Guinness maker Diageo sales squeezed under ‘competitive pressure’ November 5, 2026 Diageo recorded sluggish sales growth in the first quarter of its financial year as the drinks giant faced “competitive pressure” in its top markets. The FTSE 100 group, which owns Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray, recorded net sales up 1.2 per cent year-on-year at $4.9bn. But organic growth, which strips out currency volatility and the [...]
Asos returns to profit as cyber attack fallout ‘not a big thing’ November 5, 2026 Asos has returned to profit after the cyber attack that rocked the fast-fashion seller last month, as its boss insisted the impact of the incident was “not a big thing”. The London-listed retailer said its decision to pause some marketing and customer-related activity in the aftermath of the incident resulted in a “short-term disruption” to [...]
BT slashes workforce as Talktalk takeover adds to turnaround challenge November 5, 2026 BT has cut its workforce by 11 per cent as boss Allison Kirkby presses ahead with an overhaul of the telecoms giant, just weeks after rescuing struggling rival Talktalk from administration. The cost-cutting drive helped push pre-tax profits up 12 per cent to £1.1bn in the six months to September, despite revenue growing just one [...]
I thought chairing Sussex Cricket would mean a quiet off-season. I was wrong November 5, 2026 Ed Warner on the deluge of work that is triggered by the end of cricket’s County Championship, from recruitment and sponsorship to strategic planning for a possible fall in media rights revenue. The sun never sets on modern day cricket. Just ask the Australian squad, five matches into a 21-Test stretch across 12 months and [...]
As it happened: Stocks reverses early gains after tech sell-off; interest rates hiked November 5, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time in three years. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted in a 8-1 split to hike rates to four per cent as concerns surrounding the inflationary impact of the Iran war dragged on. Meanwhile, [...]
Businesses face ‘sharpened scrutiny’ on cyber policies after fridge hacks November 5, 2026 Insurance underwriters will scrutinise businesses’ technology more closely when pricing future cyber policies following the wave of recent cyberattacks on European supermarkets. The attacks, which forced retailers in Sweden, Belgium, and Ireland to throw away large quantities of fresh and frozen food after refrigeration systems were switched into defrost mode, and affected a wave of [...]
Consultancies vulnerable as government plots non-compete axe November 5, 2026 Government proposals to scrap non-compete clauses may have ‘significant implications’ for the wider professional services sector. In the Budget, John Healey confirmed that the government is introducing legislation to reform non-compete clauses in employment contracts across the economy, in a bid to lubricate the labour marker for startups and scaling firms. The government will publish [...]
Burnham’s Ten Year Plan: a Poundland in every postcode? November 5, 2026 You may barely be over the excitement of the Budget, but brace yourselves: Andy Burnham’s Ten Year Plan for Britain is coming into view. Expect a ban on Smoky Bacon flavour crisps and a state-run Poundland in every postcode. The PM’s ‘Brexit reset’ will see the UK sign up to all the latest EU rules [...]
Lord Peter Cruddas: I tried to buy the internet in the 1990s November 5, 2026 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, CMC Markets founder Peter Cruddas takes us through his career.
Britain is hooked on Halloween and Traitors – and that’s a recession indicator November 5, 2026 Halloween has become big business, and Celebrity Traitors proves it. But this cultural obsession reveals something very wrong with the British economy, writes Matt Kenyon Just after 8pm last Saturday, it struck me that every single person on the Northern line train to Tooting was not just in a Halloween costume, but in an elaborate [...]