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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‘Political choice’: Retailers urge government to act on rising costs

May 6, 2026

Retailers have urged the government to cut tax and red tape to counter soaring energy costs caused by the Iran war. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), an industry trade body, has accused Labour of making a “political choice” not to cut energy taxes and delay costly regulation to avoid the worst shop inflation. The effective [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump; oil dips below $100 as Trump says Iran deal close

May 6, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Brent crude dipped below $100 at Wednesday lunchtime after Donald Trump has hailed “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran, prompting a rally in the FTSE, Asian markets and Wall Street. In a sudden reversal late last night, President Trump said he will pause [...]
Controversial £2bn packaging tax could be scrapped as food inflation looms

May 5, 2026

The government is reviewing a controversial £2bn sustainable packaging tax as it faces increasing pressure from retailers to prevent food prices from soaring. The Treasury is reportedly looking at potential changes to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) tax, which requires large businesses to pay towards the cost of disposing of their packaging. Retailers have been [...]
Vodafone takes full control of Three in £4.3bn deal

May 5, 2026

Vodafone is to take full ownership of Vodafone Three for £4.3bn in the latest twist in the blockbuster merger between two of Britain’s largest mobile networks. The FTSE 100 telecoms giant said it will buy out the 49 per cent stake held by CK Hutchison, the Chinese owner of Three, to give it full control [...]
London hotel occupancy slides as Iran war wreaks travel havoc

May 4, 2026

International travel chaos caused by the Iran war is beginning to hit London’s hotels, fresh data has found. The occupancy of London’s hotels fell year on year in March, according to audit firm RSM.Hotel experts attribute the decline to a fall in tourism. Luxury London hotels enjoy a huge amount of custom from Middle Eastern [...]
‘Politically toxic’ holiday tax could turn voters against Labour, hospitality leaders warn

May 4, 2026

The “politically toxic” holiday tax could turn hordes of voters against Labour if it is pushed through, hospitality leaders have warned the government. The proposed tax could threaten the fragile majorities of a host of Labour big beasts including health secretary Wes Streeting and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, trade body UK Hospitality (UKH) has claimed. [...]
Greene King selling 150 pubs over ‘unprecedented costs’, boss says

May 4, 2026

Greene King’s decision to put 150 pubs up for sale was a reaction to the “unprecedented” costs facing hospitality, its boss has said. The pub chain, one of the UK’s largest, revealed plans to put as many as 150 pubs on the chopping block in March and chief executive Nick Mackenzie told City AM this [...]
Claire’s Accessories to launch UK high street comeback

May 1, 2026

Collapsed jewellery chain Claire’s Accessories will return to British high streets next month after its stores were shuttered only days ago, according to reports. The budget accessories retailer is set to launch 50 new stores on UK high streets, in a comeback staged by the owner of its European stores. Claire’s shut its remaining stores [...]
MJ Gleeson warns building cost inflation prompting ‘high caution’

May 1, 2026

Housebuilder MJ Gleeson has sounded the alarm over building cost inflation, prompting “higher than usual caution” over its finances. The London-listed firm said on Friday: “We have recently seen some softening in footfall and reservations, and limited increases in the cost of some materials.” The effective blockade to the Strait of Hormuz caused by the [...]
House prices rise in April as market proves ‘remarkable resilience’

May 1, 2026

House prices made a surprise jump in April, as the “remarkable resilience” of the UK’s housing market trumped the hit to consumer confidence caused by the Iran war. Annual house price growth in the UK climbed to three per cent last month, up from 2.2 per cent in March. National house prices grew by 0.4 [...]

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By: Felix Armstrong

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