Consumer confidence plunges as Labour under fire November 17, 2025 Consumer confidence plunged to a four-month low last month, a leading survey has suggested, as Budget tax rumours shared by Labour officials instilled fear in Britons up and down the country. S&P Global’s UK consumer sentiment index slipped back in November as households became more nervous about their finances. The reading for household finances dropped [...]
Hotels and shops to be hit by fresh Reeves tax raid November 17, 2025 Hotels and supermarkets are set to be hit by extra taxes at the upcoming Budget as Chancellor Rachel Reeves hopes to raise more than £20bn in taxes. Reeves is planning to allow mayors to hit holidaymakers with an overnight levy on hotel and rental home stays at the Budget, opening up new cash streams for [...]
Burberry narrows losses as turnaround begins to show results November 13, 2025 Luxury fashion brand Burberry has narrowed its half-year operating loss in a crucial six months for the struggling company. Burberry reported revenue of £1.03bn in the 26 weeks ended September 2025, it told markets this morning, down three per cent from £1.09bn last year. Shares rose 2.55 per cent in early trades. The FTSE100 giant [...]
Rachel Reeves mulls second booze tax hike November 12, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering an increase in taxes on alcohol in line with a higher reading of inflation in a repeat of last year’s Budget, according to reports. Reeves could hike duties by the retail prices index (RPI) inflation rate in a bid to raise more cash to fill an estimated £30bn fiscal hole [...]
Autumn Budget: B&Q boss hands Reeves tool kit for growth November 12, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the boss of retail stalwart B&Q warns truly fixing the foundations starts with building confidence. After Labour’s monumental 2024 general election sweep, Chancellor Rachel Reeves seized her economic tool kit, telling Britons she was “fixing [...]
Christmas adverts in 2025 review, from John Lewis to AI Coca-Cola November 11, 2025 As the embers of bonfire night slowly cool in the rain, our minds are turned to Christmas in its full commercial glory. It’s funny how at this time of year people start to look at ads – the same people that have been actively avoiding them all year! Christmas adverts have become a necessary backdrop [...]
Retailers hit by subdued October as Budget threat looms November 11, 2025 UK retailers suffered a “subdued” October as Brits tightened their pockets ahead of what is expected to be a tax-heavy Autumn Budget. Retail sales increased 1.6 per cent year-on-year but remained below the 12-month average of 2.1 per cent, marking the weakest growth since May. The new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and [...]
Barclay family’s Very Group snapped up by US private equity giant November 10, 2025 Online retailer The Very Group has been snapped up by a US private equity giant, ending an over 20 year tenure of ownership under the Barclay family. The group will now be controlled by Washington-based Carlyle alongside Abu Dhabi-based investment fund International Media Investments (IMI). It marks the latest offshoring of businesses for the Barclay [...]
Trip: CBD drinks brand valued at £200m after Joe Jonas backing November 10, 2025 Trip, a CBD drinks brand, has been valued at more than £200m after a fundraising round backed by the likes of singer and actor Joe Jonas. The London-headquartered firm has raised a further £30.3m in a move which it said makes it the most valuable UK-founded drinks brand since Innocent and Fever-Tree. The business has [...]
Co-op to open or refurbish dozens of stores amid cyber attack recovery November 10, 2025 The Co-op has said it is pushing forward with a number of new stores and major refurbishments as it bounces back from a damaging cyber attack. The retailer said 50 stores will be opened or re-opened by Christmas as it urged the Government to reform business rates ahead of the autumn Budget. It said reforms [...]