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

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All change at Topps Tiles as sales return to growth and its chief retires

January 8, 2025

Topps Tiles reported a return to sales growth during the golden quarter driven by trade demand, while its chief executive Rob Parker announced his retirement from the firm after five years at the helm. Sales in the golden quarter were up 4.6 per cent year on year, while sales in the shorter festive period – [...]
Seasalt: Cornish clothing brand bucks retail gloom over festive season

January 7, 2025

Cornish retailer Seasalt has defied the despondent British high street and reported a significant uptick in sales over the Christmas season despite significant cost pressures. Total sales across online, stores, and marketplace partners like M&S increased by 10 per cent compared to last year in the last five weeks of the year, with every channel [...]
Inside the eight-bedroom mansion in London’s Belgravia sold for £38m

January 7, 2025

London’s super-prime residential market is off to a strong start after a turbulent 2024, with a £38m eight-bedroom mansion, Belgravia, the first residential property to be sold in the new year. Complete with a private health spa, swimming pool, and rear and front gardens, the 840sqm property has been sold to a UK buyer – [...]
Buying a house? Pay in cash for a £28k discount

January 7, 2025

Buying a house is the largest purchase most of us will make in a lifetime – but it may be cheaper for some than others. Cash buyers now pay £28,000 less on average for a home than those relying on a mortgage, and the ‘cash discount’ has risen by 12.4 per cent in just two [...]
Grocery spending hit record high at Christmas as Brits favour food over gifts

January 7, 2025

Grocery spending hit a record high this Christmas as Brits dined out on premium goods and fizz, in a marked contrast to the anaemic growth in retail spending. Overall take-home sales at the grocers rose by 2.1 per cent over the four weeks to 29 December compared with last year. Brits splashed out on premium [...]
Next: FTSE 100 retailer hikes profit guidance but warns on costs

January 7, 2025

Retail industry bellwether Next has upgraded its profit outlook for the year after sales and growth exceeded expectations during the Golden Quarter. The FTSE 100 company hiked its expected profit by five per cent as sales jumped six per cent in the nine weeks to 28 December, nearly double its previous guidance of 3.5 per cent. [...]
Retail gloom as festive season fails to save 2024 trading

January 7, 2025

High street stores showed anaemic growth in the 2024 festive season, despite hopes that Christmas trading would inject some cheer into the sector. Sales grew just 0.3 per cent overall in the ‘golden quarter’, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Online sales continued to beat in-store, [...]
Waterstones plans dozens more UK stores as it mulls possible London or US IPO

January 6, 2025

Waterstones boss James Daunt has said he plans to open dozens more bookshops this year in the UK, along with considering a potential flotation in London or New York. He told the Financial Times it would be “logical” to look at an initial public offering of a consolidated combination of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble [...]
Sell Asos and buy Currys says City broker

January 6, 2025

Analysts have backed Currys as their most preferred consumer stock of the year whilst warning investors away from struggling online marketplace Asos. Panmure Liberum analysts set a target price for Currys at 155p versus its current price of 94.25p. The tech retailer had a strong run last year, with its stock up more than 90 [...]
UK firms shed jobs at fastest rate in three years amid payroll hikes

January 6, 2025

Weak demand and higher payroll costs have led to the steepest decline in service sector jobs since January 2021, according to a new survey. Nearly a quarter of survey respondents reported a fall in workforce levels, while 12 per cent signalled a rise, data from the S&P Global UK Services PMI showed. “Service providers widely [...]

RWS to acquire UK AI platform in £40m deal

Mercedes bid for Alpine could be blocked by FIA multi-team rule change

What’s on in London in May

By: Amber Murray

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