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 [...]
UK cider set to benefit from sweetest apple crop ‘in recent memory’ July 29, 2025 Multiple heatwaves in the UK have boosted expected yields from the UK’s orchards, with this year’s cider crop to be bigger and better than in recent years. The UK’s driest and hottest spring for over a century has concentrated the sugar content of apples, making them smaller but sweeter. “Last year was a perfect storm [...]
Everyman: Shares in luxury cinema rise after revenue spikes July 28, 2025 Shares in Everyman spiked nearly five per cent morning after the upmarket cinema group reported double digit profit growth. The chain, which has 48 venues across the UK, told markets this morning that revenue in the first half of 2025 rose 21 per cent to £56.5m. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose [...]
Wayfair more than halves UK workforce in two years July 28, 2025 Online retail giant Wayfair has more than halved the number of people it employs in the UK in the space of two years, it has been revealed. The UK division of the US homewares and furniture seller had a headcount of 405 at the end of 2024, compared to 587 in 2023 and 847 in [...]
Wasabi: Sushi restaurant chain sheds jobs as profit slashed July 28, 2025 Profit at popular London sushi restaurant chain Wasabi has been slashed as it shed more than 100 jobs during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The business has reported a pre-tax profit of £2.2m for 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The latest total comes after Wasabi posted a pre-tax [...]