‘Bumper’ Boxing Day provides boost to struggling high streets Retail Boxing Day was a “bumper day” for all UK retail destinations as data shows shopper footfall was up 4.4 per cent on last year, making it the strongest increase in more than a decade, industry analysts said. The retail sector may end the year on a “positive note” as December 26 saw shoppers flock to [...]
Alibaba.com: How AI is reshaping B2B sales and entrepreneurship Retail For Alibaba.com, the true transformative power of AI won’t be for customers; it will be for business-to-business sales. Multimodal search, such as AI search using multiple data points, is driving a “paradigm shift” in global e-commerce, says Alibaba.com president Kuo Zhang at CoCreate Europe. “We’re completely redesigning what search is… for this year alone, our multimodal [...]
Retail sales drop in pre-Budget disappointment Retail Retail sales fell 1.1 per cent in October, following a 0.7 per cent rise last month, in a “disappointing” start to the all-important festive season ahead of the budget next week. Sales in clothing were particularly affected as shoppers took a more cautious approach, with spending “constrained by consumer nervousness amid mixed messaging from a [...]
Economic uncertainty pushes potential house buyers to hold off September 30, 2025 An unpredictable economic and policy landscape has caused a slowdown in housebuying activity in the UK, according to new data. There were 93,630 UK residential transactions in August, two per cent higher than August 2024 but two per cent lower than July 2025, according to HMRC. There’s been a “noticeable shift” in sentiment amongst Brits [...]
Next share price slumps on gloomy prediction for UK economy September 18, 2025 Next shares sunk on Thursday morning after the retailer issued a stark warning that the UK faces ‘anaemic’ growth due to a combination of technological and regulatory changes. Despite reporting a 10 per cent rise in half-year sales, the FTSE100 company flagged “strong evidence” of a material squeeze on wider UK employment levels due to [...]
Health-conscious Brits lead Dash Water to record-breaking summer September 18, 2025 Health-conscious Brits are expected to have helped sales surge by almost half at soft drink brand Dash Water thanks to a record summer. The business, which is based in London, has revealed its revenue is forecast to jump by 45 per cent in 2025 to £42m. The business, which is based in London and was [...]
Diageo: Profit at FTSE 100 giant tumbles despite Guinness growth August 5, 2025 Profit at FTSE 100 giant Diageo has fallen far short of expectations as high costs hammer the drinks giant. Net sales fell 0.1 per cent to $20.24bn (£15.24bn), Diageo told markets this morning, below analysts’ expectations of 1.4 per cent. It expects next year’s organic sales growth to be flat, and for organic operating profit [...]
Currys shares soar after retailer posts growth across divisions July 3, 2025 Electricals retailer Currys recorded a jump in cash flow as the firm out-performed competitors with growth across in-store and online sales. Currys posted profit before tax for the year ending May 3 2025 of £162m, falling in line with expectations of a 37 per cent increase pencilled in earlier this year. Net cash – the [...]
Ghost Ship producer Adnams slashes losses May 29, 2025 Ghost Ship producer Adnams has halved its operating loss amid a commercial turnaround plan, although retail sales continue to suffer. The Suffolk-based company, which makes cask ale, bottled beers and spirits, said that sales increased three per cent to £68.1m in the 12 months ended December 31. Its operating loss shrank by more than half, [...]
Marriott to acquire smart hotel brand CitizenM for £266m April 28, 2025 Marriott International will acquire hotel and lifestyle brand CitizenM for £266m as it looks to expand its select-service and lifestyle lodging offerings. CitizenM, which opened its first hotel in 2008, currently operates 36 open hotels – with 8,544 rooms – across more than 20 cities. The brand’s current pipeline includes three under-construction hotels comprising over 600 [...]