Greene King boss: Pub industry ‘reaching breaking point’ Hospitality The finance boss of Greene King has warned that soaring taxes and employment costs have pushed the UK’s hospitality industry to “breaking point”. Jonathan Fearn, finance chief of the privately-owned pub chain, said decisions taken by the Labour government have “created a cocktail of costs, which have made it ever harder for a pub to [...]
Bring ‘punishing’ high street taxes in line with banks, Healey urged Retail John Healey has been urged to bring down the “punishing” tax burden facing the retail and hospitality industries, which is higher than any other sector. Hospitality businesses pay 82p in taxes for every pound and retail pays 72p, compared to the 40p paid by banks, according to new analysis by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) [...]
Jobs market ‘stops moving’ as employment costs weigh on hirers Economics The UK’s jobs market has “largely stopped moving” as employment costs weigh on businesses and block jobseekers’ progression into the world of work. Private sector employment intentions are stuck at the lowest ever level outside of the covid-19 pandemic, at plus 11, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The organisation, which [...]
Betfred billionaire brothers share huge Peninsula pay day December 15, 2025 The billionaire founders of betting giant Betfred have shared another bumper payday after the continued success of HR giant Peninsula. Founded by Peter Done in 1983, the Manchester-headquartered group provides services for the likes of the Co-op, Fred Perry, David Lloyd, Dreams and PayPal. The group is run by Peter Done and is a separate [...]
Autumn Budget: BrewDog boss issues £1bn warning to Rachel Reeves November 19, 2025 The hospitality sector needs to sell almost one million extra pints every hour in order to cope with a £1bn cost surge thanks to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes, the chief executive of BrewDog has warned. James Taylor, who took on the job earlier this year, said Reeves needs to take ‘meaningful action’ because of [...]
Autumn Budget: B&Q boss hands Reeves tool kit for growth November 12, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the boss of retail stalwart B&Q warns truly fixing the foundations starts with building confidence. After Labour’s monumental 2024 general election sweep, Chancellor Rachel Reeves seized her economic tool kit, telling Britons she was “fixing [...]
Brighton Pier up for sale as Reeves’ tax hikes bite November 6, 2025 Brighton Pier Group, which was taken private earlier this year, has placed all its assets on the market as it battles “an extremely challenging trading environment” and the impact of Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes. In its first set of accounts since quitting the London Stock Exchange’s AIM in May, the group said it is “now [...]
Labour has ‘unbelievably harsh stance’ on big businesses November 4, 2025 It is “unbelievable” that the Labour government has “taken such a harsh stance” on big businesses, the chief executive of restaurant chain Pizza Express has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Paula MacKenzie said the industry had been “somewhat decimated” by the Covid-19 pandemic and has then been hit [...]
Reeves’ Budget tax hikes force nearly 5,000 pubs to the brink November 3, 2025 The tax hikes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Budget have contributed to almost 5,000 pubs now being rated at maximum risk and becoming technically insolvent, according to new research. Figures from Price Bailey have revealed that just over 4,7000 pubs are now in that position, a 14 per cent rise on this [...]
Why don’t London’s luxury hotels make any money? October 13, 2025 London is home to some of the most iconic and well-known luxury hotels in the world. The Savoy, the Ritz, The Dorchester and Claridge’s, to name just a few, are renowned the world over and have played host to the ultra wealth, celebrities and royalty. Also appearing in a string of popular films, London’s luxury [...]