Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill merger agreed August 15, 2025 A deal to merge two of Britain’s biggest bread producers – Hovis and Kingsmill – has been agreed after months of talks. Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of Kingsmill’s parent company Allied Bakeries, has agreed a deal with investment firm Endless, which owns Hovis to acquire the brand. The financial terms of the deal have not yet [...]
FatFace slims down workforce as brand returns to profit August 14, 2025 FatFace shed almost 300 jobs as it returned to profit in its first full year after being acquired by FTSE 100 giant Next. The retailer was snapped up by the Leicester-based group for £115.2m in October 2023 in a deal which saw it fall to an initially reported pre-tax loss of £3.2m in the 35 weeks [...]
London ‘staring down the barrel’ of £2bn hit from higher business rates August 14, 2025 London is set to take a massive blow from changes to business rates when the tax increases next April. Business rates could rise by an estimated 26 per cent across the capital, from £9bn to £11bn, according to the Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA). “Businesses in the West End and across London are staring [...]
Claire’s on the verge of collapse with over 2,000 jobs at risk August 13, 2025 Claire’s, the high street fashion accessories chain, is on the brink of collapse after revealing its intention to appoint administrators in the UK and Ireland in a move which would put over 2,000 jobs at risk. The business, which has 278 stores in the UK as well as a further 28 in Ireland, filed a [...]
Richard Mille: Luxury Swiss watch brand’s sales tick past major milestone August 13, 2025 Sales at the Europe, Middle East and Africa arm of luxury Swiss watch brand Richard Mille have ticked past a major milestone as its growth streak continues. The London-headquartered division has posted a turnover of CHF 404.4m (£371.2m) for 2024, up from the CHF £378.7m it achieved in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House [...]
Shoe Zone shares booted as Labour’s budget tax raid weighs August 13, 2025 Footwear retailer Shoe Zone has slashed its profit target in half for the full-year citing an overhang from Rachel Reeves’ 2024 Autumn Budget. The London-listed firm said in a trading update on Wednesday it expects pre-tax profit for the financial year ending September 2025 to be around £2.5m. This marks a stark drop from previous [...]
Rachel Reeves told to ‘get out of the way’ ahead of Autumn Budget August 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told to “let businesses get on with it and get out of the way” ahead of delivering her second Autumn Budget in the coming months. A group of 1,500 private business leaders surveyed by KPMG said the Chancellor should focus on promoting higher wages and lower costs for companies. They [...]
Islington’s Laki Kane to shut months after relaunch August 12, 2025 The iconic cocktail bar in the heart of Islington is set to close its doors for good just months after its relaunch
EG Group: Billionaire Issa brothers sell £367m Italian arm August 12, 2025 EG Group, the empire co-founded by a major investor in supermarket giant Asda, has sold its Italian division in a deal which values it at €425m (£367m). The Blackburn-headquartered group has agreed terms with a consortium of established Italian operators comprising PAD Multienergy S.p.A., Vega Carburanti S.p.A., Toil S.p.A., Dilella Invest S.p.A. and GIAP s.r.l. [...]
The Entertainer: Staff eye tax-free bonuses as founders cede control August 11, 2025 Almost 2,000 employees of the UK’s biggest toy chain, The Entertainer, are set to receive tax-free bonuses after its founders handed them control of his retail empire. Gary Grant has transferred 100 per cent of his ownership in Teal Group Holdings, which he held alongside his wife Catherine, to an employee ownership trust. The move, [...]