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Two sandwich makers supplying UK supermarkets have recalled products because of an E.coli risk, the Food Standards Agency has said.

It’s a precautionary step a week after the UK Health Security Agency said an outbreak had forced some people into hospital.

Products from Boots, Asda, Tesco, Co-op, Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Amazon are part of the recall, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Asda and Tesco stressed it was a precaution and said shoppers could return the products for a refund.

Greencore and Samworth Brothers Manton Wood are the companies that supplied the products.

It’s understood other manufacturers will issue their own recalls in the coming hours.

The FSA said it had narrowed the source “to a small number of salad leaf products that have been used in sandwiches, wraps, subs and rolls”.

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Symptoms include “severe and sometimes bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever”, said Trish Mannes from the UKHSA.

However, some cases can cause serous complications that can lead to kidney failure.

People are being advised to follow NHS.uk guidance if they become unwell.

“Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using disinfectants to clean surfaces will help stop any further spread of infection,” said Ms Mannes.

People who might be infected also shouldn’t prepare food for others and avoid work or school until 48 hours after symptoms stop.

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The UKHSA said cases had nearly doubled in the last week, with a further 98 bringing the total to 211.

Numbers are expected to rise as testing continues for more cases of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).

Based on 160 cases, 42% of people have needed hospital treatment, the UKHSA added.

Last week, it said cases were linked to a “nationally distributed food item” but didn’t give further details.

E.coli bacteria are normally harmless and live in the intestines of humans and animals. However some strains, like STEC, can make people very ill.

Full list of recalled products:

Aldi Chicken Fajita Triple Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

by Amazon BLT Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

by Amazon Chicken & Bacon Layered Salad
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

by Amazon Chicken Salad Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

by Amazon Ploughman’s Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

by Amazon Prawn Layered Salad
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Asda Smoky Beans and Cheddar Cheese Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda Chicken Salad (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda Chicken & Bacon Club (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda Brie, Bacon and Chilli Chutney (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda BLT (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Asda Vegan No Chick’n Caesar Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda Tuna Crunch Sub Roll
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda Southern Fried Chicken Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Asda Southern Fried Chicken Triple Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 15 June 2024

Boots BBQ Chicken wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots BLT (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Cheddar Cheese Ploughman’s (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Chicken & Bacon Caesar Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Chicken Salad (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Chicken Triple (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Delicious Ham & Cheese Ploughman’s (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Halloumi & Greek Style Salad wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Ham & Egg Club (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Mixed Triple (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Southern Fried Chicken Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Spicy Bean & Cheese Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Vegan No Chicken Salad (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Vegan No Duck & Hoisin Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Boots Veggie Triple (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Co-op Vegan Gro Onion Bhaji (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Co-op Mexican Style Bean & Cheese Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Co-op Ham, Cheese & Pickle (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Co-op Ham & Cheese Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Co-op Chicken & Bacon Caesar Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 17 June 2024

Co-op Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Morrisons Chicken Salad (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Morrisons Chicken Salad PFS (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Morrisons Gluten Free Chicken Salad (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Morrisons Gluten Free Sandwich Platter
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

OneStop Tuna Crunch Sub
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

OneStop Chicken Salad Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 17 June 2024

OneStop Hoisin Duck Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 17 June 2024

OneStop Chicken Bacon & Lettuce Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 17 June 2024

Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli Peri Peri Chicken Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli BBQ Pulled Pork & Red Leicester Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Focaccia (Sandwich)
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli Greek Style Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli Jerk Halloumi Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Chicken Salad Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Chicken Salad Sub
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco BBQ Chicken Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Hoi Sin Duck Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco The Chicken Club Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Tuna Crunch Sub
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Spicy Bean Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Chicken Bacon & Lettuce Sandwich
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Fajita Chicken Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

Tesco Summer Edition Greek Style Chicken Gyros Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

The Gym Kitchen Peri Peri Chicken Chilled Wrap
Use by: All dates up to and including 16 June 2024

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O2 arena lease snapped up by pensions giant Rothesay

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O2 arena lease snapped up by pensions giant Rothesay

The long-term lease to the O2, London’s best-known live entertainment venue, has been sold to Britain’s biggest pensions insurance specialist.

Sky News understands a deal was signed last week for Rothesay, the title sponsor of England’s home Test cricket matches, to acquire the landmark’s 999-year lease for about £90m.

The agreement, which is likely to be announced within days, comes more than two months after Sky News reported that Rothesay was the frontrunner to clinch a deal.

Rothesay has become one of Britain’s most successful specialist insurers, having been established in 2007.

It now protects the pensions of more than one million people in Britain and makes more than £300m in pension payouts every month.

The auction of the O2 lease kicked off several months ago, when Cambridge University’s wealthiest college, Trinity, instructed advisers to launch a sale process.

Trinity College, which ranks among Britain’s biggest landowners, acquired the site in 2009 for a reported £24m.

The O2, which shrugged off its ‘white elephant’ status in the aftermath of its disastrous debut as the Millennium Dome in 2000, has since become one of the world’s leading entertainment venues.

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Operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), it has played host to a wide array of music, theatrical, and sporting events over nearly a quarter of a century.

Trinity College, which was founded by Henry VIII in 1546, bought the O2 lease from Lend Lease and Quintain, the property companies that had taken control of the Millennium Dome site in 2002 for nothing.

In a joint statement issued in response to an enquiry from Sky News, Rothesay and Trinity College Cambridge said they were “pleased to confirm that Rothesay will be the long-term owner of The O2 arena, following a competitive auction process for the lease of this London landmark”.

A spokesperson for Rothesay said separately: “Prestigious and high-quality property assets like the O2 form an important part of Rothesay’s investment strategy, providing the predictable and dependable returns which create real security for the one million-plus pensions we protect.”

