Third of young Brits brew business ideas at the pub February 18, 2026 A third of young Brits have come up with a business idea over a pint at their local boozer, new research has revealed. Brits are finding unlikely entrepreneurial inspiration in pubs as 18 per cent of all people in the UK have had a light-bulb business moment here, according to new polling by GoDaddy. This [...]
Debenhams shares plunge after £35m capital raise confirmed February 17, 2026 Debenhams shares plunged ten per cent in early deals after the struggling fashion group confirmed plans to launch a £35m equity raising round. The group’s board said the fundraise will allow it to complete its resurgence but the plans did little to calm investors as its share price tumbled on the Tuesday open. Debenhams Group, [...]
Oak Furnitureland pares back losses as firm eyes showroom expansion February 16, 2026 Oak Furnitureland is eyeing further showroom expansion after the retailer improved its profitability. The Swindon-based business is targeting a host of new stores over the course of 2026 following the opening of a new showroom in Coventry in September, and is eyeing a refurbishment of at least half of its existing store estate by the [...]
M&S is now worth more than Snapchat February 12, 2026 Here’s an interesting stock chart comparison that caught my eye this week. For the first time, the market cap of Snapchat owner Snap is now less than supermarket M&S, in a sharp reversal of the tech firm’s fortunes. If you’d spent £1,000 on shares in the social media platform five years ago, you’d be left [...]
Greggs deals help Gerald Ronson’s forecourt business post £100m profit February 11, 2026 The petrol forecourt empire owned by City veteran Gerald Ronson has turned a profit just shy of £100m after an expansion in the firm’s partnership with Greggs. GMR Capital, the parent company behind forecourt firm Rontec, posted pre-tax profit of £98.4m for the year to end September 2025, a jump of 6 per cent compared [...]
Dunelm eyes store expansion as Brits get the blues February 10, 2026 Dunelm is eyeing a major expansion of its store estate as the furniture and homeware store looks to claw more market share from rivals. Chief executive Clo Moriarty, who joined the firm from Sainsbury’s in October, told City AM the FTSE 250 firm had “identified a suite” of new locations and intends to “go after [...]
Tesco snaps up shuttered Amazon Fresh sites in convenience store push February 9, 2026 Tesco plans to open over 70 Express stores across the country by March next year, including at least five new sites in London. In a statement released today, the supermarket chain confirmed it had acquired five former Amazon Fresh stores across the capital. These sites – in Kensington High Street, Hounslow, Moorgate, Aldgate East, and [...]
Salons could ‘pull down shutters for good’ as business rates bite February 2, 2026 The British Beauty Council has urged the government to extend support on business rates to hair and beauty salons, or watch firms up and down the country “pull down their shutters for good”. Victoria Brownlie, chief policy and sustainability officer at the British Beauty Council, warned that the profitability of beauty salons has been “hollowed [...]
Debenhams to retain Pretty Little Thing as fast fashion brands recovers January 28, 2026 Online fashion seller Debenhams is set to retain Pretty Little Thing after considering selling the fast-fashion brand after seeing improvements in profitability. The retailer, which rebranded from Boohoo Group in March 2025, has unveiled its decision to keep the low-cost retailer after first mulling the sale in August as it looked to restructure its business [...]
Exclusive: George Osborne family business pays out nearly £1m despite losses January 27, 2026 George Osborne’s family has received nearly a million pounds in payments from a wallpaper company that has continued to file losses, official accounts show. The former UK Chancellor is slated to have made up to £877,000 alongside his parents and a finance officer working at Osborne & Little, the family-owned wallpaper business which has existed [...]