Currys shares soar after retailer posts growth across divisions Retail Electricals retailer Currys recorded a jump in cash flow as the firm out-performed competitors with growth across in-store and online sales. Currys posted profit before tax for the year ending May 3 2025 of £162m, falling in line with expectations of a 37 per cent increase pencilled in earlier this year. Net cash – the [...]
Greggs: Have we finally reached ‘peak sausage roll’? Retail Greggs share price took a battering this morning as investors shied away from the high street bakery after a disappointing sales update. While Greggs blamed the slowdown on hot weather reducing demand for steak bakes and sausage rolls, analysts have pointed to more serious underlying issues. The unexpected announcement was the latest in a string [...]
Santander snaps up TSB Bank for £2.9bn Banking Santander UK has acquired high street bank TSB in a landmark £2.9bn deal that will significantly beef up the lender’s market share. The bank’s bid for an all-cash takeover from its Spanish peer Banco Sabadell values TSB at five times its expected 2026 net income. TSB will add five million customers, £34bn in mortgages and [...]
WH Smith knocks down price of high street stores to close sale June 30, 2025 WH Smith has been forced to reduce its offer price for its high street arm by £ 12m amid lower-than-expected cash flow in the period leading up to the sale. The move will see WH Smith become a pure-play travel retailer, and its high street arm will be rebranded to TG Jones. The Swindon-headquartered company [...]
H&M to shed light on turnaround amid consumer confidence slump June 21, 2025 H&M investors will be hoping the high street fashion chain shows it is on the road to recovery next week despite caution among many shoppers. The retailer is expected to report a slight rise in sales for the latest quarter in an update on Thursday June 26 as it continues with its turnaround strategy. It [...]
Alarm bells as retail sales suffer largest fall in 18 months June 20, 2025 UK high streets suffered from post-Easter fatigue among shoppers as official data showed retail sales dropped by 2.7 per cent in May. The Office for National Statistics said a fall in sales in May represented the largest month-on-month drop since December 2023. A Bloomberg poll of economists expected retail sales to drop by 0.5 per [...]
Holly Tucker: I was lost after leaving Not On The High Street June 19, 2025 Holly Tucker, founder of retail behemoth Not On The High Street, tells us about leaving her business and setting up anew in this week's Square Mile and Me.
Poundland to close 68 stores in restructuring plan June 17, 2025 Poundland has announced the closure of just under 10 per cent of its estate as its restructuring plan takes shape under new ownership. The discount retailer, previously owned by Pepco, was acquired by investment giant Gordon Brothers for just £1 after a prolonged period of declining sales. The chain has struggled with “challenging trading conditions”, [...]
Retail shrinks by over 360,000 jobs in a decade June 10, 2025 The number of retail jobs in the UK has shrunk by more than a tenth since 2015, according to new data. There were 2.76m jobs in retail in March 2025, 360,000 fewer than in 2015, according to the latest report by the ONS. The number of full-time jobs has fallen by 117,000 since 2015, while the number [...]
Boots: Profit jumps after closing hundreds of stores June 5, 2025 Profit at Boots has surged as the high street pharmacy chain closed hundreds of stores during its latest financial year as its owners abandoned plans for an initial public offering (IPO). The Nottingham-headquartered business shuttered 334 locations in the year to the end of August 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. Instead [...]