‘Smoke and mirrors’: Why high street still faces a £250m tax hike under Healey Retail Andy Burnham propelled himself to Downing Street by pledging a revival of Britain’s struggling high streets. Felix Armstrong asks: has John Healey delivered it? Among the sectors clamouring for John Healey’s attention ahead of his maiden Budget, none were louder than those calling for the government to revitalise Britain’s ailing high street retailers. Shuttered shops, [...]
PureGym bulks up with £235m Swiss expansion Leisure PureGym is muscling in on the Swiss gym market after signing a £235m deal to bulk up its presence in the European country. The gym operator, which is the UK’s largest by membership, has agreed to acquire NonStop Gym, one of Switzerland’s biggest fitness groups. PureGym’s latest expansion comes as the no-frills gym operator seeks [...]
Britain’s biggest bingo chain explores sale despite tax raid threat Leisure The owner of the UK’s biggest bingo hall operator is exploring a sale of the company, even as gambling bosses warn a huge tax raid could threaten the industry. Asset manager ICG has appointed bankers to advise on discussions with potential buyers for Buzz Bingo, it is understood. The Nottingham-based chain is looking for a [...]
Hollywood Bowl calls on dynamic pricing as heatwaves hit sales October 7, 2026 Hollywood Bowl called on its dynamic pricing system to endure falling ten-pin demand during the summer’s record heatwaves, prompting a share price boost. Britain’s biggest ten-pin bowling operator said the summer’s “exceptionally prolonged, dry weather” had “heavily impacted” its trading, as UK like-for-like revenue fell 5.6 per cent in the second half of this year. [...]
Mike Ashley continues leisure push with Boom Battle Bar deal September 30, 2026 A company backed by Mike Ashley has snapped up Boom Battle Bar for £11m, extending the retail tycoon’s push into leisure and hospitality. Leisure operator We Do Play, which is backed by Ashley’s Frasers Group, has bought back the business its bosses founded from experiential leisure group XP Factory. Mike Ashley began his retail empire [...]
Luxury gym chain Third Space muscles up with record revenue ahead of potential sale September 15, 2026 Luxury gym operator Third Space has grown its turnover by more than a third, topping £100m for the first time, as City workers flock to the upmarket health club. The gym provider notched a 36 per cent bounce in revenue to £135m in the year to December 2025, while its pre-tax profit rose by more [...]
Bingo giant takes hit from rising employment costs September 1, 2026 The country’s biggest bingo hall operator has hit out at the “significant” hikes to employment costs which dragged down its earnings despite surging Gen-Z interest in the pastime. Buzz Bingo, formerly Gala, blamed recent increases in employer national insurance contributions (NICs) and the minimum wage for its six per cent dip in underlying earnings, to [...]
Ari Emmanuel snaps up West End theatre group ATG for £4.5bn August 11, 2026 Hollywood tycoon Ari Emmanuel has snapped up the theatre group behind West End venues including the Savoy and the Ambassadors in a deal worth around £4.5bn. Emmanuel, who runs an A-list media agency and helms the group which owns UFC, said the deal underscores the “growing power of live experience and the passionate audiences it [...]
Peak chicken? Domino’s hatches plan to swoop into fried chicken market August 5, 2026 Months after parting ways with the chief executive whose bet on chicken caused a flutter, Domino’s Pizza has led a charge back into the henhouse. Andrew Rennie, the pizza delivery giant’s former boss, caused a flap last November when he defended a novel expansion into fried chicken by declaring that British consumers were nearing so-called [...]
Iran war woes cause jump in London-listed profit warnings July 20, 2026 The rising energy costs and fragile consumer confidence caused by the Iran war have driven a jump in the number of profit warnings issued by London-listed firms. UK-listed companies issued 59 profit warnings in the first half of this year, up from 55 last year, with more than half of these being blamed on policy [...]