John Lewis blames higher taxes as it swings into the red September 11, 2025 A rise in national insurance contributions and a packaging levy has ‘significantly’ impacted John Lewis, with the retailer reporting a half-year loss despite an increase in revenue. The company, which also owns Waitrose, reported a loss before tax and exceptional items of £33m for the 26 weeks ended 26 July. It has been “significantly impacted [...]
Landlords reject idea higher taxes benefit first-time buyers September 11, 2025 The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has rejected analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) that suggests tax hikes on the private rented sector have benefited first time-buyers. A report from the JRF has found that reforms introduced by governments from 2016 were “effective in addressing tax imbalances that benefitted landlords over and above ordinary [...]
THG: Shares spike as e-commerce giant gains momentum after slow start to the year September 11, 2025 Ecommerce platform THG returned to growth in the second quarter of the year, driven by a sales boost for its supplement brand Myprotein, causing an eight per cent share price boost. THG told markets this morning that revenue rose 0.9 per cent quarter on quarter, although overall revenue in the first half of the year [...]
Revealed: How much profit Amazon makes in the UK September 10, 2025 Amazon’s UK profit has been revealed – with the total estimated to be well above the £500m mark. Unusually, Jeff Bezos’ empire doesn’t file a single set of group accounts for its UK activities, instead choosing to report each company’s results separately with no parent entity in this country. The picture is also further complicated [...]
Jaguar Land Rover issues cyber attack update amid data breach September 10, 2025 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has admitted that data may have been compromised in a cyber attack that has paralysed its global operations since 2 September, forcing shutdowns at factories and dealerships across the UK and abroad. The UK’s biggest carmaker said in a statement: “We now believe that some data has been affected and we [...]
ABF: Primark owner’s shares sink as sales slow at FTSE 100 giant September 10, 2025 Shares in Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) have plunged after posting what analysts branded a “mixed bag” of results. The FTSE 100 warned that challenging conditions were weighing on the company’s trading, listing consumer caution, geopolitical uncertainty and inflation as top factors. Shares plunged 13 per cent on the news to their lowest value [...]
Profit slashed at Mike Ashley-backed Hugo Boss September 10, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of Hugo Boss, which counts Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group as a major shareholder, has been slashed for a second consecutive year. The London-headquartered division of the German group has posted a pre-tax profit of £9m for 2024, down from the £16.8m it achieved in 2023 and £30.4m in 2022. New [...]
Ben & Jerry’s founders call for release from parent company on social justice grounds September 9, 2025 The co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s have written to the board of The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) and Magnum’s potential investors, requesting that the brand be released from the conglomerate. “Ben & Jerry’s was founded on a simple but radical premise: that our business could thrive and make outstanding products whilst standing up for progressive [...]
Pret A Manger writes down value by a third amid £525m losses September 9, 2025 Pret A Manger has written off a third of the value it was handed after its 2018 acquisition by European investment group JAB as an uncertain UK economy puts pressure on the sandwich chain. The group made a £553m non-cash impairment to the £912m goodwill on its balance sheet created as part of the 2018 [...]
Tesco Mobile returns to profit thanks to Samsung Galaxy September 9, 2025 Tesco Mobile returned to profit thanks to Brits’ demand for premiums handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, it has been revealed. The provider, which is a joint venture between the supermarket giant and Virgin Media 02, has posted a pre-tax profit of £1.2m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The [...]