Autumn Budget: B&Q boss hands Reeves tool kit for growth Retail Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the boss of retail stalwart B&Q warns truly fixing the foundations starts with building confidence. After Labour’s monumental 2024 general election sweep, Chancellor Rachel Reeves seized her economic tool kit, telling Britons she was “fixing [...]
Brighton Pier up for sale as Reeves’ tax hikes bite Business Brighton Pier Group, which was taken private earlier this year, has placed all its assets on the market as it battles “an extremely challenging trading environment” and the impact of Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes. In its first set of accounts since quitting the London Stock Exchange’s AIM in May, the group said it is “now [...]
Labour has ‘unbelievably harsh stance’ on big businesses hospitality It is “unbelievable” that the Labour government has “taken such a harsh stance” on big businesses, the chief executive of restaurant chain Pizza Express has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Paula MacKenzie said the industry had been “somewhat decimated” by the Covid-19 pandemic and has then been hit [...]
Manufacturers urge government to ‘get growth off the floor’ at Budget November 4, 2025 The manufacturing industry has warned the government to prioritise growth in the Budget as the sector fights back from a year-long downturn in the face of “existential threats.” Manufacturers have faced mounting pressures over the last 12 months as business costs soared in the aftermath of Labour’s first Budget before tariff uncertainty and persistently high [...]
Reeves’ Budget tax hikes force nearly 5,000 pubs to the brink November 3, 2025 The tax hikes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Budget have contributed to almost 5,000 pubs now being rated at maximum risk and becoming technically insolvent, according to new research. Figures from Price Bailey have revealed that just over 4,7000 pubs are now in that position, a 14 per cent rise on this [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves told avoid ‘pick and mix’ tax grabs October 23, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the managing director of TheCityUK warns Reeves not to patch up the tax tire just for it to deflate once more. The Chancellor has touted financial and professional services for their role “at the [...]
Why don’t London’s luxury hotels make any money? October 13, 2025 London is home to some of the most iconic and well-known luxury hotels in the world. The Savoy, the Ritz, The Dorchester and Claridge’s, to name just a few, are renowned the world over and have played host to the ultra wealth, celebrities and royalty. Also appearing in a string of popular films, London’s luxury [...]
British icon in the red after Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes costs jobs October 10, 2025 John Smedley, the historic family-owned luxury knitwear brand, has been forced to raise prices and make redundancies as it battles Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes as it fell into the red. The Derbyshire-headquartered business can trace its roots back to 1784 and is currently run by the eighth generation of the Smedley family. Executive chairman [...]
Autumn Budget: ‘Window is closing’ on Labour’s growth mission October 9, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of BusinessLDN shares what he thinks could be the capital’s 21st century moment. The “window is closing” on the government’s mission to achieve economic growth, the boss of London’s business advocacy group [...]
Frasers Group chairman urges Unite to avoid ‘reckless’ strike October 3, 2025 The chairman of retail giant Frasers Group has urged Unite the Union to avoid “reckless and irresponsible” strike action as retail firms across the UK feel the crunch of rising cost pressures. Sir Jonathan Thompson, who took the role of Chair in September, has asked the Union’s General Secretary Sharon Graham to reconsider plans to [...]