Wimbledon, Euros and Test cricket set to boost pubs and supermarkets Sport Business Pubs and supermarkets are bracing for a bumper weekend thanks to the heatwave and a deluge of live sport on TV including Wimbledon finals, Test cricket and the Lionesses. A British and Irish Lions tour match, England and Wales rugby internationals, other Women’s Euros fixtures, Tour de France cycling and a trilogy fight between Katie [...]
Hamleys: More loss-making stores closed by iconic toys seller Retail Hamleys has closed another raft of loss-making stores as it battles to boost its bottom line. The retailer shuttered 29 shops during its latest financial year, having also closed 40 in the prior 12 months. Hamleys, which also opened 22 new locations in the year, now operates 11 stores in the UK and has 176 [...]
M&S shares sink lower after failing to recover from cyber attack Retail Shares in FTSE 100 giant M&S are now lower than they were at the height of the cyber attack that hit the British icon earlier this year. The retailer’s shares are currently changing hands for 337p, after declining steadily from their 374p price on 16 June. That price was itself a recovery from the low [...]
Shein files for Hong Kong IPO as London listing prospects wane July 8, 2025 Shein has filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong as the prospects for the firm’s London listing continue to wane. The Singapore-based business last week confidentially filed a draft prospectus for the Hong Kong Exchange and sought approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), according to the Financial Times. The fast-fashion firm [...]
Longest-ever Prime Day to see Brits spend nearly £2bn on Amazon July 8, 2025 A four-day-long Prime event is set to see Brits spend £1.9bn as consumers increasingly look to deals and discounts for their shopping. Retailers are hoping the discount bonanza will be a boon after a tough first half of the year, and a chance to get ahead of what is expected to be a tough second [...]
Why did Santander buy TSB? July 3, 2025 Santander might have hoped its takeover of TSB would make waves across the banking industry, but analysts have dubbed it a more modest splash. The deal, which is set to be worth £2.9bn when closed in 2026, will add TSB’s five million customers, £34bn in mortgages and £35bn in deposits to Santander’s portfolio as well [...]
Bensons for Beds: ‘It would have been easy for staff to lose heart’ July 3, 2025 Bensons for Beds has admitted it “would have been easy” for its employees to “lose heart” during its latest financial year which saw the chain battle a worsening retail environment. The Lancashire-headquartered business paid tribute to its more than 1,800 members of staff for what it called a “strong set of results”. Those results, for [...]
HSBC sells UK life insurance arm in latest European retreat July 3, 2025 Banking juggernaut HSBC has marked its latest retreat on European operations after selling its UK life protection arm to insurance firm Chesnara. HSBC have offloaded the division for £260m, which Chesnara will fund through a combination of external resources, credit facility and a equity raise. The move comes amid Georges Elhedery‘s sweeping changes at the [...]
Currys shares soar after retailer posts growth across divisions July 3, 2025 Electricals retailer Currys recorded a jump in cash flow as the firm out-performed competitors with growth across in-store and online sales. Currys posted profit before tax for the year ending May 3 2025 of £162m, falling in line with expectations of a 37 per cent increase pencilled in earlier this year. Net cash – the [...]
Gymkhana: World famous Indian restaurant leans into ‘fakeaway’ boom July 3, 2025 For years, the name “Gymkhana” has been synonymous with exquisite, two Michelin-starred Indian dining in London’s upscale Mayfair, a celebrity favourite, reportedly frequented by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and the Beckhams. Now, a pioneering venture, Gymkhana Fine Foods, is allowing home cooks to recreate that magic in their own kitchens. Launched in [...]