Taboola agrees recommended takeover of Dianomi
Taboola.com has agreed a recommended acquisition of Dianomi (AIM:DNM), the AIM-listed advertising network focused on finance, business and lifestyle publishers, through its subsidiary Taboola Europe The deal marks the exit of one of AIM's smaller specialist media names into the hands of a much larger US-listed advertising platform, and comes as consolidation continues across the digital advertising sector where scale and publisher reach increasingly determine competitive position.
Dianomi shareholders will receive 64p in cash per share plus a contingent consideration unit worth up to a further 24p, valuing the company at approximately £19 million upfront and up to £27 million if the maximum payout is achieved. The contingent element depends on a subset of Dianomi's publishers adopting elements of Taboola's standard publisher terms within an agreed timeframe, subject to a minimum threshold and the net revenue those publishers generate, with no guarantee that any additional consideration will be paid. Taboola's Realize platform reaches over 600 million daily active users across publishers including NBC News and Yahoo, and the company said Dianomi's endemic, high-intent audiences on blue-chip finance and business publishers would strengthen its ability to offer advertisers a specialised, premium finance-focused network. The Dianomi board, advised by Panmure Liberum, has unanimously recommended the deal, and Taboola has already secured irrevocable undertakings covering approximately 75.3% of Dianomi shares, including from director Scobie Dickinson Ward and BGF Investments LP.
The acquisition will proceed via a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement, subject to shareholder approval and clearance from the Competition and Markets Authority, with completion expected by the end of 2026. The near-guaranteed backing from three-quarters of the shareholder base, secured before formal documentation, signals a swift path through the scheme process and leaves little scope for a rival approach to disrupt terms that were struck at a substantial premium to recent trading levels.
Nativo secures finance and equity deal for La Patona plant
Nativo Resources (NTVO), the precious metals company with gold mining and processing interests in Peru, has signed a conditional binding letter of intent with Chancery Royalty to fund completion of the Phase 1 La Patona gold ore processing plant. The agreement resolves a funding gap that has stood between Nativo and production at the site, giving the company a clear route to bringing the plant online.
The package comprises US$3.5 million of project finance, drawn in seven monthly instalments of $500,000 starting no later than 31 December, plus a £600,000 equity subscription split into two tranches of £300,000 each at 0.21p per share. In exchange for the project finance, Nativo will grant Chancery a 6% gross revenue share on gold produced at La Patona until Chancery has received the equivalent of 3,034 troy ounces, falling to 1.5% for the remainder of the mine's life. Tranche A completes 60 days after the agreement, giving Chancery roughly 9.5% of the enlarged share capital; combined with Tranche B, due by the end of September, Chancery-related holders will control approximately 17.4%, alongside warrants over the combined equity.
"This agreement provides the funding to take it through to production," said Stephen Birrell, Chief Executive of Nativo. The deal ties Chancery's fortunes directly to La Patona's output through the royalty structure, an alignment echoed by Jeremy Gray, Chief Executive Officer of Chancery, who said the investment alongside the project finance provides strong alignment as the companies progress the plant and consider its future expansion.
Huddled Group launches live commerce with early sales traction
Huddled Group (HUD), the AIM-listed circular economy e-commerce group behind Peeko, the UK's online surplus superstore, has launched a live commerce operation combining real-time auctions and presenter-led broadcasts with automated fulfilment and next-day delivery. The launch extends Huddled's core surplus-stock retail model into a format already gaining traction in Asia and the United States, blending entertainment, social interaction and real-time bidding.
The company reported weekly sales of approximately £100,000 since soft-launching the channels on platforms including Whatnot and TikTok, alongside strong repeat visits, high viewer dwell time and active chat participation across categories including gadgets, beauty and groceries. "Early testing across Whatnot and TikTok has been highly encouraging, with weekly sales already reaching approximately £100,000 and strong signs of repeat engagement," said Martin Higginson, Executive Chairman.
Proprietary technology linking live commerce platforms to Huddled's fulfilment infrastructure underpins the rollout, positioning the group to scale the format if the early engagement metrics hold. The initiative gives Huddled a new customer acquisition channel beyond its existing surplus-retail base, with the repeat-visit data suggesting early signs of audience stickiness that could support further investment in the format.
Harworth board rejects Peel Pepper's improved cash offer
Harworth Group (HWG) has told shareholders to reject Peel Pepper (UK) Limited's revised takeover offer of 177.5p a share, up from 172.5p, calling it a significant undervaluation of the business. The rejection extends a standoff between the property group's board and its suitor over how to value Harworth's development pipeline.
The board said the revised offer represents a 17.4% discount to Harworth's EPRA net disposal value of 214.8p per share as at 30 June, and ignores embedded value in its hyperscale data centre pipeline and industrial and logistics development sites. Harworth pointed to fresh progress underpinning that case: it is targeting exchange of a conditional contract for a data centre site during the fourth quarter, with completion and cash proceeds expected by the end of December 2028, and has completed a sale of a 40-acre strategic land site in St Helens to Tritax Big Box Developments at book value. The company is also accelerating a cost-cutting programme approved in July, targeting at least £7.4 million in annualised savings by the end of 2028, of which £1.3 million has already been delivered.
The board's decision to publicise specific near-term catalysts, rather than simply restate its net asset value case, signals an attempt to give shareholders concrete near-term evidence that the pipeline value is closer to being realised than Peel Pepper's offer implies. The data centre exchange, if it lands in the fourth quarter as targeted, would be the clearest test yet of whether the market shares the board's view of the business.
Mothercare warns on solvency amid Gulf franchise review
Mothercare's leading Middle Eastern franchise partner is set to shut most of its stores in the territory in 2027, prompting the retailer to warn over its longer-term financial viability. The franchise relationship has been a significant contributor to Mothercare's licensing income, and its scaling back removes a substantial part of the group's international footprint.
The warning underscores the extent to which Mothercare's business model, built on licensing its brand to franchise partners across international markets rather than operating stores directly, remains exposed to the commercial decisions of individual regional operators. The scale of the planned closures in the Gulf region raises questions over how the group replaces the lost income before the 2027 timeline takes effect.
