Seabrook: Crisps brand issues warning over Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes May 22, 2025 The company behind crisps brand Seabrook has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget tax hikes will have an impact on its bottom line this year. The Cheshire-based UK arm of Japanese giant Calbee pointed to the increase in the National Living Wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions, which came into affect in April, as key [...]
Firms delay tax payments as costs soar May 19, 2025 Unpaid business tax liabilities are averaging as much as £28bn a month this year, official data has revealed, suggesting firms are struggling to keep up with mounting costs. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £40bn tax hikes last autumn, including rises to employers’ national insurance contributions, were designed to lift the public finances and reduce borrowing. But new [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes to cost Timpson £12m extra a year May 16, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget tax hikes are set to cost the business empire of fellow government minister Lord James Timpson £12m extra a year, it has been revealed. The Manchester-headquartered group said the increases in employer’s National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage will eat into its earnings in the years to come. [...]
Top private school warns Reeves’ ‘unwelcome’ tax hikes will cost millions May 13, 2025 One of the top private schools in the UK is “taking stock” as it warns Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes will cost it millions. Gresham’s School, whose former students include Sir James Dyson – who donated £35m in 2023 – added it will have to now take action to make sure it “does not become [...]
Quooker: Labour’s policies are hitting our growth May 12, 2025 The boss of instant hot water tap brand Quooker has branded the Labour government “less helpful than helpful” as its decisions are dampening confidence and curtailing investment. UK managing director Stephen Johnson has revealed that rising costs, low consumer confidence and a shrinking kitchen market are making expansion increasingly difficult despite Quooker seeing another 10 [...]
Ray-Ban owner issues warning after UK sales fall May 9, 2025 The owner of Ray-Ban has issued a warning over its performance this year after its UK sales and profit fell in 2024. The UK arm of Luxottica Group said the increase in the cost of goods and services is expected to negatively impact its gross and operating profit this year. The group added that the [...]
Construction industry ‘not expected to recover’ in 2025, building supplier Lords says May 8, 2025 The UK construction industry is unlikely to recover before the end of the year, one of Britain’s biggest building materials suppliers has said, as firms wrestle with rising taxes and increased uncertainty. London-listed Lords said it was continuing to focus on delivering efficiencies to deal with cost pressures and “an increasingly onerous regulatory environment” after [...]
Next set to reveal profit increases amidst tariff uncertainty May 3, 2025 Next is expected to post rising profits next week despite a string of costs increases hitting retailers and broader concerns about UK consumer confidence. The retail giant will reveal its first quarter results on May 8, hot on the heels of profits of more than £1bn last year. Next, which has more than 450 stores [...]
Jobs market saw March boost ahead of ‘Awful April’ April 17, 2025 Job postings steadily increased in March in signs that employers have built some resilience ahead of tax hikes and sweeping cost rises in what has been labelled ’Awful April’. Active job postings grew by 3.3 per cent compared to the month before as London saw the second highest increase across the country, according to the [...]
British firms brace for ‘eye-watering’ April cost hikes April 1, 2025 Businesses across the UK are bracing for one of the worst weeks of cost hikes in recent history, with industry groups warning that the “eye-watering” rise in firms’ overheads will hamper investment and hiring, and result in higher prices at the till. Hikes to the minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions announced in October’s [...]