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Baillie Gifford is reshaping headcount around changing client demand now. The voluntary-exit programme reflects pressure on active asset managers as capital shifts towards private assets, wealth channels, family offices, and international intermediaries.
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Ocado has put a timetable around its founder succession plan. Tim Steiner will remain chief executive until the start of FY2028 before moving into a founder role, as the automation group manages investor pressure and technology-market uncertainty.
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easyJet’s Castlelake talks have shifted from resistance to recommendation territory. A revised 690p-per-share proposal could take the UK-listed airline private, but ownership rules, valuation, regulatory approval, and airline-market volatility remain central to the deal.
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UK investment intentions have fallen to post-pandemic lows this quarter. British Chambers of Commerce data shows only 17% of businesses plan to increase investment, with inflation, taxation, fuel costs, sales weakness, and sector pressure weighing on capital spending.
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Sky and ITV are reshaping the UK broadcasting market today. A £1.6bn sale of ITV’s Media and Entertainment business would combine free-to-air television, ITVX, Sky’s platform scale, and a long-term content supply agreement with a newly focused ITV Studios.
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IMA has expanded its shopper marketing reach through acquisition today. The Leeds-founded global agency has bought a majority stake in South African specialist VF!, strengthening retail activation and experience capabilities within The Smollan Group.
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Dean Moor Solar Farm has secured development consent approval today. The nationally significant project adds momentum to the UK renewable infrastructure pipeline as solar development faces planning, grid, land-use, and community scrutiny.
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Water capacity has unlocked almost 19,000 stalled housing units. A taskforce agreement involving Anglian Water and planning bodies moves developments closer to delivery across East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and the Home Counties.
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Planning reform will shorten major infrastructure approval routes from July. Ministers say the overhaul could cut pre-application times by up to 12 months and save developers £1bn, with energy, transport, water, and data centre projects among the likely beneficiaries.
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June’s US dealmaking concentrated around AI, platforms, infrastructure, and pipelines. SpaceX, Fox, Martin Marietta, Merck, and AbbVie led a month in which buyers paid for scarce routes to capability, scale, customer access, and future growth.