Exclusive: RPC to lose Mike Ashley’s ‘rainmaker’ lawyer February 13, 2026 City law firm RPC is set to lose one of its highest-billing lawyers, who represents the retail titan Mike Ashley. Long-term partner Jeremy Drew will leave the firm after nearly 20 years in the solicitor’s retail and commercial department, which he also co-led. The star lawyer has been a long-term adviser to Mike Ashley, the [...]
Dunelm eyes store expansion as Brits get the blues February 10, 2026 Dunelm is eyeing a major expansion of its store estate as the furniture and homeware store looks to claw more market share from rivals. Chief executive Clo Moriarty, who joined the firm from Sainsbury’s in October, told City AM the FTSE 250 firm had “identified a suite” of new locations and intends to “go after [...]
Tesco snaps up shuttered Amazon Fresh sites in convenience store push February 9, 2026 Tesco plans to open over 70 Express stores across the country by March next year, including at least five new sites in London. In a statement released today, the supermarket chain confirmed it had acquired five former Amazon Fresh stores across the capital. These sites – in Kensington High Street, Hounslow, Moorgate, Aldgate East, and [...]
Irn-Bru maker shares jump after snapping up soft drinks rivals for £50m February 3, 2026 The drinks merchant behind Irn-Bru is forecasting a major boost to profit for the latest financial year after the firm stripped back costs and snapped up a pair of its soft drink rivals. AG Barr, which owns brands such as Boost, Funkin Cocktails and Rubicon, told markets it had sealed a near-£38m deal to buy [...]
Dr Martens shares take a kicking after demand falls January 27, 2026 Shares in Dr Martens slumped 13 per cent on Tuesday morning after the firm reported a drop in sales over the golden quarter, amid investor concern at its ongoing strategic “pivot”. Revenue at the bootmaker fell 2.7 per cent to £253m in the three months to the end of December, largely due to weakness in [...]
Food prices to jump despite easing inflation predictions January 27, 2026 Food prices are projected to jump higher despite economists’ predictions of easing inflation, according to a fresh survey, which warned that soaring energy prices and taxes were exacerbating the cost of living for Britons. New data by the British Retail Consortium has suggested that food price inflation could rise at a faster pace, weighing heavily [...]
Mike Ashley confronts Asos board in latest retail row January 24, 2026 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group voted against resolutions at online fashion retailer Asos’s general meeting, sparking fears that the high street magnate could prompt further disruptions at listed companies. Various company resolutions were passed by Asos on Friday afternoon but Ashley looked to spoil the party with disruptive votes in meetings, it has been reported. The [...]
Gucci to Zara: Brands ramp up fight against domain ‘squatting’ January 23, 2026 Global legal disputes over ‘squatted’ web addresses rose to 6,282 cases last year as big companies, especially fashion brands, are fighting back against counterfeit goods. According to data by Mathys & Squire shared with City AM, disputes over web addresses are up 49 per cent in five years (from 4,204) and 128 per cent in [...]
UK retail sales see modest Christmas rise following Budget January 23, 2026 UK retail sales inched up slightly in December, as consumers returned to the high street for Christmas shopping after the Autumn Budget, but failed to halt an overall fall in purchases during the final quarter. Retail sales volumes are estimated to have increased by 0.4 per cent in December, following falls of 0.1 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Babcock boss exits; Retail sales fall in golden quarter January 23, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Today is the final day of the World Economic Forum in Davos and what a ride it has been for capital markets. The FTSE 100 started Monday’s trading session at a cool 10,235.31 before shedding some points as Trump turned up pressure on his tariff [...]