Reeves’ energy bill crackdown prompts industry backlash Politics Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ push to crack down on “profiteering” among retailers has led to backlash across industry as suppliers are warning of shortages on the horizon. Reeves has been warned by industry bosses that the focus on profiteering lacked justification and was part of a political ploy ahead of crucial elections in May. Asda boss [...]
M&S shakes off cyber chaos with strong Christmas sales Marks & Spencer (M&S) has delivered a steadier than feared Christmas trading update, offering some festive cheer for investors after a year, overshadowed by a costly cyber attack and months of disrupted online sales. The retailer reported group sales of £5bn for the 13 weeks to 27 December, up 3.3 per cent excluding Ocado Retail, [...]
Labour pencils £210m cyber plan to curb escalating attacks Tech The UK government has unveiled a £210m cyber action plan aimed at shoring up the public services, as ministers face mounting pressure to respond to a sharp rise in attacks on major British businesses. The plan, published on Tuesday, comes amid a backdrop of high-profile cyber incidents that hit retailers including M&S, Co-op and Jaguar [...]
The great high street outage of 2025 December 24, 2025 On paper, British high streets have seen worse. Footfall has survived recessions, pandemics and price shocks before, and tills were just about still ringing. But this year it flickered, stalled and, in some cases, went dark – brought to its knees by a wave of cyber attacks that exposed the fragility of retail in the [...]
‘Exceptional’ M&S chair Archie Norman cleared for three more years in role October 14, 2025 Marks and Spencer’s board has unanimously extended Archie Norman’s tenure as chair in light of his “exceptional” performance over the last nine years. While it is uncommon for chairs to stay longer than nine years, the board of M&S agreed that Norman’s “deep knowledge of the business, drive and unique experience” were invaluable to the [...]
Greencore: Strawberry sandwich maker’s shares rise amid M&S cyber fallout October 8, 2025 Shares in Greencore, one of the UK’s major convenience food manufacturers, have risen six per cent following Wednesday’s trading update which highlighted another strong quarter and a robust full-year performance. The FTSE 250-listed group, which supplies sandwiches, rolls and wraps – and notably, the viral Japanese sando-inspired strawberry and cream sandwich – to Marks & [...]
City veteran Lord Rose: UK is ‘at the edge of a crisis’ September 9, 2025 Lord Stuart Rose has launched a scathing attack on the government’s economic strategy, claiming the UK is “at the edge of a crisis.” The City veteran told Times Radio: “I think we should all be worried about the state of Britain today. “Now, I am absolutely an optimist in my life. I’ve been working for [...]
Arrests made after M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyber attacks July 10, 2025 Four people, including three teenagers and a 20-year-old woman, have been arrested in connection with a wave of cyber attacks that crippled M&S, the Co-op and Harrods. The group allegedly unleashed ransomware that stole millions of customer records, shut down online orders and left supermarket shelves bare. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the individuals [...]
M&S chair: UK needs to muscle up to tackle cyber threats July 8, 2025 M&S chair Archie Norman has said the UK is probably underresourced to tackle cyber threats and needs to boost its security level to encourage investment. Speaking to lawmakers on Tuesday, Norman said that the UK is “just not resourced up to operate at [the US] level.” “It’s very advantageous if we in this country have [...]
M&S shares sink lower after failing to recover from cyber attack July 8, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 giant M&S are now lower than they were at the height of the cyber attack that hit the British icon earlier this year. The retailer’s shares are currently changing hands for 337p, after declining steadily from their 374p price on 16 June. That price was itself a recovery from the low [...]