Turtle Bay: Founder criticises ‘unhelpful’ Reeves’ tax raid after huge loss hospitality Caribbean restaurant and bar chain Turtle Bay has hit out at the “unhelpful” Labour government whose tax “raid” contributed to it slumping into the red. The Bristol-headquartered business, which was set up in 2010 by Ajith Jaya-Wickrema and Stephen Entwistle, cited Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ increase in employers’ National Insurance as a reason for it falling to [...]
I’ve been speaking to CEOs all year – this is what they really think Business After spending a year interviewing some of the UK’s top business leaders, a number of themes have emerged which paint a concerning picture of their confidence in this country’s future prospects – but there is also hope. In 25 episodes of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast series in 2025, a large number of the CEOs [...]
Club L London founder shares huge pay day after record profit Retail Club L London has issued a huge pay day after profit at the fashion retailer surged to a new record, it has been revealed. Katie Randev, who leads the Manchester-headquartered business as chief executive, is in line to share a dividend of £3.7m for its latest financial year, new accounts filed with Companies House show. [...]
UK startup growth clashes with Labour’s immigration reforms November 20, 2025 More than half of Britain’s fastest-growing startups are founded by immigrants, as global talent continues to power the UK’s entrepreneurial engine even as ministers tighten migration rules. New analysis from the Entrepreneurs Network shows that 54 per cent of the UK’s top 100 fastest-growing companies have at least one foreign-born founder, a sharp rise from [...]
Specsavers: Sales and profit rise as bumper pay day scrapped October 14, 2025 Specsavers has scrapped the bumper dividend it has been handing to its billionaire owners despite its sales and profit growing during its latest financial year. The chain has paid out £15m in each its last two financial years to founders Dame Mary Perkins and her husband Doug. Over that time, Specsavers’ turnover has increased from [...]
Floating in London would be my ‘signature achievement’, ClearScore CEO September 23, 2025 Floating credit score giant ClearScore on the London Stock Exchange would be “my signature achievement”, the company’s co-founder and chief executive has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, Justin Basini opened up about the plans being drawn up to take ClearScore public in the next couple of years. He [...]
Startups tell Labour to snatch talent ‘displaced’ by Trump’s H-1B fee September 23, 2025 An entrepreneur campaign group backed by executives at top UK businesses has urged the Labour government to re-design its Global Talent visa to take innovators “displaced” by President Trump’s radical changes to the H-1B visa. The Startup Coalition has urged Home Office officials to change its Global Talent visa to help individuals re-locate from the [...]
The Entertainer: Staff eye tax-free bonuses as founders cede control August 11, 2025 Almost 2,000 employees of the UK’s biggest toy chain, The Entertainer, are set to receive tax-free bonuses after its founders handed them control of his retail empire. Gary Grant has transferred 100 per cent of his ownership in Teal Group Holdings, which he held alongside his wife Catherine, to an employee ownership trust. The move, [...]
The UK isn’t celebrating risk takers and wealth creators – Castore boss April 29, 2025 The UK is at risk of “taking too many steps down a road of not wanting to celebrate risk takers and wealth creators”, according to the co-CEO of sports apparel brand, Castore. Tom Beahon, who shares the top job with his brother Phil, added “there’s not a lot of incentive for anyone to take risks [...]
I quit the City of London and created £1bn Castore empire April 25, 2025 Cast your eye over the numerous growth lists that get churned out multiple times a year and there is one name that keeps cropping up towards the sharp end – Castore. The Manchester-headquartered brand has been on a skyrocketing journey since being founded by two Merseyside brothers in 2016. But Tom Beahon, who shares CEO [...]