Lloyds Banking Group announced this morning that it is selling its loss-making Halifax estate agencies business for £1, with the loss of 460 jobs.
The bank is selling the business, which operates 218 offices, including 93 franchise operations, to LSL Property Services. LSL is the parent company of estate agency brands Your Move, Reeds Rains and Intercounty.
As part of the deal, 121 Halifax banking counters located within the estate agent offices will close early in the New Year. The counter closures will result in up to 460 job losses, including 360 full-time roles. About 1,050 staff will transfer to LSL.
The Halifax brand is not included in the sale. The Halifax estate agency offices will be rebranded as Your Move, Reeds Rain or Intercounty.
Lloyds said the Halifax retail branch network is not affected by the deal, and reaffirmed its commitment to the Halifax brand - which it described as one of its key brands.
In other news, the Spanish-led consortium that had hoped to buy National Express has ditched its £765m takeover bid for the struggling rail and bus operator.
Meanwhile, Carphone Warehouse said its Virgin Mobile France venture had struck a deal to buy Tele2 Mobile France, with 385,000 customers, for €56m.
Medical testing company Axis-Shield has received the green light from US regulators for its arthritis test, clearing the way for it to be launched there later this month. The test looks for antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides, which can be found before the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis appear.
"Rheumatoid arthritis is a potentially debilitating disease and early disease diagnosis facilitates improved treatment options and offers substantial patient benefits," said chief executive Ian Gilham.
No comments:
Post a Comment