As it happened: FTSE 100 dives as oil marches to $106; Trump threatens long war FTSE 100 Live Welcome back to City AM’s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index shed as much as 0.4 per cent on Thursday morning, as Associated British Foods’ 11 per cent dip cancelled out modest gains from London’s oil majors and consumer giants like JD Sports and Whitbread. Despite recent expectations that the Iran war is far [...]
Tesco and Boots lead 100,000 jobs pledge to tackle Neets crisis Retail Tesco, Boots and dozens of other retailers have pledged to create 100,000 new jobs in a bid to tackle the youth unemployment crisis, which they say is trapping young people in a “doom loop”. A group of top high street firms – which also includes Asda, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer – have joined [...]
John Lewis boss: UK economy facing a ‘permacrisis’ Retail The boss of John Lewis has warned that the UK economy is locked in a “permacrisis” as he urged the government not to hike business rates on large retailers. Peter Ruis, the outgoing managing director of the retail giant, said that British businesses are facing a “permacrisis externally [which] isn’t going to go away”. Last [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Warehouse tax could threaten high street businesses, Burnham warned July 20, 2026 Andy Burnham‘s plans to hike taxes on warehouses to pay for business rates cuts for pubs and shops could backfire and raise costs for high street businesses, industry figures have warned. The UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), a trade body representing retailers including Amazon, Co-op and John Lewis, has written to the new Prime Minister urging [...]
Everton chief calls for full review of England academy talent funding June 10, 2026 Everton technical director Nick Cox, one of the most respected figures in the academy world, has questioned the Premier League’s model for investing in youth development. Cox, who worked at Manchester United’s academy for nine years – six as its director – before joining Everton last year, believes big clubs receive too big a slice [...]
John Lewis, Debenhams censored over Black Friday ads May 20, 2026 John Lewis, Debenhams and Boots have been censored over “misleading” Black Friday ads after being accused of overstating the discounts on offer to shoppers. The three retail giants have had their adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which monitors ads using an AI-powered tool. The watchdog has been cracking down on retailers’ pricing claims [...]
John Lewis hit with click-and-collect lawsuit April 28, 2026 John Lewis is being sued by the owner of London’s Brent Cross shopping centre over claims it should pay for online sales collected in store on top of its annual turnover, despite the lease being signed decades before the surge of online shopping. Hammerson and Standard Life Investments, the property company which operates the North [...]
OK computer: will AI be telling you how to shop? April 14, 2026 Hyped as a “seamless” user experience and an opportunity for retailers to access “hundreds of millions” of consumers via ChatGPT, OpenAI walked back from its Instant Checkout shopping function at the end of March, just months before unveiling it. The tool would have allowed users to complete purchases entirely within ChatGPT, but the Silicon Valley [...]