Burnham urged to go further to fix ‘broken’ business rates July 14, 2026 Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham must broaden his plans to reform the “broken and unsustainable” business rates system, hospitality and retail industry leaders have warned. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to slash business rates for high street firms but a coalition of trade bodies has urged him to go further. Ros [...]
Heatwave slows retail sales but World Cup boosts online shopping July 14, 2026 June’s scorching heat slowed retail sales, but Brits opted to shop from home instead, sending online sales soaring. Total retail sales in the UK slowed from 3.7 per cent in May to 1.9 per cent in June year on year, in line with this year’s average growth rate, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
Pubs toast England World Cup victory over Mexico July 6, 2026 British pubs served more than six million pints during England’s World Cup victory against Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning. The UK’s hospitality sector was handed a boost after the government decided to allow pubs to stay open until 5am, having initially extended licensing hours until only 1am. The country’s pubs made the [...]
Burnham’s high street tax plan carries £880m price tag July 6, 2026 Andy Burnham’s plans to overhaul business rates in favour of Britain’s high streets could cost around £880m a year, according to new analysis, as questions mount over how the Labour leadership frontrunner would pay for one of his first major tax reforms. Forecasts by global tax firm Ryan suggest Burnham’s proposal to expand Small Business [...]
Currys launches £50m buyback as it shrugs off market slowdown July 2, 2026 Currys said it would launch a £50m share buyback after it posted a jump in profit and shrugged off a wider market slowdown by expanding its offerings and cutting its cost base through redundancies. The tech retailer said its UK and Ireland revenue ticked up three per cent to £5.4bn and “outperformed the market” following [...]
FTSE 100 giant ABF shares slide as it braces for £60m sugar crash after Iran war July 1, 2026 FTSE 100 giant Associated British Foods has issued a major warning on the state of its sugar businesses over “the duration and severity of the Middle East conflict”. The multinational conglomerate – which spans across the food and retail industry – said it expects its sugar operation to deliver a loss of as much as [...]
Heatwave drives shoppers off high streets in blow to retailers June 26, 2026 Record June temperatures have driven British shoppers off of the high streets in a blow to already struggling retailers. The heatwave pushed retail footfall across the UK as much as 10 per cent lower this week, according to data collected by Sensormatic for City AM. In London, where temperatures reached 36C, high streets took an [...]
B&M poaches Asda exec in bid to shake off accounting blunder June 24, 2026 B&M has poached an Asda executive to replace the chief financial officer who quit over a £7m accounting blunder, as the retailer eyes a drastic turnaround. The FTSE 250 firm said on Wednesday that Atheeq Akbar, currently vice president of commercial finance at Asda, will join the firm as chief financial officer next year. B&M’s [...]
‘Dispiriting’: Ministers speed up crackdown on Shein and Temu – by just six months June 23, 2026 Retailers have criticised the government for failing to move fast enough on closing a tax loophole that they say favours fast-fashion importers like Shein and Temu. High street businesses had been urging the government to bring forward its planned end to the “de minimis” regime, which exempts imports worth less than £135 from paying tax. [...]
TG Jones backs down from clash with landlords in bid to save stores June 23, 2026 TG Jones has been forced to offer a string of concessions to its landlords after proposals to slash rent in a bid to avert the collapse of hundreds of former WH Smith stores. The retailer, formerly the high street arm of WH Smith, has convinced FTSE 100 landowner British Land to drop its opposition to [...]