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

Connect on socials

All 524 Articles

Tom Kerridge: No good restaurant has ever been run by accountants

July 14, 2026

No good restaurant or pub has ever been run by accountants, celebrity chef Tom Kerridge told City AM as he pushes for a VAT cut for hospitality firms. The TV personality and restaurateur has spearheaded lobbying efforts for the government to slash VAT for hospitality companies, a move which he says would offer the struggling [...]
Wetherspoons and Young’s toast World Cup success as shares rocket

July 14, 2026

Wetherspoon and other top London-listed pub groups have surged in value over the course of the World Cup as millions of revellers toasted the hot weather and the Three Lions’ success. Tim Martin’s budget pub chain, which is listed on the FTSE 250, has gained more than £75m in value since the start of the [...]
Burnham risks ‘breaking manifesto’ without business rates reform

July 14, 2026

Andy Burnham has been warned that he risks breaking Labour’s manifesto if he does not go further in his plans to overhaul the business rates system. The Prime Minister-to-be has been urged by hospitality and retail industry figures to expand his plans to modify a business rates system which they say unfairly disadvantages high street [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers muscles in on Harvey Nichols sale

July 14, 2026

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has gatecrashed the sales process for Harvey Nichols, defying the initial objections of the luxury department store’s brand partners. The fashion group, founded by billionaire Ashley, has successfully entered into the auction for the high-end retail group after demanding it be allowed to take part, City AM understands. Harvey Nichols had [...]
Debenhams owner could sell brands to slash debt

July 14, 2026

Debenhams Group could sell off some of its brands in a bid to eliminate its £90m debt, as the fashion firm continues its turnaround. The group, which owns the eponymous former department store as well as Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing, plans to slash its debt to below the level of its pre-tax earnings and [...]
Heatwave slows retail sales but World Cup boosts online shopping

July 14, 2026

June’s scorching heat slowed retail sales, but Brits opted to shop from home instead, sending online sales soaring. Total retail sales in the UK slowed from 3.7 per cent in May to 1.9 per cent in June year on year, in line with this year’s average growth rate, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
Burnham urged to go further to fix ‘broken’ business rates

July 14, 2026

Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham must broaden his plans to reform the “broken and unsustainable” business rates system, hospitality and retail industry leaders have warned. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to slash business rates for high street firms but a coalition of trade bodies has urged him to go further. Ros [...]
Burberry boss faces shareholder revolt over bumper £9.4m pay package

July 13, 2026

Burberry is bracing for a shareholder revolt over a new pay package which could hand the fashion house’s boss nearly £4m in extra bonuses. The British fashion house, known for its iconic trench coat and checked scarves, wants to change its bonus pay structure to allow it to hand chief executive Joshua Schulman a shares [...]
London-listed firm cheers surge in demand for ‘dog wash machines’

July 13, 2026

Europe’s biggest photobooth operator has expanded into user-operated dog washing machines in a bid to recover from an Iran war hit to profit. ME Group, which operates laundry machines and photo booths across the UK and Europe, said it is rolling out hundreds of dog wash machines in a bid to drive growth. The FTSE [...]
Associated British Foods rises to bread battle with Warburtons

July 12, 2026

Associated British Foods is taking on bread giant Warburtons with its Hovis merger. Could this be the biggest thing since sliced bread for the FTSE 100 giant? One of the London Stock Exchange’s biggest stalwarts is ditching the wardrobe and betting on the bread bin. Associated British Foods (ABF), which has been listed on the [...]

‘You can blame us’: The firm that sparked accountancy private equity gold rush

Overseas games: Will World Cup success force Fifa’s hand over divisive issue?

For Albarino in the City, head to Humble Grape

By: Felix Armstrong

All 524 Articles

Subscribe