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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Retailers ramp up pressure on Reeves to scrap tax break for e-commerce rivals

May 27, 2026

Retailers have urged Rachel Reeves to “revitalise the high street” by speeding up plans to close a tax break which they say unfairly favours Chinese e-commerce rivals. High street giants like Next, M&S and Primark have urged the Chancellor to impose a £2.60 flat fee on small parcels to rebalance a system which they say [...]
Hollywood Bowl strikes share boom to defy consumer spending fears

May 27, 2026

Hollywood Bowl shares have rocketed after the firm said Brits are prioritising nights out to the bowling alley over going shopping as they cut down on non-essential spending. The UK’s largest tenpin bowling operator said it has seen a “robust” performance even as consumer confidence plummets amid the Iran war, sending its share price up [...]
Pets at Home hails ‘better momentum’ despite profit slip

May 27, 2026

Pets at Home has hailed “better momentum” in its bit to return to growth, as profit and revenue fell again while its turnaround remains in its early stages. The FTSE 250 pet supplies retailer and veterinary group saw profit before tax dip by 28 per cent to £86.5m, while group revenue fell by one per [...]
Petrol prices hit Iran war high as oil tops $100 again

May 26, 2026

Petrol prices in the UK have hit a new high since the Iran war began, as the price of oil jumped back up to $100 per barrel following fresh US strikes. The average price of a litre of petrol is now 159.43p in the UK, according to motoring services firm the RAC. This petrol price [...]
B&Q owner eyes warm weather boost as sales fall

May 26, 2026

B&Q’s FTSE 100 owner will be hoping for a heatwave boost after it blamed poor weather for falling sales at the start of the year. Kingfisher, which also owns Screwfix and home improvement retailers in France and Poland, saw total like-for-like sales dip by 0.9 per cent to £3.3bn in the first quarter of the [...]
Next boss slams Labour’s zero-hour contracts crackdown

May 26, 2026

The boss of Next has slammed the government’s crackdown on zero-hour contracts and called on Labour to unwind its “employment taxes”. Lord Simon Wolfson, chief executive of the FTSE 100 retailer, said the government’s plans to force employers to offer guaranteed hours to those on flexible contracts will make it “much harder” for Next to [...]
Intense discounting pushes food inflation to year low

May 26, 2026

Intense competition among UK supermarkets has pushed food inflation to its lowest level in a year, despite warnings that the Iran war will push up prices. Heavy discounting saw food inflation fall from 3.1 per cent last month to 2.7 per cent in May, according to data by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NIQ. [...]
Is housebuilding in London impossible?

May 25, 2026

After its 900-home development in Peckham was blocked, housebuilder Berkeley said it can “no longer invest” in London. Felix Armstrong asks whether development in the capital really has hit a brick wall At the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, south London, shoppers are met with graffitied walls, peeling paint and shuttered retail units. The site began [...]
Collective redundancy reforms could saddle firms with ‘perpetual’ bureaucracy

May 25, 2026

The government has been warned against law changes on collective redundancy which businesses say could swamp bosses in more costs and bureaucracy. As part of Labour’s Employment Rights Act, the government is set to require businesses to undertake a consultation of the entire firm whenever they make a certain number of redundancies. Under existing rules, [...]
Easyjet founder bets on World Cup in prediction markets pivot

May 25, 2026

The billionaire behind Easyjet is taking a punt on sports betting as he launches prediction markets ahead of the World Cup. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who founded the budget airline in 1995, launched his Easybet platform in 2024 and is now expanding into prediction markets, City AM can reveal. Betting is the latest spin-off for the [...]

FCA crypto crackdown will ‘wipe out’ bad actors, says Coinbase boss

Manchester United’s new stadium is a test of sports finance – but markets have a solution

Is the Maybach GLS the most excessive SUV?

By: Felix Armstrong

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