Watches of Switzerland shares slump as Trump ups tariffs August 1, 2025 Watches of Switzerland saw its share price drop more than seven per cent in early trade as investors shied away from the effect of Trump’s sweeping new tariffs. On Friday morning, Trump announced a new tariff rate of 39 per cent for Swiss exports to the US – higher than the initial ‘Liberation Day’ tariff [...]
Charlotte Tilbury creates 150 jobs as profits spike August 1, 2025 Makeup, skincare and fragrance brand Charlotte Tilbury created 150 jobs as its profit jumped by more than a quarter during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered business has posted a pre-tax profit of £18.3m for 2024, up from the £14.4m it achieved in the prior 12 months. New accounts filed with [...]
M&S cyberattack helps Next to beat expectations again July 31, 2025 High Street darling Next has said that good weather and the disruption to Marks & Spencer caused by its recent cyberattack has helped it to beat expectations yet again. The Lord Wolfson-run fashion group said full price sales were up over 10 per cent in the first half of this year, nearly £50m ahead of [...]
Aston Martin: Why going private could be the right road for luxury carmaker July 29, 2025 Luxury carmaker Aston Martin could delist from the London Stock Exchange and return to private ownership as a way to boost its balance sheet, according to an analyst. Experts at Third Bridge have said the move could have a number of benefits for the Warwickshire-headquartered brand including “improve agility, attract long-term partners, and reduce the [...]
Halfords: Departing CEO gets golden goodbye July 29, 2025 The departing chief executive of Halfords saw his pay more than double as the company clocked a statutory £30m loss in the year before he stepped down. Graham Stapleton took home a pay packet of £1.5m for the firm’s latest financial year, up from the £650,440 he received in the prior 12 months. Stapleton had [...]
Canon: UK losses almost triple after expectations fall short July 29, 2025 Losses have almost tripled at the UK arm of camera and printer giant Canon as its performance fell below its expectations. The Uxbridge-headquartered division has reported a pre-tax loss of £14.4m for 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The latest pre-tax loss comes after Canon UK posted a loss of £5.1m for [...]
WH Smith sells Funky Pigeon brand for £24m in travel pivot July 29, 2025 WH Smith has sold its Funky Pigeon brand to Card Factory, as the retailer sheds legacy assets ahead of a pivot towards becoming a pared down travel retailer. The Bristol and Guernsey-based novelty greeting cards line was sold for £24m, with Card Factory looking to integrate its technology into its consumer business. Funky Pigeon’s sale [...]
Greggs shuts 56 stores amid ‘challenging start’ to the year July 29, 2025 Greggs has shut more than 50 stores in the first half of 2025 after reporting a “challenging start” to the year. The number of closures without relocation is up 61 per cent compared to the same period last year, while the number of net new shops opening is down 40 per cent to 31, in [...]
Aldi tops up wages for staff: ‘Our people are the driving force of our success’ July 29, 2025 Aldi has announced a top-up to its staff wages, retaining its crown as the UK’s highest-paying supermarket. The new minimum rate of pay, which increases to £14.33 within the M25, will take effect from 1 September this year. It further exceeds the Real Living Wage of £12.60 an hour that was set by the Living [...]
Price of fresh food pushes up Brits’ supermarket bills July 29, 2025 Higher wholesale prices for meat and tea have pushed up grocery prices at UK supermarkets, with warnings of more inflation ahead. Food inflation increased to four per cent year-on-year in July, against growth of 3.7 per cent in June and above the three-month average of 3.5 per cent. Fresh food rose in price by 3.2 [...]