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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Food inflation set to surge next year as Iran war ramps up supply costs

September 9, 2026

Food inflation could top six per cent next year as rising fuel prices triggered by the war in Iran ramp up supply chain costs, a top food industry body has warned. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents the UK’s food manufacturers, has urged the government to help the industry keep its costs down, [...]
Black market cigarette trade ‘accelerating high street decline’, Co-op tells Burnham

September 9, 2026

Criminal gangs selling illicit cigarettes in shops across the UK are “accelerating” the decline of Britain’s high streets and must be stopped, the Co-op has warned Andy Burnham. The black market trade of tobacco is undermining the Prime Minister’s push to rejuvenate UK high streets, eroding public safety and weakening community cohesion, the cigarettes-to-funerals seller [...]
‘Vertical drinking’ row rumbles on in Westminster

September 8, 2026

Sadiq Khan has hit out at the “breathtaking arrogance” of Westminster council, accusing the authority of ignoring public and industry opposition to its reported plans to crack down on so-called vertical drinking in the borough. The mayor of London has slammed the council for pushing ahead with its new licensing policy, which also imposes restrictions [...]
Dunelm shares crater as hot weather undermines growth plan

September 8, 2026

Shares in Dunelm plummeted after its new boss warned that record summer temperatures had posed an early hurdle to her plans to kick off growth at the furniture and homeware seller. Clo Moriarty, who joined the group from Sainsbury’s in October last year, said progress towards her new strategy has so far been delayed by [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 waivers; oil nears $100 on new Hormuz sanctions

September 8, 2026

Welcome back to City AM’s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index slipped on Tuesday morning, as investors weighed fresh tensions in the Middle East which boosted London’s oil majors but dragged on other members. Oil prices continued to march upwards. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – gained another 1.5 per [...]
Tesco and Boots lead 100,000 jobs pledge to tackle Neets crisis

September 8, 2026

Tesco, Boots and dozens of other retailers have pledged to create 100,000 new jobs in a bid to tackle the youth unemployment crisis, which they say is trapping young people in a “doom loop”. A group of top high street firms – which also includes Asda, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer – have joined [...]
Retail sales slow as heatwave boost cools

September 8, 2026

The heatwave boost fuelling summer sales cooled last month, as Brits cut back on retail spending to deal with rising bills. Retail sales grew by 0.7 per cent in the year to August, marking a significant slowdown compared to 3.1 per cent growth in August 2025, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). August’s rate [...]
Activist investor accuses The Works of unfairly swaying crucial vote

September 7, 2026

The activist investor seeking to tighten its grip on The Works has accused the retailer’s board of attempting to sway a crucial shareholder vote. Kelso, a London-listed activist investor, has been locked in a weeks-long row with the arts and craft retailer, as it attempted to convince shareholders to appoint a former Card Factory director [...]
Zoopla bets on house envy as Brits snoop on neighbours’ property prices

September 7, 2026

Zoopla, the UK’s second-largest property portal, has cashed in on Brits’ house envy as it pivots towards serving existing homeowners who want to snoop on the value of other people’s homes. New chief executive Paul Whitehead has pushed the property site away from an emphasis on transactions, instead hoping to woo homeowners who use the [...]
Next dodges ‘hammer blow’ with equal pay court victory

September 7, 2026

Retail giant Next has won an equal pay appeal allowing it to pay warehouse workers more than shop-floor staff, warning that its defeat “would have represented a hammer blow to retail employment in the UK”. The FTSE 100 retailer told shareholders on Monday that it was justified in paying its warehouse operatives a higher rate [...]

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By: Felix Armstrong

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