GDT named NetApp North America Growth Partner of the Year for FY26. Oct 06, 2026, 12:13 ET DALLAS, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Global technology solutions provider GDT announced today that it has been named the NetApp North America Growth Partner of the Year for NetApp fiscal year 2026, recognizing GDT's ability to generate significant YoY growth in NetApp revenue across the portfolio. The North America Partner Awards winners have exemplified NetApp's goal of being customer-centric and understanding and selling NetApp solutions across its cloud, flash and NetApp Keystone(R) portfolios. The recognition marks GDT's third NetApp Partner of the Year award in three years, following NetApp Growth Partner of the Year for FY24 and Flash Partner of the Year for FY25. GDT has partnered with NetApp since 2004, holds more than 60 NetApp certifications and serves over 150 NetApp customers. "With deep expertise in enterprise data storage, management, and protection, we're helping customers build the data foundation they need as they move into the next phase of AI adoption," said Shawn O'Grady, Chair and CEO of GDT. "NetApp plays a critical role in our AI factory reference architecture, built for the speed and scale that enterprise AI workloads require." "Now more than ever, we must empower customers with AI-ready data that is secure by default and built for hybrid environments so they can achieve their business outcomes," said Alvaro Celis, Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial, Partner and Ecosystem Officer at NetApp. "I want to congratulate GDT on being named North America Growth Partner of the Year. Their use of the NetApp Platform to help customers simplify data ecosystems and solve complex problems exemplifies what it means to drive innovation in the AI era." About GDT GDT is a global technology solutions provider specializing in hybrid data center, networking and AI infrastructure, delivering secure AI-ready, carrier-grade platforms and services to customers in more than 100 countries. In addition to its U.S. presence, the company has a Bangalore Global Operations Center in India that provides strategic engineering and delivery services to clients ranging from global financial institutions and manufacturers to large healthcare systems, telecom operators and enterprise organizations. GDT has been helping organizations modernize and scale their IT environments to support innovation, resilience and growth for over 30 years. https://gdt.com NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at http://www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE GDT

UK retail sales rebound; Softcat completes fundraise. Published on 09/18/2026 at 03:00 am EDT Alliance News (Alliance News) - UK retail sales rebound in August and beat market expectations. AstraZeneca's efzimfotase alfa receives 'Priority Review' in the US for the treatment of hypophosphatasia, while Softcat raises GBP354 million to help fund its USD1.05 billion acquisition of GDT. FTSE 100: called down 0.1% at 10,806.94 GBP: higher at USD1.3373 (USD1.3356 at previous London equities close) UK retail sales rebound in August, beating expectations, according to the Office for National Statistics. Retail sales volumes rise 0.5% month-on-month, reversing a 0.5% decline in July and outperforming the 0.2% fall expected by FXStreet. June's increase is revised down to 0.6% from 0.7%. The ONS says non-store retailers partially recover from July's decline, when sales were affected by promotions taking place earlier in June, while department store sales improve following stock availability issues. Retail sales volumes rise 2.4% year-on-year in August. Over the three months to August, volumes increase 0.9% from the previous three-month period and are 2.4% higher annually, supported by non-store retailers and food stores. BROKER RATINGS Berenberg raises Bytes Technology to 'buy' (hold) - price target 520 (360) pence COMPANIES - FTSE 100 AstraZeneca says the US Food & Drug Administration has accepted and granted 'Priority Review' designation to Alexion's biologics licence application for efzimfotase alfa to treat patients aged two years and older with hypophosphatasia, a rare inherited metabolic disease. The FDA's regulatory decision is expected in the first half of 2027. The application is supported by results from the phase 3 Hickory, Mulberry and Chestnut trials, in which AstraZeneca says efzimfotase alfa demonstrates a favourable safety profile and is generally well tolerated. If approved, the drug would be the first treatment designed to address skeletal abnormalities and functional impairments regardless of disease onset, with self-administration every two weeks. Regulatory submissions are also under review in Japan and other markets. COMPANIES - FTSE 250 Softcat raises around GBP354 million gross through an equity issue to help fund its USD1.05 billion acquisition of US IT solutions provider GDT Topco LP. The company places 18.5 million new shares at 1,890 pence each with institutional investors, while retail investors subscribe for a further 211,640 shares at the same price. Including a proposed subscription by directors, Softcat expects to issue a total of 18.7 million new shares, equivalent to around 9.5% of its existing share capital. The placing price represents a 4.0% discount to Thursday's closing price of 1,968p. Softcat announced the GDT acquisition on Thursday as it seeks to expand its presence in the US, with the deal expected to close by the end of the first quarter of financial 2027. The purchase is being funded through cash, new debt facilities and the equity raise. Softcat expects GDT to deliver high-single-digit to low-double-digit underlying earnings per share accretion in the first full financial year. On Thursday, the company also raised its financial 2026 outlook to high-teens underlying operating profit growth from mid-teens previously. Harworth unanimously rejects an increased cash takeover offer from Peel Bidco, saying