By: Amber Murray

Retail Reporter Amber Murray is a reporter at City A.M., covering retail, luxury and property stores. Prior to City A.M., she worked as a sub-editor for Fastmarkets and completed a Masters in Financial Journalism at City University. Please get in touch with stories/tips/coffees at amber.murray@cityam.com

All 1422 Articles

Grocery inflation jumps to highest level in more than a year

May 28, 2025

Grocery price inflation shot up to 4.1 per cent in May, driven by chocolate and suncare products in the hottest start to the month on record. The rise follows a 3.8 per cent jump in April and a 1.8 per cent rise in March, according to Kantar. “This latest jump in grocery price inflation takes [...]
DIY demand boosts sales at B&Q and Screwfix owner

May 28, 2025

Strong UK sales have driven a positive start to the year for B&Q owner Kingfisher, despite a slowdown in sales in France and Poland. The home improvement company, which operates 1,900 stores across seven European countries, said total sales rose 1.8 per cent to £3.31bn in the three months ended April 30. Shares dropped two [...]
Pets at Home: Demand for vet services soars

May 28, 2025

Pets at Home has reported flat year-on-year revenue, with a starkly diverging performance in retail sales and veterinary services. Underlying profit before tax in retail fell by 16.6 per cent year on year to £72.9m, while underlying profit before tax from the company’s vet arm grew by 23.3 per cent year on year to £75.9m [...]
Spending in pubs surges as Brits flock to beer gardens

May 28, 2025

Pubs enjoyed a boost in April during the sunny spring weather as Brits opted for outdoor beer gardens over indoor restaurants. Like-for-like sales growth at pubs reached 9.1 per cent year on year, according to the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. Sales across all hospitality outlets were 4.2 per cent ahead of April 2024 [...]
Oxford Street rebounds to pre-pandemic occupancy as firms bet on shops

May 27, 2025

Shop vacancies on Oxford Street have fallen below one per cent for the first time since the pandemic as brands compete for best-in-class retail space. Overall shop vacancies on Oxford Street fell to 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the first time the figure has fallen below one per cent since [...]
Retail and graduate job vacancies continue to plummet

May 27, 2025

Retail and graduate vacancies fell further in April despite overall improvement in the number of available UK jobs. UK vacancies dipped 0.95 per cent in April to 862,876, but annual growth remained positive at 1.02 per cent, according to Adzuna’s latest jobs report. Average advertised salaries hit a new record of £42,278 – up 0.75 [...]
Consumer confidence improves in early sign that ‘the worst has passed’

May 23, 2025

Three major measures of consumer confidence all found an improvement in Brits’ economic sentiment in May, promoted by easing trade tensions and a cut in interest rates. GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased by three points to -20 in May after dropping in ‘Awful April’ on inflation fears. “The measure for personal finances looking ahead [...]
Pepco to sell off Poundland business by September – for £1

May 22, 2025

Discount giant Pepco is set to sell its Poundland business by September as the brand struggles with high costs and low sales. In an update to markets this morning, Pepco said Poundland continued to see “challenging trading conditions” with revenue down 6.5 per cent in the first half of the year. The discount chain now [...]
Mitchells & Butlers: Profit at All Bar One owner jumps as Brits keep spending

May 22, 2025

All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers has reported half-year profit ahead of the market despite significant cost headwinds. The All Bar One and Harvester owner told markets this morning that total revenue reached £1,454m in the 28 weeks ended April 12, up four per cent year on year. Operating profit rose 10 per cent to [...]
Mid-week office working back to pre-pandemic levels, says British Land

May 22, 2025

Property giant British Land has said that mid-week occupancy in central London offices has returned to its pre-pandemic level, more than five years after the start of the work-from-home mandate. It said that lack of high-quality office space has contributed to record rents in the sector. “Return to the office is in full swing… the [...]

Third of London homes cheaper to buy than to rent as prices fall

Pro Climbing League leans into urban boom ahead of sold-out London launch

Drinks disasters: Three top tips to avoid being a wine wally

By: Amber Murray

All 1422 Articles

Subscribe