Shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher unexpectedly spike after sales boost September 23, 2025 Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix, saw its share price rise more than 17 per cent on Tuesday morning after posting a better-than-expected sales update. The FTSE 100 firm told markets that sales improved 0.9 per cent in the six months ended 31 July, 2025, to £6.8bn, driven by a 4.4 per cent [...]
Heinz: UK profit rockets despite ketchup and baked beans battles September 22, 2025 Profit has nearly doubled at the UK arm of Heinz despite “strong competition” from rivals to its sauces and beans categories. The London-headquartered division of the US giant has reported a pre-tax profit of £191.9m for 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The total is up from the £104.1m it achieved in [...]
Oxford Street one-day traffic ban is start of ‘fight to rescue street’, mayor says September 21, 2025 The mayor of London has said a one-day trial banning traffic from part of Oxford Street marks “the day the fight back began to rescue this street”. Sir Sadiq Khan visited the street, where vehicles were prohibited from accessing a half-mile stretch of the road from Oxford Circus to Orchard Street between noon and 8pm [...]
Warm weather bolsters retail sales ahead of all-important golden quarter September 19, 2025 Retail sales were bolstered by good weather and rising real incomes this summer, but the struggling sector is looking ahead to the festive season for a bigger boost. Sales fell by 0.1 per cent in the three months to August 2025 when compared with the three months to May 2025, according to the Office for [...]
Reeves’ tax hikes ‘won’t bring inflation down anytime soon’, Smeg warns September 18, 2025 The tax hikes introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Autumn Budget will mean it is “sometime” before inflation gets down to the government’s two per cent target, the UK arm of kitchenware brand Smeg has warned. The Abingdon-based division said the increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions, which came into effect in April, [...]
Will Shu quits as Deliveroo CEO after denying he planned to leave September 18, 2025 The CEO of Deliveroo, Will Shu, has announced his decision to step down from the company he co-founded in 2013, just months after the company denied he had any plans to leave. In February, after growing speculation Shu was preparing to exit the tech business later in the year, Deliveroo issued a statement in which [...]
Autumn budget and inflation worries drag down consumer confidence September 18, 2025 Consumer confidence slumped in September as concerns about the state of the UK economy and the possibility of higher taxes weighed on Brits’ minds. Expectations of the state of the overall economy worsened to -36 in September, down from -32 in August, according to the British Retail Consortium. Brits’ personal financial situations also slipped to [...]
Temu: UK sales and profit double as Shein court battle looms September 17, 2025 Sales and profit at the UK arm of Chinese online marketplace Temu almost doubled during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. For 2024, the division achieved a revenue of $63.2m (£46.3m), up from the $32.1m it achieved in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House also show its pre-tax profit jumped from $2m [...]
Whittard of Chelsea brews up bumper funding deal with OakNorth September 16, 2025 Whittard of Chelsea has secured a bumper funding deal worth £12m with digital bank OakNorth “to support its continued growth and expansion”. The Oxfordshire-headquartered company said it is now “well-positioned” to build on its UK base and expand further into international markets such as China and the US. The funding news comes after Whittard of [...]
The Apprentice star gets £20m pay day after Lord Alan Sugar deal September 16, 2025 A star of hit BBC One show The Apprentice has enjoyed a bumper pay day to the tune of £20m for the year after buying out Lord Alan Sugar. Entrepreneur Susie Ma, who was a finalist on the 2011 series, took back full control of the company she founded in 2004 at the age of [...]