the revised 177.5 pence-per-share proposal, up from 172.5p, continues to significantly undervalue the Rotherham, South Yorkshire-based property regeneration company. Peel Bidco and its concert parties have increased their stake to 30%, requiring the voluntary offer to be converted into a mandatory offer. Harworth advises shareholders who have not accepted the bid to reject it, those who have accepted to withdraw their acceptances, and shareholders not to sell further shares to Peel Bidco. The board describes the offer as "opportunistic", arguing it seeks to "extract value" from Harworth's future growth prospects. Harworth says it continues to make progress with its hyperscale data centre pipeline and targets exchanging a conditional contract for Site 2 in the fourth quarter, with completion and cash proceeds expected by the end of December 2028. It also completes the sale of a 40-acre site in St Helens, Merseyside, to Tritax Big Box Developments in line with book value. Meanwhile, Harworth targets at least GBP7.4 million of annualised run-rate cost savings by the end of 2028, with GBP1.3 million already realised and 94% of the planned savings expected to be achieved by the end of 2027. OTHER COMPANIES Fintech firm Revolut is considering a dual stock market listing in London and New York, although founder and Chief Executive Nik Storonsky says the fintech firm prefers the US for a potential initial public offering. Storonsky tells French newspaper Les Echos that Revolut is looking at listing on both the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, citing the larger pool of institutional and retail investors in the US. Revolut was most recently valued at USD115 billion in a share sale, meaning a flotation could make it one of the UK's largest listed companies and potentially surpass rival banks including Barclays and NatWest. Storonsky previously suggested an IPO could take place in around two years depending on market conditions, while Revolut is targeting further US growth ahead of a potential listing. boohoo Group, also known as Debenhams Group, brings Iain McDonald back to its board as non-executive chair just seven months after he stepped down, replacing Tim Morris with immediate effect. McDonald served on the board from June 2017 until February and says it was a "very difficult decision" to leave earlier this year. He returns as the group says the substantive elements of its operational turnaround are complete and its focus is shifting to rebuilding equity value. McDonald is also a material investor in boohoo, personally and through funds managed by his Belerion Capital Group, with an interest in 17.8 million shares. The online fashion group also appoints Michael Stewart of Chrysalis Investment Partners and Eagle Eye Solutions Group founder Stephen Rothwell as independent non-executive directors with immediate effect. boohoo says the appointments strengthen the board's capital markets and technology expertise as it moves into the next phase of its strategy, including developing its technology and AI-enabled platform. Morris leaves the board immediately after serving as chair since May 2021. JPMorgan UK Small Cap Growth & Income and Aberdeen UK Smaller Cos Growth Trust agree terms for a proposed combination, which would see Aberdeen UK Smaller Cos wound up and shareholders given the option to roll over their holdings into an enlarged JPMorgan UK Small Cap Growth & Income or take cash. The cash option is capped at 35% of Aberdeen UK Smaller Cos' issued share capital and would be priced at residual net asset value less a 2% discount. The enlarged trust would continue to be managed by JPMorgan Funds, with management fees reduced to 0.60% on net assets up to GBP200 million and 0.55% above that level. The combination is expected to complete by the end of 2026, subject to shareholder approvals, tax clearances and JPMorgan UK Small Cap Growth & Income passing its November continuation vote. Manju Malhotra and Steve Russell, currently directors of Aberdeen UK Smaller Cos, are expected to join the enlarged trust's board. Taboola.com agrees to acquire Dianomi in a recommended deal valuing the digital advertising firm at up to GBP27.0 million. Under the offer, Dianomi shareholders receive 64 pence in cash per share, valuing the company at around GBP19.0 million, plus contingent consideration of up to a further 24p per share. The cash portion represents a 68% premium to Dianomi's closing price of 38.0p on Thursday, while the maximum 88p consideration represents a 132% premium. Dianomi's board unanimously recommends the acquisition, while Taboola has secured irrevocable undertakings covering around 75.3% of Dianomi's issued shares. Taboola says the combination will strengthen its performance advertising offering, particularly across finance, business and lifestyle, while providing opportunities for revenue synergies and cost savings. The deal is expected to complete before the end of 2026, subject to shareholder, court and UK Competition & Markets Authority clearance. Thames Water's rescue deal by lenders should be rejected and the UK government should take it back into public control after the stricken supplier has been left in a damaging "doom loop", according to an influential group of MPs. A report by the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Efra, Committee said the GBP10 billion takeover plans by a consortium of over 100 creditors in Thames Water does not have "the interests of the public, the company or the environment at heart". The cross-party committee gives a stark warning that the top priority for the bidders, called London & Valley Water, is to "extract immediate value from Thames Water, not steer it to long-term success". The report also raises concerns among the MPs on the committee over the lack of information available on the many creditors in what it claims is an "opaque" consortium. By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News senior economics reporter (C) Alliance News - 2026