John Lewis’ new boss faces a battle to boost online sales August 12, 2026 Another cloud appeared in an already gloomy sky for John Lewis on Monday, when its managing director, Peter Ruis, announced his surprise departure. Just days before, an internal interview with the group’s chair, Jason Tarry, was leaked to the press, in which he warned of a “really tough” period for the firm. Ruis’s decision to [...]
UK economy to ‘reverse gains’ as construction drags growth August 11, 2026 The UK economy’s modest gains from the first half of the year are set to be reversed as the flagging construction industry is set to hammer growth prospects, economists have said. A poll of economists, tracked by Bloomberg, believe GDP contracted by 0.1 per cent in June, partly unwinding previous gains. Pantheon Macroeconomics analysts said [...]
John Lewis boss quits after warnings of ‘really tough’ trading August 10, 2026 The boss of John Lewis’ department stores has quit after less than three years in charge, days after the group’s chair warned of “really tough” trading at the retail giant. Peter Ruis has said he will step down as managing director of John Lewis at the start of September, less than three years after he [...]
Harvey Nichols will collapse without rescue deal, directors warn August 10, 2026 Harvey Nichols will collapse into administration if a rescue buyer is not found, directors of the luxury department store chain have warned. The retail empire will “cease trading” if it fails to agree a sale and no additional funding is found, the group’s directors cautioned in its latest accounts. Harvey Nichols could find a buyer [...]
Back to basics: Sainsbury’s gradual retreat from the British high street August 8, 2026 Sainsbury’s deal to sell its catalogue retailer Argos marks the latest step in the grocer’s years-long retreat from a high street conglomerate back to its core food business. The FTSE 100 supermarket giant holds a 15 per cent market share of grocery stores, second only to Tesco. But the firm once had a sprawling business [...]
JD assembles Ikea chair after rocky period for retailer August 7, 2026 The former boss of Ikea has been named as JD Sport’s new chair following a tumultuous period for the retailer. Peter Agnefjäll, who spent more than two decades at the Swedish home furnishing brand, is set to succeed Darren Shapland as the chair of JD from the beginning of September. Shapland was appointed to the [...]
Allianz Delivers Record Result and Is Well on Track to Achieve Its Targets August 7, 2026 2Q 2026 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260806509750/en/ Total business volume at 45.6 billion euros, an internal growth of 5.7 percent1, with contributions from all segments. Asset Management delivers excellent growth. Operating profit rises 10.6 percent to a record level of 4.9 billion euros. Shareholders’ core net income at 2.6 [...]
L&G cheers push into private credit as profit jumps August 5, 2026 Legal & General cheered a rise in profit amid a greater push into private credit by its asset management arm. The FTSE 100 firm toasted the “continued fundraising success” across its private markets investments as it vowed to increase investment over the next two years. Total private markets assets under management (AUM) jumped by more [...]
Next hikes targets as heatwave boosts sales August 5, 2026 Next has upgraded its profit targets for the year after breezing past second quarter expectations, putting its shareholders in line for a bumper payday. The FTSE 100 retail giant hiked its pre-tax profit expectations for 2026 to £1.24bn, around £25m higher than previously estimates. If achieved the figure would mark 7.3 per cent growth on [...]
North Sea is not competitive, says BP boss days after exit August 4, 2026 The boss of BP has branded the North Sea as not competitive just days after putting the company’s assets in the basin up for sale. Meg O’Neill, who took over as chief executive in April said she had spoken with prime minister Andy Burnham as she justified BP’s decision to exit the North Sea. Speaking [...]