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UK Market Exodus: Companies that moved away from London listing in recent years

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on June 12, 2026

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· Last updated: June 12, 2026

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Major Companies Move Listings Away from London: Key UK Market Exits Reviewed

Recent Trends in London Stock Exchange Delistings and Market Exits

June 12 (Reuters) - FanDuel owner Flutter Entertainment will delist from the London Stock Exchange in August, the company said on Friday, in the latest blow for the bourse.

A growing number of companies have either shelved plans to list in London, exited the market altogether, or aimed to better capitalise on stronger foreign markets by demoting their London listing and upgrading their listings elsewhere.

This trend is largely driven by investor pushback and post-Brexit-related challenges that have pressured UK market valuations.

Major Company Exits by Year

2026

Flutter Entertainment

Flutter Entertainment: The betting giant said in June it would delist from the London Stock Exchange in August, while retaining its primary NYSE listing.

The company, which has a valuation of £14.34 billion ($19.23 billion), said the decision was in the best interest of its shareholders. The FanDuel owner had moved its primary listing to the NYSE in 2024.

2025

AstraZeneca

ASTRAZENECA: While the pharma giant and one of London's most valuable companies had said in September it was not exiting London, it did lay out plans to switch to a direct listing of its shares in the U.S.

The company has a valuation of £173.21 billion, and many industry experts have warned that its move could prompt other large companies to follow suit.

Petershill Partners

PETERSHILL PARTNERS: The British investment group had said in September it would delist from the London Stock Exchange and return money to shareholders, citing dissatisfaction with its share price performance and valuation.

The company is valued at £3.32 billion

Wise PLC

WISE PLC: The British fintech received shareholder approval on July 28 to shift its primary stock market listing from the LSE to the U.S.

The company, valued at £10.60 billion, said the move is aimed at improving access to capital and boosting its profile among global investors while still maintaining a secondary listing in London.

Cobalt

COBALT: The Glencore-backed metals investor scrapped its plans for a London IPO on June 4, which, according to one source, was driven by a lack of demand.

The company, valued at around $230 million, would have seen London's largest market debut since Air Astana's listing in February 2024.

Indivior

INDIVIOR: The drugmaker in early June said it will cancel its secondary listing on the LSE effective July 25, citing cost savings and a desire to align more closely with its U.S.-focused operations.

Magnum Ice Cream

Magnum Ice Cream: The ice cream maker, which was spun off from Unilever, debuted on the Amsterdam exchange as its primary listing with a valuation of about €7.8 billion.

The company also has secondary listings in London and New York.

Shein

SHEIN: The online fast-fashion retailer is working towards a listing in Hong Kong after its proposed IPO in London failed to secure the green light from Chinese regulators, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in May.

However, before its attempt to list in London, Shein had pursued a listing in New York, as part of its efforts to gain legitimacy as a global, rather than a Chinese company, and to access a wide pool of large Western investors.

2024

Just Eat Takeaway

JUST EAT TAKEAWAY: The Amsterdam-listed food delivery company delisted from the LSE in December, citing efforts to reduce administrative and regulatory costs. 

The company has a market value of €4.03 billion.

Ashtead

ASHTEAD: The second-largest equipment rental company in the U.S. said in December it plans to shift its listing to New York. 

With a market value of 20.95 billion pounds, Ashtead has been listed in London since 1986, and transformed into a major U.S. player in the early 2000s.

Woodside Energy

WOODSIDE ENERGY: The oil and gas giant, in October 2024, decided to delist from the LSE to reduce its administrative costs.

Unisys

UNISYS: The IT consulting firm announced its intention to cancel its standard listing on the LSE, citing low trading volume of its common stock in October 2024.

TUI

TUI: Shareholders of Europe's largest travel operator voted in February 2024 to remove the firm from LSE saying a single German listing will better reflect its ownership and trading patterns in February 2024.

The Hanover-headquartered company has a market value of €3.93 billion.

2023

Marsh & McLennan

MARSH & MCLENNAN: The insurance broker giant, valued at $99.08 billion, announced its intention to delist from the LSE, citing low trading volume in November 2023, with its primary listing remaining on the NYSE.

Kingspan

KINGSPAN: The Irish construction company, valued at €12.79 billion, delisted from the LSE in 2023, citing negligible trading in its shares in London and maintaining its primary listing in Dublin. 

CRH

CRH: The building materials solutions provider, which has $80.44 billion in market value, switched its primary listing to the NYSE in 2023, while maintaining a standard listing on the LSE. 

ARM Holdings

ARM HOLDINGS: The UK-based chip designer chose Nasdaq over London for its 2023 IPO — the largest of that year. 

The company, valued at $149.88 billion, was listed in London for 18 years until 2016, when it was taken private by SoftBank in a $32 billion acquisition.

2022

Ferguson

FERGUSON: North America-focused plumbing and HVAC products supplier shifted its primary listing to New York in 2022. 

2021

BHP

BHP: The world's largest miner by market value made Australia its primary stock market when it ended its dual-listing structure in 2021. The company was the second largest by market value in London when it left the stock market.

Additional Information

($1 = 0.8500 euros)

($1 = 0.7459 pounds)

(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job, DhanushVignesh Babu, Nithyashree R B, and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Shilpi Majumdar and Subhranshu Sahu)

Key Takeaways

  • Flutter Entertainment will cease trading on the LSE effective August 3, 2026, retaining only its NYSE listing; the LSE trading ends July 31 — source confirms by Investing.com and Reuters reports (za.investing.com).
  • AstraZeneca launched a direct listing on NYSE in February 2026 to harmonize its global share structure while maintaining LSE and Stockholm listings — showcasing a dual-listing strategy (investing.com).
  • In recent years, an increasing number of companies—including Petershill Partners, Wise PLC, Indivior, Just Eat Takeaway, Ashtead, Unilever’s ice‑cream division, Shein, CRH, ARM, TUI, Marsh & McLennan—have either delisted, shifted primary listings, or canceled London IPO plans due to valuation, regulatory, and investor base pressures (marketscreener.com).

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are major companies delisting from the London Stock Exchange?
Companies cite reasons like better capital opportunities abroad, investor pushback, and post-Brexit challenges impacting UK market valuations.
Which high-profile companies announced plans to delist from London recently?
Recent announcements include Flutter Entertainment, AstraZeneca, Petershill Partners, Wise PLC, and Just Eat Takeaway.
What is the impact of company exits on the London Stock Exchange?
Delistings reduce the size and global appeal of the London market, potentially prompting more companies to consider foreign listings.
Where are these companies moving their primary listings?
Companies are moving to markets like the New York Stock Exchange, Amsterdam exchange, or Hong Kong, depending on strategic goals.
What are some notable cancelled London IPOs or failed listing attempts?
Cobalt cancelled its planned IPO due to low demand and Shein failed to secure regulatory approval for a London listing.

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