Mike Ashley slams Burnham’s ‘populist’ plans to revive high street August 27, 2026 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has blasted Andy Burnham’s proposals to revive the British high street as “populist” and “too little too late”. The billionaire Sports Direct and Frasers Group founder has written to the Prime Minister accusing him of failing to tackle the cost of living with “delusional” policies. The causes of the UK’s rising [...]
Stansted Airport owner hit with cyber attack as millions of customers’ data stolen August 27, 2026 The owner of London Stansted has been targeted in a cyber attack that has led to customers data being stolen. Manchester Airport Group (MAG), which runs Stansted, East Midlands and Manchester Airport, said on Thursday customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes had been seized in a “cyber security incident by an unauthorised [...]
Saudi Arabia backs Gianni Infantino ‘at this time’ in major boost to Fifa president August 27, 2026 Embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino has received a major boost after Saudi Arabia, the host of the 2034 World Cup and a long-standing ally, backed his bid to stay in power. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation had stayed conspicuously silent since Infantino’s position was plunged into crisis by revelations that he was planning to partly [...]
Neets dip below one million as Labour blamed for youth unemployment August 27, 2026 The number of Neets, who are young people not in employment, education or training, has fallen marginally below the one million mark, the UK’s official data body said. The Office for National Statistics said it estimated the number of people aged between 16 and 24 out of work to be about 981,000 in the three [...]
Asda turnaround king Allan Leighton hopes for summer boost August 27, 2026 Allan Leighton, the turnaround expert charged with leading Asda’s resurgence, has been known for his showmanship. During his first stint at Asda in the 90s, he kicked off an annual managers’ conference by revving into the auditorium on a Harley-Davidson motorbike. It was this reputation for bold, eye-catching leadership which prompted struggling discount retailer Asda [...]
Government pushes Bank of England to innovate on payments and digital currencies August 27, 2026 The Bank of England will be tracked on its progress on UK payments regulation after it was handed a new objective by ministers. The central bank will be given a new secondary objective to support innovation in payment systems and new forms of digital currencies alongside its main goals of financial stability. The Treasury is [...]
Jamie Carragher: HMRC petitions for Sky Sports star to be declared bankrupt August 27, 2026 HMRC has filed a petition seeking to have Sky Sports pundit and former England footballer Jamie Carragher declared bankrupt over an unpaid tax bill. The case was filed against James Lee Duncan Carragher by solicitors representing HMRC at the High Court in London yesterday, filings show. The 48-year-old is one of the faces of Sky [...]
Halfords lifts profit targets on heatwave boost August 27, 2026 The sun has shone on Halfords’ summer trading as the motoring and cycling retailer lifted its profit targets in response to “very strong” recent sales. The FTSE 250 firm had previously been tipped for a £52.6m pre-tax profit this year but said on Thursday that it now hopes to make between £55m and £65m. Shares in [...]
Puregym to double new gym openings in second half of year August 27, 2026 Puregym is set to bulk up its gym network in the second half of 2026 after seeing a boost to revenue in the first six months of the year. The Leeds-based group opened 17 sites in the first half of the year, but said on Thursday it remains on track to reach 60 new high-quality [...]
Park Plaza owner ‘not distracted’ after sale talks fail August 27, 2026 Hotel owner PPHE Group has said it is “not distracted from our core focus” after its takeover by a rival hotel operator fell apart, despite the company reporting slowing revenue growth in the last quarter. The FTSE 250 firm’s board had backed a sale to Israeli-based Fattal Hotel Group but opposition from a major shareholder [...]