Author: Chris Maguire

BusinessCloud has joined forces with the UK’s largest community of board advisors to hold a series of exclusive UK-wide masterclass business events in 2026.

VirtualNonExecs is the UK’s largest community of board advisors, giving corporate partners unparalleled access to the boardrooms of over 50,000 SMEs.

The company, which was acquired by Leonard Curtis in 2024, specialises in connecting companies, private equity, venture capital and family office funds with non-executive and chair professionals.

VirtualNonExecs has big ambitions to grow and have teamed up with BusinessCloud to hold a series of face-to-face masterclass events.

Experienced Dominique Dempsey has joined as events manager and the first  business breakfast has been confirmed for Leeds at the end of February on how to scale internationally.

 

London-based SEO agency MediaVision has appointed Adam Bly as growth director as it accelerates its commercial expansion in 2026. 

Bly joins from Impression, where he spent more than eight years helping scale the agency from 25 to 130 people and building a high-performing new-business engine.

In his new role, he will focus on driving measurable growth for clients while scaling the firm’s operations through its proprietary Metis platform, which identifies market trends four times faster than competitors. 

The appointment follows a strong 2025 for MediaVision, including a UK Search Awards win for its innovative work with New Look.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Cerillion has secured its largest contract to date after winning a £42.5 million deal with Oman Telecommunications (Omantel), triggering a sharp rise in its share price.

Shares in the AIM-listed billing and CRM software provider have risen as high as 12% from 1,230p to 1,380p so far today following the announcement earlier this morning.

Under the five-year agreement, the London-based firm will supply and implement its full BSS/OSS (business support systems/operations support systems) software suite for Omantel, alongside ongoing support, maintenance, hosting and managed services, following an initial implementation phase.

Greggs has reported solid Q4 results, with FY25 total sales rising 6.8% to £2.15 billion and company-managed shop like-for-like sales up 2.4%.

Fourth-quarter sales increased 7.4%, supported by continued market share gains, disciplined cost control and strong performance from value-led meal deals and seasonal products.

The baker, led by Northern Leader Roisin Currie, expanded its estate by 121 net new shops in 2025 and expects to open around 120 net new locations in 2026.

It expects FY25 profits to be in line with previous expectations and anticipates delivering a similar underlying profit level in 2026.

Marks & Spencer has reported record Christmas trading, with like-for-like growth of 5.6% in its third quarter.

Its food division continued to outperform the market, reaching a historic 4% market share.

Fashion, home & beauty sales declined 2.5%, but performance improved online as digital sales recovered after its widely-reported cyber attack midway through 2025.

Full-year guidance remains unchanged for the retail giant, which has a free cash flow outlook of £1.4 billion to £1.8bn.

Tesco has reported strong like-for-like sales growth over Q3 and the Christmas period, with sales up 2.9% across the 19 weeks to 3rd January.

UK sales rose 3.7% over the period, delivering the listed retail giant’s highest market share in more than a decade, driven by gains in fresh food, online and convenience.

A strong Christmas trading performance has led the firm to upgrade expectations, with FY25/26 group adjusted operating profit now forecast to be at the upper end of the £2.9 billion to £3.1bn guidance range.

Mobile Streams plc has completed the acquisitions of Estadio Gana and Capital Media Sports, with the enlarged group admitted to trading on AIM today.

The transactions mark a key step in the company’s strategy to build an integrated sports, media and entertainment group focused on Latin America.

The London-based company has also launched a new corporate website to reflect its transition.

It intends to rename itself Gana Media Group plc and adopt the new ticker GANA shortly.

Enxoo has expanded its UK presence with the acquisition of CloudJungle, a Liverpool-based Salesforce consultancy, as part of a strategic push into the UK and Ireland market.

The deal strengthens the Polish firm’s capabilities in Salesforce implementation, cloud services and digital transformation, with a particular focus on communications and digital infrastructure.

The combined group is aiming to accelerate time-to-value for customers.

London-headquartered MedTech Engitix has raised $25 million in a Series A extension round led by Netherton Investments, a fund investing on behalf of BlueCrest Capital Management co-founder Mike Platt.

The funding will be used to advance preclinical development across the firm’s pipeline targeting cancer and fibrosis, as well as to further expand its proprietary extracellular matrix data platform.

Engitix is developing therapies designed to act precisely within diseased tissue microenvironments, using one of the largest ECM datasets in the field.

The company also has existing drug discovery and development partnerships with Dompé and Takeda.

Author: Chris Maguire

The share price of The Beauty Tech Group has surged 5 per cent in early morning trading on the back of another positive trading update.

In a statement to the London Stock Exchange this morning, the Cheshire-based company said revenue and adjusted EBITDA in 2025 will be at least £136m and £35.5m, respectively.

This is an upgrade on the  previous projections of £128m and £32m respectively.

The result was an immediate increase in its share price from 292p to 308p, although it dropped back to 304p.

The group, which encompasses CurrentBody Skin, ZIIP Beauty and Tria Laser, has performed strongly after bursting onto the London Stock Exchange in October with a share price of 271p – valuing it at £300m.

Laurence Newman, chief executive officer of The Beauty Tech Group, said: “The group has delivered the best quarter in its history, which is huge testament to the quality of our staff.”

Revolut is reportedly in talks to acquire Turkish digital bank FUPS as it looks to expand its presence and secure a banking licence in the country.

