ongoing buyback programme.

Helios Towers (+4.53%), Playtech (+3.15%), Man Group (+3.08%) and Close Brothers (+3.00%) round out the top five gainers.

On the flip side Ceres Power (-3.93%), Chemring (-3.64%), PayPoint (-3.91%), Wizz Air (-3.00%) and Partners Group PEY (-2.40%) has dropped slightly so far in what has been a day of not much movement in London.

The UK鈥檚 first female-led fund of funds (FOF) has named anchor partners and targeted a 拢130 million first close.

The Invest in Women Taskforce, established to support female entrepreneurs in the UK, announced Nationwide and the British 老九品茶 Bank as new partners in the听 ‘Women backing Women’ fund.

The fund, managed by Bootstrap4F – thought to be the largest dedicated FOF in the world – is the first female-led initiative of its kind, focused on deploying capital into female founded businesses and mixed investment teams in the UK.

 

The North West 老九品茶 Leadership Team (NWBLT) has announced its new chair as Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport.

Outgoing chair Simone Peppi, co-founder of The Pilot Group, has agreed to remain as deputy chair of the organisation.

Emma Degg, chief executive of the NWBLT, said: “Chris听has a well-deserved reputation for elegantly driving change and making a positive impact in sometimes challenging circumstances. Manchester Airport lies at the heart of our economy, and the impressive transformations听Chris听has already delivered are testament to his acumen.

“The success of the North West 老九品茶 Leadership Team depends upon working in a positive and collaborative way with all our stakeholders, as we strive to make the region a better place. Chris perfectly embodies those values, and we are proud that he will be leading us.

“Simone鈥檚 extensive commercial experience, strong values, and a passion for positive environmental change will continue to help drive our work. Under her leadership the NWBLT has gone from strength to strength 鈥� particularly her regular reminders to us of the crucial role played by SMEs in driving the region鈥檚 growth. We are grateful to her for her service and so pleased that she has agreed to remain as deputy chair.”

eCommerce SEO agency听Re:signal听has acquired听digital听PR听specialist听Root听Digital.

Re:signal says the move marks its听evolution from a single agency听into a group of specialist businesses built to support every aspect of SEO, content performance,听digital听reputation and听AI听discovery.

Re:signal听works with leading eCommerce brands including听ASICS,听Under Armour,听N Brown,听Vivobarefoot听and听Jollyes ‘to stay ahead of shifting search听algorithms,听AI-driven discovery and intensifying competition’.

Root听adds creative firepower with high impact, award-winning听digital听PR听and content marketing campaigns for clients such as听Radical Storage,听Icewear听and听StandoutCV 听 – including a ‘Disappointing Masterpieces’ study that it says sparked global coverage and led the Louvre to reposition the Mona Lisa.

Root听will operate as a distinct company within the听Re:signal Group.听The deal grows听Re:signal Group鈥檚 revenue by 30% and also sees headcount increase by a third.

Author: Chris Maguire

ITA Group, a US-headquartered leader in engagement solutions, has acquired C2events, an award-winning Yorkshire-based event management agency specialising in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

The strategic move strengthens ITA Group鈥檚 presence in Europe and enhances its ability to deliver world-class event experiences globally.

Founded in 2004 and based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, C2events employs 40 team members and has managed events in 20 countries and 37 cities across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US.

The agency has a reputation for creating impactful experiences for some of the world鈥檚 most recognised healthcare and pharmaceutical brands.

Mark Saxby, executive director, C2events, said: 鈥淔our of our five largest clients are US-based, and we鈥檝e always aspired to have an operation in the US.

鈥淲hen ITA approached us, the benefits were clear. This partnership allows us to enhance our services and accelerate growth while maintaining our culture and commitment to clients.鈥�

ITA Group now has offices in the US, Australia, UK and the Netherlands, and maintains strategic partnerships in Belgium and Singapore.