Accel-KKR swoops on AIM construction software firm for £208m September 10, 2026 Private equity giant Accel-KKR has struck a deal to buy an AIM-listed construction software company in the latest of a wave of takeovers on the London Stock Exchange this year. The group has snapped up Eleco for £207.6m in a deal backed by the company’s board. Shareholders are in line for a 235p per share [...]
John Lewis posts £120m loss as Labour tax raid pushes up costs September 10, 2026 The owner of John Lewis fell to a loss of more than £120m in the first half of its trading year as the retail giant hit out at Labour tax raids for “the increased costs of doing business”. The John Lewis Partnership, which also owns Waitrose, posted a pre-tax loss of £124m, 41 per cent [...]
Here’s to the quiet heroism of county cricket: Pride, jeopardy and extraordinary matches September 10, 2026 While the world’s white-ball franchise leagues flash past in a blur of sixes, jazzy uniforms and fireworks, England’s red-ball heartbeat, the County Championship, keeps thumping, writes Ed Warner. We painted the County Ground in Hove yellow on Tuesday to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of John Wisden just under a mile away in Crown [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 dives as oil marches to $106; Trump threatens long war September 10, 2026 Welcome back to City AM’s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index shed as much as 0.4 per cent on Thursday morning, as Associated British Foods’ 11 per cent dip cancelled out modest gains from London’s oil majors and consumer giants like JD Sports and Whitbread. Despite recent expectations that the Iran war is far [...]
Royal Antwerp case shows European sport ought to copy US interventionist approach September 10, 2026 Football fans digesting doom-laden commentary on the Royal Antwerp FC case on the legality of Uefa’s homegrown player regulations may be forgiven for recalling Brenda from Bristol’s reaction to the calling of general elections: “What, another one?” In recent years, legal challenges before European and national courts have sought to strike down various football regulations, [...]
Pernod Ricard’s results highlight the challenges for Scotch September 10, 2026 In this month’s issue of Whisky Business, Ian Fraser takes a look at the results of the drinks giant Pernod Ricard and how the company is dealing with the headwinds hitting the sector. Scotch whisky makes up roughly a quarter (23 per cent) of Pernod Ricard’s global sales, but barely got a look-in at the Paris-based [...]
Number of parents at edge of £100k tax trap to ‘grow dramatically’ September 10, 2026 The number of parents grouping just under the £100,000 ‘tax trap’ salary in order to maintain access to free childcare will “grow dramatically”, tax researchers have warned, while some households continue to claim the benefit despite earning above the income threshold. The Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (Centax) has estimated that there could be [...]
Our debt addiction can only end in tears September 10, 2026 In December 2009, ratings agency Fitch downgraded Greek sovereign debt from A- to BBB+ following a dramatic few weeks in which the state of the country’s public finances were laid bare. By February, riot police in Athens were firing stun grenades and tear gas as they struggled to maintain public order. What followed was years [...]
Apple and Google defend safety records as UK clamps down on explicit teen content September 10, 2026 Apple and Google have defended their child safety records after the government said it would force tech giants to block under-18s from sending or viewing nude images on smartphones. The Silicon Valley pair told City AM they had made progress on introducing new safeguards for teenagers after three months of talks with ministers failed to [...]
Royal Antwerp: ‘New Bosman’ set to torch Uefa rules and spark mega class action September 10, 2026 European football faces an imminent legal bombshell likened to the Bosman Ruling that could scrap quotas for homegrown players and leave Uefa facing a hugely costly class action. The Royal Antwerp ruling has major implications for Uefa nations, potentially including England, who require clubs to have a minimum number of nationally-trained players, as well as [...]