Asda in ‘foothills of recovery’ as grocer returns to growth August 28, 2026 Asda has posted sales growth for the first time in more than two years, marking a “major milestone” in the turnaround led by Allan Leighton on his comeback at the grocer. The discount supermarket saw like-for-like sales excluding fuel grow by 0.2 per cent in the seven weeks to mid-August. Like-for-like food sales jumped by [...]
October Budget could be a ‘tipping point,’ Asda boss warns Burnham August 28, 2026 Andy Burnham’s first Budget in October could be a “tipping point” for British businesses and the economy, the chair of supermarket giant Asda has warned. Allan Leighton, who is attempting to push through a turnaround of the grocer, said it is “too early to tell” whether the government is committed to halting the rise of [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 jumps as oil falls back; Warsh says ‘work to do’ on inflation August 28, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index extended gains on Friday after some pressures in the oil market eased off. Oil prices reared back up on Thursday night, reversing days of losses earlier in the week. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – jumped [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 falls but Nasdaq soars after Nvidia sales boom August 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue chip index suffered heavy losses on Thursday, as murky US inflation data overshadowed Nvidia’s sales triumph. While headline inflation fell back, the Fed’s preferred measure – the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) – is still running hot at 3.7 per cent. Investors [...]
As it happened: Antofagasta leads FTSE 100 rally; oil falls as US-Iran deal ‘close’ August 26, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index slipped on Wednesday morning, dragged down by oil majors BP and Shell, before recovering later in the day to be level with Tuesday’s close. Brent crude – the international benchmark – fell by more than two per cent on Wednesday to $86 [...]
The Danish retailer plotting to outsmart ‘unsentimental’ Modella Capital August 25, 2026 On the modern-day British high street, a Scandinavian shop featuring maze-like aisles, quirky homeware and bags of licorice near the till is not quite a reinvention of the wheel. But Mikkel Grene, chief executive of Danish homeware retailer Søstrene Grene, believes his business can go toe-to-toe with Ikea and Flying Tiger for pride of place [...]