WH Smith delays results by more than a month as accounting struggles persist Retail WH Smith has delayed the publication of its results by more than a month as it wrestles to get to the bottom of accounting issues that caused profit expectations to be overstated by tens of millions of pounds. The global travel retailer was due to publish its preliminary results on 12 November, but has now [...]
PwC shrinks global headcount amid $1.5bn AI drive Prof Services Big Four giant PwC has shrunk its global workforce for the first time since 2010, trimming staff numbers by nearly 6,000, as the chairman cited investments in AI tools. In its annual report, published on Tuesday, PwC firms reported record gross revenues of $56.9bn for the 12 months ending 30 June 2025, marking a 2.7 [...]
Padel Travel X and Oliver Wyman win at Evelyn Partners Padel Cup Sport Business A stellar line-up of City firms including EY, PwC and Clifford Chance, sporting royalty Michael Vaughan and Anthony Watson, and pro players turned out for the inaugural Evelyn Partners Padel Cup last week. Specialist tourism company Padel Travel X scooped the top prize, beating EY in the final of a keenly contested 16-team tournament at [...]
UK legal sector sees strong growth but AI puts pressure on hourly billing system October 20, 2025 The legal sector in the UK continues to outperform despite challenging market conditions but the uncertainty around cyber attacks could impede firms’ strategic objectives. According to the PwC Law Firm Survey 2025, the Top 10 law firms have reported UK fee income growth of 8.1 per cent, compared to 5.2 per cent across all international [...]
Cautious Brits plan to cut spending ahead of Golden Quarter October 17, 2025 Nearly three quarters of Brits plan to cut spending for the rest of 2025 as consumers continue to prioritise saving over splashing out. While consumer sentiment has remained flat at -5 over summer, inflation worries have been rising and nearly nine in ten Brits now report concerns, according to the latest Consumer Sentiment Survey from [...]
UK banks tax rate rises as fears of a budget raid spike October 15, 2025 The tax rate on the UK banking sector rose in the last financial year as the industry braces for a potential hike to its financial burden in the Autumn Budget. A fresh study from banking industry body UK Finance and PwC revealed London lender’s total tax rate rose 0.6 per cent to 46.4 per cent [...]
Whitehall pledges skills drive as AI wounds UK’s job market September 23, 2025 The UK government is seeking to strike a balance between the promise and the perils of AI, with ministers insisting they are preparing for a range of outcomnes as the technology reshapes the labour market. Kanisha Narayan, a junior minister at the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), said the administration was “monitoring data [...]
PwC UK profits edge up as headcount reductions take effect September 17, 2025 Big Four giant PwC UK has shown steady financial recovery, with revenue, profits, and profit per partner all increasing slightly compared to the previous year, largely due to the implementation of headcount cuts. For the year ended 30 June 2025, PwC UK generated £6.35bn in revenue, up 0.4 per cent on the previous year. Its [...]
M&A activity declines as investors opt for high-value deals September 5, 2025 UK merger and acquisition (M&A) activity declined in the first half of the year, as investors sought strategic deals amid market volatility. The total deal value of UK M&A declined 12.3 per cent from £65.3bn to £57.3bn according to a report from professional services group PwC. Deal volume also softened with just 1,478 transactions in the [...]
Big Four PwC ramps up office attendance monitoring August 13, 2025 PwC has increased its monitoring of employees’ office attendance by tracking key card usage and WiFi connections to ensure staff comply with requirements