FTSE 100 Live: Stocks slump as oil rises; Reeves tax hikes trigger borrowing boost April 23, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. An extended ceasefire may have been announced in the Middle East, but its left markets with major appetite for further peace before investor sentiment recovers. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – was trading back over the $100 mark on Thursday morning. [...]
Original Factory Shop closes all stores amid collapse April 16, 2026 The Original Factory Shop has closed all 137 stores and its head office, after the retailer collapsed into administration amid growing industry fears over weak consumer confidence and high taxes. The discount department store was put into administration along with Claire’s Accessories earlier this year, as private equity firm Modella Capital said government policy was [...]
TG Jones owner Modella Capital weighs latest asset sale March 10, 2026 The investment firm which owns TG Jones is reportedly considering the latest exit from its string of retail acquisitions. Modella Capital has been discussing a potential sale of Wynsors World of Shoes, a northern shoeseller which the firm acquired just three months ago, according to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. The private equity firm has repeatedly [...]
Owner of former WH Smith shops calls for help as stores at risk March 2, 2026 The investment firm which owns a string of former WH Smith stores has called in emergency advisors as it prepares for a drastic restructuring which could leave 80 stores at risk. Modella Capital, which bought stationers WH Smith’s retail division in June 2025, has brought on advisers at consultancy firm Teneo to direct its restructuring, [...]
Pizza Hut, Poundland and WH Smith: The high street brands that closed stores in 2025 December 29, 2025 A raft of major UK retail and hospitality brands shut down stores across the UK this year, with other high street mainstays closing their doors for good. It came amid a backdrop of pressure on consumer finances, rising inflation for most of the year and increased costs for businesses. As a result, numerous businesses launched [...]
I read 100 books in 2 years. Here’s what I learnt. December 24, 2025 As I write this, I am in the final days of the longest reading marathon of my life. In January last year, I set a challenge to read 52 books in as many weeks. Having (just) completed my goal, I set another to read 48 this year, to finish at 100 (journalists like round numbers). [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Ofwat £11m fine; Unemployment at four-year high December 16, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. We received another gloomy snapshot of the economy ahead of the ever-important Bank of England rate decision on Thursday. New unemployment data showed another blow for the Labour government, which has denied that its policies have had an on the ailing jobs market. The UK [...]
Buyer of WH Smith in late stage talks to snap up leading footwear chain November 30, 2025 The investment firm which bought WH Smith is in advanced talks to takeover a privately owned footwear retailer as it looks to snaps up more UK high street staples. Modella Capital is in late stage talks to buy Wynsors World of Shoes, which trades from approximately 50 standalone shops across the the north of the [...]
Bake-off: Ex-WH Smith finance chief withdraws from Greggs role after audit blunder November 19, 2025 The former finance chief of WH Smith will no longer take up a position on the board of Greggs after a damning audit report into the travel retailer revealed inconsistent accounting practices during his stint as finance boss. In a statement to investors on Wednesday, the high-street bakery confirmed that Robert Moorhead, who stepped down [...]
WH Smith chief executive quits after damning Deloitte audit report November 19, 2025 The boss of one of Britain’s best-known retailers has quit the role after an investigation into the firm’s accounting practices uncovered major flaws. WH Smith chief executive Carl Cowling said he would step down with immediate effect on Wednesday after the report, produced by Big-Four audit firm Deloitte identified weaknesses in the operations of the [...]