Healey plans £1bn e-commerce crackdown to fund retail tax breaks October 14, 2026 John Healey is preparing to announce a £1bn tax crackdown on online marketplaces like Amazon and Temu to fund tax cuts for high street shops. At the Budget later this month, the Chancellor is expected to make e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Ebay and Temu responsible for collecting tax owed by the sellers using their site, [...]
We’ll cut Neet support if Healey hikes taxes, warns boss of B&Q owner Kingfisher October 14, 2026 The boss of B&Q-owner Kingfisher has warned John Healey that the FTSE 100 firm may have to cut its support for unemployed young people if the Chancellor hikes taxes. Thierry Garnier, the retail group’s chief executive, wrote in City AM that the Chancellor must exempt shops from the highest bracket of business rates at the [...]
Lidl snaps up market share as rival Aldi stalls October 13, 2026 Lidl is the fastest-growing grocer in the UK, new figures suggest, as the discount supermarket grabs more market share while its rivals stall. The German discounter held 8.6 per cent of the UK’s grocer market in the 12 weeks to October, according to Worldpanel by Numerator, up from 8.2 per cent a year ago. This [...]
Retailers press Healey to cut high street taxes at crunch Downing St meeting October 13, 2026 Retailers urged John Healey to “reverse the damage” of rising high street taxes as the Chancellor met industry bosses on Tuesday. Top retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer pressed Healey on business rates and youth unemployment but the Chancellor stopped short of confirming any Budget measures. Healey hosted high street bosses at Number [...]
Retail sales ‘sluggish’ as shoppers feel cautious ahead of Budget October 13, 2026 British retail sales showed “sluggish” growth last month as shoppers became increasingly cautious ahead of the Autumn Budget. Total sales at retailers increased by 1.3 per cent in the 12 months to September, compared to 2.3 per cent growth in September 2025, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Big Four giant KPMG. The [...]
Asos hackers claim responsibility for Air France-KLM data breach October 12, 2026 The group behind the hack of fast-fashion retailer Asos have claimed responsibility for a data breach of airline group Air France-KLM, City AM can reveal. The individuals who claimed responsibility for the Asos data breach, who call themselves Xuanye Group, last week circulated data which they claimed was obtained from the airline group. Air France-KLM [...]
HMV shuts flagship Oxford Street store just three years after comeback October 12, 2026 HMV is set to close its flagship Oxford Street store just three years after its comeback to the location where it was founded more than a century ago. The music and entertainment retailer said the site will shut its doors in March next year, blaming a doubled rent bill and the cost of “substantial” renovations. [...]
King’s favourite interior designer hits back at investor pressure October 12, 2026 The under-fire chairwoman of King Charles’s favourite interior design firm has hit back at the “distracting” investor plot to remove her. Dame Dianne Thompson, chair of London-listed Sanderson Design Group, wrote to shareholders on Monday urging them to slap down a major investor’s “disruptive” attempts to oust her. LBV Asset Management, which owns 12 per [...]
Retail bosses ramp up pressure on Healey to cut ‘ridiculous’ tax burden October 11, 2026 The bosses of Marks & Spencer and John Lewis have piled further pressure on the government to slash the “ridiculous” tax burden facing high street firms. Stuart Machin, chief executive of M&S, called on Chancellor John Healey to “restore hope” within the retail industry by turning a corner from Labour’s last two budgets, which he [...]
Retailers suffer ‘sharp decline’ in footfall October 9, 2026 Retail footfall took a dive in September as shoppers stayed away from shopping centres, prompting calls for the Chancellor to slash taxes for high street firms. In September, the UK’s total retail footfall fell by 2.9 per cent, far worse than the 1.7 per cent decline recorded in the month prior, according to the British [...]