Carlyle, the American investment giant, has become the latest global fund to weigh an investment in Thames Water as the stricken utility races to avoid being nationalised. Sky News has learnt that Carlyle, which has roughly $435bn in assets under management, is at the very preliminary stages of assessing whether an investment in Thames Water
Business
A former owner of Missguided, the youth fashion brand, is in talks to buy Kurt Geiger, the upmarket shoe and accessories retailer. Sky News has learnt that Alteri Investors, which was backed by the global private equity giant Apollo Management when it launched a decade ago, is among a number of parties in discussions about
The private equity giant which owns a stake in rugby’s Six Nations Championship is weighing a bid for a stake in one of Britain’s biggest online travel agents. Sky News has learnt that CVC Capital Partners is among the suitors considering making an offer to become a partial owner of Loveholidays. The travel company, which
One of the UK’s largest water companies is considering shipping supplies from Norway to the UK. Southern Water said the idea was a “last-resort contingency measure” in case of extreme droughts in the early 2030s. Up to 45 million litres per day could be brought to the UK in tankers under the proposals. The Financial
Boeing and union negotiators will meet later in a fresh bid to end strikes by workers that have hammered plane production, exacerbating the fallout from the company’s safety crisis. The company, which is bidding to revive its fortunes under a new chief executive, has more than 32,000 staff refusing to work. They walked out of
For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine two and a half years ago, the UK has begun to sanction tankers carrying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and around the world. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has announced it is using new powers to sanction five LNG tankers and two companies
The fallout from parasite-contaminated water in part of Devon cost South West Water £16m, the utility has revealed. It had to implement a boil water notice when people in the Brixham area became sick after diarrhoea-causing cryptosporidium was found in a reservoir in May. The notice remained in place for eight weeks with roughly 17,000
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed a further £500m investment in its Halewood plant on Merseyside to bolster future production of all-electric cars at the site. The country’s largest automotive manufacturer, which revealed plans in 2023 to produce the first emission-free model at Halewood in early 2025, is now targeting a timeframe later that year.
Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates has threatened legal action if financial redress for victims doesn’t come soon. Sir Alan, speaking after accepting a knighthood for services to justice, told Sky News: “If we need to fundraise for a court case, we will.” In a letter sent to hundreds of former sub postmasters last week,
Morrisons, the supermarket chain, has struck a £370m deal to unlock value from its vast property portfolio as its owners seek to further shrink the company’s debt pile. Sky News has learnt that the private equity-backed grocer has agreed a mammoth ground rent transaction with Song Capital, a real estate investor. Under the deal, which
The threat of further widespread train strikes has been lifted after union members voted overwhelmingly for a new pay deal with train companies and Network Rail. It was confirmed that members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) had joined their driver colleagues within the ASLEF union in accepting new offers after more than
The boss of BrewDog’s bars division is to become the next chief executive of Prezzo, the privately owned casual dining chain. Sky News understands that James Brown, whose resignation from BrewDog was announced on Wednesday, is leaving to run the restaurant operator. Industry sources said his appointment would be unveiled by Prezzo on Thursday. Prezzo,
The UK remains at risk from “lingering” inflation but its economy is among nations showing “robust” growth, according to a biannual report which upgrades its expectations for output both this year and next. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) saw UK gross domestic product (GDP) rising by 1.1% this year – faster than
The president of the European Council has defended the bloc’s sanctions regime, saying it is fine-tuned and calibrated every week, after Sky News showed luxury cars being sent over the Russian border. Charles Michel told Sky News it is challenging to sanction Russia after its Ukraine invasion, as it attempts to counter the blockade. “We
Crime rose sharply in Co-op shops over the last six months, with 950 offences taking place every day, the business said. The cost of theft and fraud in Co-op’s food business rose to £39.5m in the first half of 2024 alone. Compared to the same time a year earlier, it cost 19% more, up from
A Fujitsu boss has told the Horizon IT inquiry he raised “serious concerns” about the “behaviour” of the Post Office investigations team earlier this year. More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted and received criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015, as Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon IT system made it appear as though money was missing at