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A £210m fund will back South East growth businesses regionally. The British Business Bank programme offers loans from £25,000 to £2m and equity investments of up to £5m.
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SThree has received a preliminary takeover approach from Circle8 Group. The possible offer remains highly conditional, with Circle8 facing a 7 October Takeover Code deadline.
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McLaren plans £450m Woking investment creating around 1,000 UK jobs. The programme comes as new ownership reshapes the manufacturer’s product, engineering, and technology strategy.
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Amazon has raised £4.25bn through its first sterling bond sale. Investor orders reached £10.65bn as hyperscale technology groups increasingly use global debt markets to finance AI infrastructure.
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Goodwin has agreed a £1.1bn engineering division sale to Cerberus. The transaction covers major industrial businesses and is expected to complete in early 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
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UK retail sales growth slowed to 0.7% during August overall. Food remained positive, but non-food sales declined as summer demand cooled and retailers turned towards the crucial final-quarter trading period.
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Four regions are joining National Wealth Fund partnerships from today. South Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, the North East, and Cardiff Capital Region will gain direct access to investment expertise and capital to develop infrastructure pipelines.
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Government has set a new ambition for British scaleups today. The package combines a unicorn growth target with regulatory sandboxes, regional finance, procurement reform, and changes intended to shorten infrastructure delays.
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UK business confidence has strengthened despite persistent labour-market weakness nationwide. BDO’s August Optimism Index rose sharply to a near two-year high, while employment remained close to recent lows.
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Scotland’s regional partnerships have received £52m in new growth funding. Five areas will begin infrastructure, commercial-space, employment, and skills programmes under the first year of a £140m three-year fund.