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Advertising mogul Sorrell approached about S4 Capital deal

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Advertising mogul Sorrell approached about S4 Capital deal

Sir Martin Sorrell, the advertising mogul, has received a number of merger approaches for S4 Capital, the London-listed marketing services group he founded seven years ago.

Sky News can reveal that Sir Martin has been contacted in recent weeks by potential suitors including One Equity Partners, a US-based private equity firm which focuses on acquiring companies in the healthcare, industrials, and technology sectors.

This weekend, analysts suggested that One Equity would seek to combine S4 Capital with MSQ, a creative and technology agency group it bought in 2023.

Further details of the possible tie-up were unclear on Saturday, including whether a formal proposal had been made or whether S4 Capital might remain listed on the London Stock Exchange if a deal were to be completed.

S4 Capital is also understood to have attracted recent interest from other parties, the identities of which could not be immediately established.

In March 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that Sir Martin had rebuffed several offers from Stagwell, an advertising group led by Mark Penn, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton.

New Mountain Capital, another American private equity firm, was also said at the time to have held talks about buying parts or all of S4 Capital.

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News of One Equity’s approach puts the venture founded by one of Britain’s most prominent business figures firmly in play after a torrid period in which it has been buffeted by macroeconomic headwinds and a number of accounting issues.

Sir Martin founded S4 Capital in 2018, months after his unexpected and acrimonious departure from WPP, the group he transformed from a manufacturer of wire baskets into the world’s largest provider of marketing services.

The businessman, who has voting control at S4 Capital, used his deep network of institutional relationships to raise money for an acquisition spree at S4, which included technology-focused agencies such as MediaMonks and MightyHive.

S4’s clients now include Alphabet, Amazon, General Motors, Meta, T-Mobile, and Walmart.

Sir Martin’s decision to target acquisitions in the digital content and programmatic media arenas reflected the priorities of what he described as a marketing services group for a new era.

At WPP, he was the architect of a now-widely replicated strategy to assemble hundreds of agency brands under one holding company.

By the time he stepped down, WPP was the owner of creative agency networks such as JWT and Ogilvy, while its media-buying muscle was channelled through the global subsidiary GroupM.

The latest approaches for S4 Capital come during a period of profound change in the global marketing services industry, as artificial intelligence dismantles practices and creative processes that had evolved over decades.

Sir Martin has spurned few opportunities to criticise his successor at WPP, Mark Read, as well as the wider advertising industry, in the seven years since he established S4 Capital.

Last month, WPP announced that Mr Read would be replaced by Cindy Rose, a senior Microsoft executive who has sat on the company’s board as a non-executive director since 2019.

“Cindy has supported the digital transformation of large enterprises around the world – including embracing AI to create new customer experiences, business models and revenue streams,” the WPP chairman, Philip Jansen, said.

“Her expertise in this landscape will be hugely valuable to WPP as the industry navigates fundamental changes and macroeconomic uncertainty.”

WPP has also forfeited its status as the world’s largest marketing services empire to Publicis, and will be shunted even further behind the sector’s biggest players once Omnicom Group’s $13.25bn (£9.85bn) takeover of Interpublic Group is completed.

At the time of Sir Martin’s exit from WPP in April 2018, the company had a market capitalisation of more than £16bn.

On Friday, its market value at its closing share price of 367.5p was just £4.23bn.

Last month, the advertising industry news outlet Campaign reported that WPP had held tentative discussions with the consulting firm Accenture about a potential combination or partnership, underscoring the pressure on legacy marketing services groups.

This weekend, it remained unclear how likely it was that Sir Martin would consummate a deal to combine S4 Capital with another industry player such as One Equity-owned MSQ.

Shares in S4 Capital closed on Friday at 21.2p, giving the company a market capitalisation of £140m.

The stock has fallen by nearly 60% during the last 12 months, and is more than 90% lower than its peak in 2022.

At one point, Sir Martin’s stake in S4 Capital was valued at close to £500m.

A spokeswoman for S4 declined to comment, while a spokesman for One Equity Partners said by email: “OEP is not commenting on this matter.”

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Visma owners close to picking banks for £16bn London float

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Visma owners close to picking banks for £16bn London float

The owners of Visma, one of Europe’s biggest software companies, are close to hiring bankers for a £16bn flotation that would rank among the London market’s biggest for years.

Sky News understands that Visma’s board and shareholders have convened a beauty parade of investment banks in the last fortnight ahead of an initial public offering (IPO) likely to take place in 2026.

Citi, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley are understood to be among those in contention for the top roles on the deal, City insiders said on Friday.

Several banks are expected to be appointed as global coordinators on the IPO as soon as this month.

Visma is a Norwegian company which supplies accounting, payroll, HR and other business software to well over one million small business customers.

It has grown at a rapid rate in recent years, both organically and through scores of acquisitions, and has seen its profitability and valuation rise substantially during that period.

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The business is now valued at about €19bn (£16.4bn) and is partly owned by a number of sovereign wealth funds and other private equity firms.

The majority of the company is owned by Hg, the London-based private equity firm which has backed a string of spectacularly successful companies in the software industry.

Visma’s owners’ decision to pick the UK ahead of competition from Amsterdam represents a welcome boost to the City amid ongoing questions about the attractiveness of the London stock market to international companies.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, used last month’s speech at Mansion House to launch a taskforce aimed at generating additional IPO activity in the UK.

Spokespeople claiming to represent Visma at Kekst, a communications firm, did not respond to a series of enquiries about the IPO appointments.

Hg also failed to respond to a request for comment.

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