Autumn Budget: B&Q boss hands Reeves tool kit for growth November 12, 2025 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 [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Vodafone shares lead blue-chip rally; Unemployment rises November 11, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. What are you looking forward to more – Black Friday or Budget day? They are two vital days that UK retailers are bracing for in this month’s calendar, both of which can provide a major boost to firms – or crushing disappointment. Retail sales today show another [...]
Who is ‘Drastic Dave’, the man sent to save Diageo? November 11, 2025 Diageo shareholders breathed a sigh of relief this morning after the FTSE 100 drinks giant unveiled the appointment of its new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis. Shares rose 7.5 per cent in morning trading to 1,856 pence following the selection of the retail and consumer goods veteran, rebounding from their sharp drop last Thursday following [...]
Retailers hit by subdued October as Budget threat looms November 11, 2025 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 [...]
Barclay family’s Very Group snapped up by US private equity giant November 10, 2025 Online retailer The Very Group has been snapped up by a US private equity giant, ending an over 20 year tenure of ownership under the Barclay family. The group will now be controlled by Washington-based Carlyle alongside Abu Dhabi-based investment fund International Media Investments (IMI). It marks the latest offshoring of businesses for the Barclay [...]
Brighton Pier up for sale as Reeves’ tax hikes bite November 6, 2025 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 [...]
Diageo shares slide on profit warning after weak Chinese demand November 6, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 drinks giant Diageo have fallen after weak demand in China and the US hurt sales and profit expectations. The group said its operating profit growth was set to be in the low to mid single-digit range for the year to June 2026, down from its previous guidance of mid single digits. [...]
Uber Eats new tech aims to beat Deliveroo in Christmas delivery war November 6, 2025 The annual Christmas rush, characterised by frantic supermarket dashes and sold-out delivery slots, is undergoing a fundamental change, with on-demand delivery cementing its role as the crucial last-minute lifeline. Uber Eats has laid out its strategy to dominate this market, deploying a heavy suite of new tech aimed at maximising order efficiency and expanding into [...]
AI-assisted shopping starts to go mainstream November 5, 2025 The promised AI revolution in shopping is starting to materialise, with shoppers increasingly trusting agents for personal recommendations ahead of the festive season. Traffic to retail sites from AI tools is expected to surge fivefold year-over-year, with particular boosts on Cyber Monday and Black Friday, according to Adobe. “Traditional models of how consumers react with [...]
High Court rejects Square Mile Tom James’ legal case against former employee November 5, 2025 The High Court has dismissed a lawsuit to enforce restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations against a former employee of giant Tom James in the Square Mile. Tom James is the world’s largest manufacturer and retailer of customised clothing, and in the City, where some suits are priced at around £2,500, it tailors to working professionals. [...]