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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Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops

August 11, 2026

Andy Burnham is set to unveil a crackdown on vape and betting shops in a bid to boost British high streets, which the Prime Minister says have been “hollowed out” in recent decades. Burnham will on Tuesday set out plans to scrap the Blair-era “aim to permit” rule, which requires councils to accept planning applications [...]
Holiday Inn owner suffers Middle East slowdown as Iran war hits tourism

August 11, 2026

The owner of Holiday Inn has suffered a slump in revenue at its Middle Eastern business as the Iran war knocked the region’s tourist economy. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) said its revenue per available room in the Middle East slipped by 19 per cent in the three months to June. This followed a two per [...]
Five-star Mayfair hotel hit with HMRC winding-up petition

August 11, 2026

A five-star Mayfair hotel has been hit with a winding-up petition by the UK tax authority, just months after the sudden departure of its managing director. The Stafford London, a 107-room luxury hotel, was served the petition by HMRC after a filing was made to the High Court, City AM can reveal. A winding-up petition [...]
John Lewis boss quits after warnings of ‘really tough’ trading

August 10, 2026

The boss of John Lewis’ department stores has quit after less than three years in charge, days after the group’s chair warned of “really tough” trading at the retail giant. Peter Ruis has said he will step down as managing director of John Lewis at the start of September, less than three years after he [...]
Vistry shares slide after Allianz ‘cuts insurance cover’

August 10, 2026

Shares in Vistry fell on Monday morning after speculation over its insurance cover prompted fresh fears that the housebuilder is facing cash struggles. The FTSE 250 housebuilder saw its stock slide by nearly eight per cent to 261p in early trading, meaning the firm has shed more than half of its market value in the [...]
Harvey Nichols will collapse without rescue deal, directors warn

August 10, 2026

Harvey Nichols will collapse into administration if a rescue buyer is not found, directors of the luxury department store chain have warned. The retail empire will “cease trading” if it fails to agree a sale and no additional funding is found, the group’s directors cautioned in its latest accounts. Harvey Nichols could find a buyer [...]
Burnham takes on ‘rip-off’ discounts and subscriptions in cost of living push

August 10, 2026

Andy Burnham has vowed to outlaw fake discounts and crack down on stealth subscriptions as he pledges to deliver “breathing room” on the cost of living. The Prime Minister has proposed to ban businesses from advertising “rip-off” discounts and said he will accelerate existing plans to make subscriptions easier to cancel. These two pledges come [...]
Peak chicken? Domino’s hatches plan to swoop into fried chicken market

August 5, 2026

Months after parting ways with the chief executive whose bet on chicken caused a flutter, Domino’s Pizza has led a charge back into the henhouse. Andrew Rennie, the pizza delivery giant’s former boss, caused a flap last November when he defended a novel expansion into fried chicken by declaring that British consumers were nearing so-called [...]
Heineken-owned pubs group faces probe over eviction threat

August 5, 2026

One of the UK’s biggest pub chains is facing a potential probe by the UK’s pubs watchdog after it threatened to evict one of its London tenants. Star Pubs, which operates more than 2,000 sites across Britain and is owned by Dutch brewing titan Heineken, has been told it will be referred to the Pubs [...]
Will Drastic Dave live up to his name at Diageo?

August 4, 2026

Putting the finishing touches to Diageo’s annual report, Sir Dave Lewis may be channelling the old slogan of the drinks giant’s prize brand, Guinness: ‘Good things come to those who wait’. Since Lewis began his tenure as chief executive of the FTSE 100 firm on New Year’s Day, investors have heard very little from him. [...]

Monzo faces outage as thousands of users unable to make payments or transfers

London City 7s sign up Springbok-producing powerhouse varsity team

City institution Simpson’s Tavern reborn as British restaurant

By: Felix Armstrong

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