By: Felix Armstrong

Retail Reporter Felix Armstrong is City AM's retail reporter, covering retail, hospitality and property news. He has previously written for The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and The i Paper. Email Felix at Felix.Armstrong@cityam.com

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Brewdog founder James Watt slams Burnham over Neets crisis

September 16, 2026

Brewdog co-founder James Watt has attacked Andy Burnham for “dangerous narratives” around youth joblessness, criticising the government for hiking the cost of employment. The beer tycoon said the Prime Minister is wrong to “blame the system” and should instead cut the cost of hiring workers and “get out of the way”. The Scottish businessman, who [...]
WH Smith warns on profit again as discounting hits margins

September 16, 2026

WH Smith has cut its profit target again after warning that intense discounting and “inflation headwinds” are hitting its bottom line. The convenience retailer had initially told investors it could make as much as £105m in pre-tax profit this year, before slashing the target to between £75m and £90m. On Wednesday, the group reduced its [...]
Barratt Redrow shares soar after UK’s biggest housebuilder trims targets

September 16, 2026

Shares in Barratt Redrow soared after the housebuilder, the UK’s largest, trimmed its targets to deal with the “challenging” outlook that has faced the sector since the Iran war broke out. The FTSE 100 housebuilder said it is cutting back on spending and slashing costs to keep up with the surging building costs and slump [...]
Rayner urged to resolve ‘unwelcome’ Tower of London heritage row

September 16, 2026

Angela Rayner has been urged to resolve an “unwelcome” heritage row which could place curbs on skyscrapers in the Square Mile to protect views of the Tower of London. The housing secretary has been told that the planning dispute, which was revived by a housing minister in June, risks stalling critical investment in office space [...]
Can cautious Wolfson keep stunning Next shareholders?

September 16, 2026

Lord Simon Wolfson has become a shareholder darling over his 25 years in charge of Next. Felix Armstrong asks whether he can keep on surprising them. Few companies listed on the London Stock Exchange are more bound up with the personality of their chief executives than Next. Lord Simon Wolfson, the long-time boss of the [...]
Luxury gym chain Third Space muscles up with record revenue ahead of potential sale

September 15, 2026

Luxury gym operator Third Space has grown its turnover by more than a third, topping £100m for the first time, as City workers flock to the upmarket health club. The gym provider notched a 36 per cent bounce in revenue to £135m in the year to December 2025, while its pre-tax profit rose by more [...]
Wickes gains as Brits go budget in kitchen refurbs

September 15, 2026

Wickes is benefiting from a slowdown in consumer spending as Brits switch to the value home improvement retailer and away from premium rivals, its boss has said. The FTSE 250 group posted a 2.1 per cent jump in revenue to £865m in the six months to June, buoyed by rising sales of big ticket items [...]
London-listed builder exits ‘challenging’ housing sector after property market slowdown

September 15, 2026

A top listed construction firm has pulled out of the UK’s “challenging” housing sector after a slump in demand for new homes across the country. FTSE 250 firm Kier told shareholders on Tuesday that it is pulling all capital out of the residential property sector in a bid to “de-risk” its portfolio. The group’s pre-tax [...]
Barratt Redrow hopes to defy housebuilding gloom by splashing cash

September 15, 2026

As some of London’s listed housebuilders take emergency measures to cut costs amid rising building costs and stagnant demand for homes, one firm is splashing the cash. Barratt Redrow, which will announce its full-year numbers on Wednesday, defied the miserly approach taken by its rivals earlier this summer when it said it will buy back [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers faces shareholder revolt over exec bonus

September 15, 2026

Frasers Group, the retail empire owned by Mike Ashley, is facing an investor revolt over a bonus handed to its finance chief for “doing his job”. Two influential shareholder proxies have urged the firm’s investors to slap down its executives’ pay package at its annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday. The dispute centres around a [...]

Revealed: The luxury London pads getting Healey’s energy handout – while poorer areas miss out

Russia wins legal bid to come in from the cold in international ice hockey

Inside the St Paul’s Fabric ‘raves’, which are nothing like you think

By: Felix Armstrong

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