Soaring food costs send shop price inflation higher Retail Soaring food costs pushed shop price inflation higher in December, fresh data has revealed, as Brits faced the crunch during the Christmas season. Food inflation reached 3.3 per cent in the final month of 2025, up from three per cent in November, with fresh produce rising to 3.8 per cent from 3.6 per cent previously. [...]
UK consumers cut spending amid wider economic nerves Economics UK consumers’ debit and credit card spending slumped in 2025 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic as wider economic nerves knocked confidence. Card spending fell 0.2 per cent in the last 12 months, according to Barclays, a sharp contrast to the 1.6 per cent growth recorded in 2024. Just a quarter of British [...]
Retailers hit by subdued October as Budget threat looms Retail UK retailers suffered a “subdued” October as Brits tightened their pockets ahead of what is expected to be a tax-heavy Autumn Budget. Retail sales increased 1.6 per cent year-on-year but remained below the 12-month average of 2.1 per cent, marking the weakest growth since May. The new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves must avoid tax encore for retail, HMV boss warns October 29, 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 HMV joins a chorus of warnings to give the retail sector some reprieve. As high street music retailer HMV breezes into the all-important golden quarter, boss Phillip Halliday is eyeing a chart-topper [...]
Blackrock encourages investors to increase exposure to hedge funds August 21, 2025 Institutional investors should increase their exposure to hedge funds in order to generate potentially higher returns, Blackrock has said. In the latest paper of the firm’s Investment Institute, strategists encouraged more money to be placed in hedge funds, as ongoing economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions erode returns on traditional investment assets, such as bonds and [...]
UK retail sales bounce back as Brits enjoyed warmest June on record July 25, 2025 Sales for UK retailers rose last month as Britons enjoyed the warmest June on record, which helped drive sales of food and drink, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said overall retail sales volume rose by 0.9 per cent in June, following a 2.8 per cent fall in May, as consumers [...]
H&M to shed light on turnaround amid consumer confidence slump June 21, 2025 H&M investors will be hoping the high street fashion chain shows it is on the road to recovery next week despite caution among many shoppers. The retailer is expected to report a slight rise in sales for the latest quarter in an update on Thursday June 26 as it continues with its turnaround strategy. It [...]
Hornby: Mike Ashley-advised toy train giant steams ahead after festive boost January 8, 2025 Hornby, the international toy company advised by billionaire Frasers Group founder Mike Ashley, reported a boost in sales thanks to a bumper festive season and first-time customer attraction. The international models and collectables group told markets today it witnessed a seven per cent surge in group sales for the third quarter ended 31 December. Group sales for [...]
‘Silent crisis’ for retailers with record online returns – but can fees stop it? October 21, 2024 Online returns are set to top £27bn this year as the ‘silent crisis’ continues to squeeze retailers, with over a fifth of non-food purchases now returned, according to fresh data. With 10 per cent of shoppers accounting for a quarter of all returns, so-called ‘serial returners’ will make up £6.6bn of that figure – with [...]