The discussions follow a hiring push by the London-based FinTech to build out its Turkish operations, with licensing potentially achieved either through an application or an acquisition.

Sources told online publication Sifted that no final decision has been made, and any deal would be subject to approval by Turkey’s banking regulator.

The global giant now serves more than 70 million customers across over 40 markets, but declined to comment on the reports.

Author: Patrick Killeen

MedPal AI has launched what it believes to be a UK-first direct integration between a consumer health app and a regulated pharmacy, using AI to guide users into personalised, clinically supervised treatment pathways.

The AIM-listed digital health company’s app now uses AI to analyse aggregated user health data, including BMI, to identify individuals who may benefit from weight management support, GLP-1 treatments or other clinically prescribed medicines available through its online MedPal Clinic.

The system only directs users into clinical assessment pathways if they meet eligibility criteria, a move the company says ensures responsible targeting rather than broad advertising of weight loss drugs.

Anthropic is reportedly planning to raise $10 billion at a valuation of around $350bn.

The fundraising, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, would almost double the French company’s valuation from just four months ago.

Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, the business develops the Claude chatbot and positions itself as a safety-first AI company with around 300,000 business customers.

The round is expected to be led by GIC and Coatue, as speculation continues around a potential IPO later this year.

Mobile Streams plc is to be renamed after sealing a double acquisition.

A mobile content and data intelligence company listed on London’s junior AIM market since 2006, the firm will be renamed Gana Media Group plc.

Mobile Streams plc said it aims to create a leading integrated sports, media and entertainment conglomerate focused within the Latin American region.

It has completed the acquisitions of Estadio Gana and Capital Media Sports and changed its website in line with the new name.

Author: Chris Maguire

THG CEO and founder Matt Moulding has provided an upbeat assessment about THG Ingenuity on the first anniversary of the technology company’s demerger.

Last January the loss-making THG Ingenuity split from the profitable THG Beauty and THG Nutrition to become a standalone business.

The demerger took place after 89 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the split.

Writing on LinkedIn, Moulding admitted to some ‘sleepless nights’ but said THG Ingenuity had made significant progress in 12 months.

Reflecting on 2025 as a whole he said: “THG life is usually closer to whack-a-mole. Something goes right, something else breaks.

“You bounce from one opportunity/problem to the next, trying not to dwell too much on either the wins or the worries.

“That’s been the rhythm through the 21 years since we started THG, and I’m not sure it ever really changes. This is just founder life.”

The chair of  listed data and technology company Experian is to step down.

Mike Rogers has confirmed his intention to retire as a director and chair at the conclusion of Experian plc’s annual general meeting, to be held on 22nd July 2026.

He has completed nine years on the board and was appointed as chair in July 2019.

“It has been my privilege to work with such a highly talented team, with its outstanding and dynamic culture. Together we have made great progress both strategically and financially,” said Rogers.

“I shall leave knowing that Experian is well-positioned for the next phase of its journey, and I would like to thank the Board, the leadership team and all my Experian colleagues for their commitment and support.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Consumer payments platform Zilch has signed an agreement to acquire Lithuania-based AB Fjord Bank to kickstart its European expansion.

AB Fjord Bank has approximately $120 million in total assets and is authorised and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania and the European Central Bank.

The move provides Zilch, Europe’s fastest-growing unicorn, with a European banking licence as it eyes an international rollout after raising £135 million in debt and equity funding late last year.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Listed technology provider Computacenter plc has acquired professional services company AgreeYa Solutions Inc in a deal worth a potential $120 million (£89m).

AgreeYa, founded 26 years ago and headquartered in California, is focused on the US enterprise market. It serves large customers in a range of markets including telecommunications, financial services, professional services and local government.

The deal includes the assets of associated business AgreeYa India. The company has over 600 people in the United States and over 700 in India, including contract staff.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Cera is launching AI care agents to transform workforce recruitment, care quality and productivity in the home care sector.

The firm, No.1 on our HealthTech 50 ranking last year, says the agents are designed to automate time-consuming tasks, take decisions based on information they gather, and act on them – using reasoning, planning and memory. 

Cera will introduce almost 1,000 agents across its 10,000-strong workforce, significantly speeding up recruitment of carers, organising replacement cover and continuously reviewing and improving patient care quality and compliance.

It says the agents will mean more patients get the right care faster, freeing staff up to focus on patient medical and quality needs rather than calls and paperwork.

Author: Chris Maguire

Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett has made his first public appearance since his engagement to fiancée Melanie Lopes was made public.

The Diary of CEO host had the tables turned on him when he was a guest on Maggie Sellers Reum’s Hot Smart Rich podcast.

His appearance wasn’t altogether surprising as it followed a seven-figure investment by Bartlett’s media and investment group FlightStory in December.

In addition to discussing his philosophies on business, the 33-year-old opened up about his personal life and relationship with fiancée Melanie.

Lopes shared a photo of her sparkler on Instagram.

Bartlett labelled the idea that you don’t ‘need’ anyone as a ‘psychological trap’ created by modern culture and social media.

He described his own relationship with his fiancée as the ‘base camp’ that provides the emotional safety net required to take massive professional risks.

Bartlett also spoke out the power of 1 per cent marginal gains; the quitting framework; the importance of culture; and his quest to turn his new business Steven.com into the ‘Disney of the creator economy’.