THE DAILY BRIEFING
CAREFUL CHOICE Primary care property developer Assura has appointed the former chair of NHS Improvement as a non- executive director. Ed Smith was also lead non- executive director for the Department for Transport until December 2017 and worked for 30 years as a senior partner at PwC.
LODES MORE South Africafocused Tharisa Minerals has announced record chrome concentrate production, up 7pc to 360,500 tons during the three months to September 30. Platinum group metals production also rose 10.2pc.
BEER BOOST Rising demand for local and craft brews helped boost sales for pub operator
Marston’s. Same- store sales at its taverns in the year to the end of September rose 1.6pc on last year. Premium like-for-like sales were 0.9pc above last year. It expects to open 15 pubs and bars and six lodges next year.
AIRPORT TAKE-OFF A new private jet centre is being launched at
London Southend Airport. The centre, due to open in November, will replace the existing, much smaller facility, and is expected to cater for 5,000 flights per year by 2022.
CAPITAL MOVE Hong Kong asset manager Value Partners
Group has opened a European HQ in London’s West End. The firm, which has more than 200 staff and offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore, will use its British base to attract investors from Europe.
CASE DROPPED The Financial Conduct Authority has dropped a probe into ex- Barclays banker Richard Boath over a controversial £7.3bn fundraising drive in 2008. Boath and three other former executives still separately face fraud charges over the investment from Middle Eastern backers. They are all expected to plead not guilty.
SHARE SALE A £3bn tranche of shares in Royal Bank of Scotland will be sold after the taxpayerbacked lender is finally fined by the Department of Justice for selling toxic US mortgages. NatWest owner RBS was handed a £46bn bailout in 2008 and is still 71pc state-owned.
FLOAT PLAN An investment trust seeking to profit from demand for warehouse and office space outside London is to float for £300m.
M7 Real Estate will launch its new M7 Multi-let REIT investment business on the LSE in November.