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\t\tRetail could be key to the London Stock Exchange’s revival\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tWednesday 22 April 2026 7:59 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tWednesday 22 April 2026 8:06 am\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tRetail could be key to the London Stock Exchange’s revival\t<\/p>\n
The London Stock Exchange is gearing up to welcome as much as \u00a320bn in retailer listings amid hopes that the British high street could be key to reviving the capital\u2019s ailing public markets.<\/p>\n
Three of the UK\u2019s biggest retail brands \u2013 Primark, Boots and Waterstones \u2013 each appear to be in the advanced stages of drawing up plans to join the public markets over the coming months as their owners bet on IPO reforms and a government-led investing campaign to provide fertile conditions for floats.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday morning Primark owner ABF confirmed shareholder hopes that it would be spinning off<\/a> the \u00a310bn-a-year clothing retailer before the end of 2027, adding that it expected Primark to become a constituent of London\u2019s blue-chip FTSE 100 upon completing the demerger.<\/p>\n Separately, Waterstones is on the cusp of signing up bankers to deliver its \u00a32bn float \u2013 with London viewed as the first-choice venue \u2013 while it was reported that 177-year-old chemist Boots would undergo a strategy overhaul<\/a> in preparation for a listing next year that could value it at as much as \u00a38bn.<\/p>\n London market languishes<\/p>\n The London markets saw a late flurry of IPOs at the back end of 2025, ending a two year-long drought, with the likes of British bank Shawbrook and tinned food giant Princes among new entrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n But hopes of a revival gathering pace into 2026 were torpedoed by the outbreak of war in Iran, with concerns over the economic fallout leaving IPO plans on ice \u2013 though signs the war could be drawing to a close have thawed investor sentiment.<\/p>\n Brian Hanratty, head of equity capital markets at Peel Hunt, told City AM<\/a>: \u201cIf you\u2019d asked me a couple of months ago, actually the answer is still pretty similar now. This is the most constructive we\u2019ve been on the UK IPO market in some time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cActually the pipeline is the best we have seen in a number of years,\u201d Hanratty said, adding: \u201cWe\u2019d like to see a bit more certainty around the outcomes to get more confidence on the near term outlook for IPOs.\u201d<\/p>\n