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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Labour hands police ‘long-overdue’ violent shoplifting powers

April 29, 2026

The government has handed the police a set of “long overdue” powers to crack down on soaring levels of violent shoplifting, which has been branded a “national scandal”. The crime and policing bill was granted royal assent on Wednesday, meaning assault against retail workers is classed as a specific offence, and the effective immunity for [...]
Special relationship: Americans snub champagne in favour of English fizz

April 29, 2026

Americans are flocking to English wine and snubbing champagne, the boss of England’s biggest winemaker has said. Kent-based Chapel Down said consumers across the Atlantic are fuelling record demand for English sparkling wine, as the AIM-listed firm bets big on the US market. Chief executive James Pennefather told City AM: “Americans are really embracing Chapel [...]
Renters’ rights act: what does it mean for landlords, rent hikes, tenants and no-fault evictions?

April 29, 2026

The government’s long-awaited renters’ rights act comes into force on Friday, 1 May. Labour says the new law will “level the playing field” between landlords and tenants, but many in the residential rental sector have been alarmed by the scale of the changes and there are concerns that many independent landlords will exit the market [...]
Jet fuel shortage looms as government scrambles to secure supplies

April 29, 2026

The government is scrambling to secure UK airlines’ emergency access to jet fuel as global shipments fall to their lowest level on record. Global shipments of jet fuel have fallen to their lowest level on record, as the blockage to the Strait of Hormuz threatens to suffocate supply to the world’s airlines. Under 2.3m tonnes [...]
Brits booking holidays last minute over Iran war fears, says Jet2

April 29, 2026

Budget airline Jet2 said Brits are leaving holiday bookings until the very last minute as the Iran war threatens to wreak havoc on summer tourism plans. The UK’s third-largest package holiday provider said on Wednesday: “Since commencement of the conflict in the Middle East, the booking profile has become increasingly close to departure.” But the [...]
Aston Martin turnaround stalls as carmaker posts loss

April 29, 2026

Aston Martin’s turnaround under billionaire Lawrence Stroll remains stuck in first gear as the car manufacturer posted another loss. The FTSE 250 firm posted a £66m pre-tax loss in the first three months of this year, which is 18 per cent narrower than this time last year, though total car sales dropped by one per [...]
‘Slightly unnerving’: Greene King enlists AI to answer pub phones

April 29, 2026

Greene King has turned to AI-generated assistants to staff its bars as hospitality firms battle to absorb rising costs, City AM can reveal. The Chinese-owned pub chain, one of the UK’s largest, is using a “virtual assistant” named “Charlie” to answer the phone at a number of sites, including in London. The shift to digital [...]
Whitbread hopes to win back investors with £1.5bn property sell-off

April 29, 2026

Premier Inn owner Whitbread will hope to win back investors when it announces a £1.5bn sell-off of a shedload of its property portfolio on Thursday. The FTSE 100 giant is gearing up for its full-year results later this week, and aims to please its investors with a cash injection to turn the corner on a [...]
Londoners wait far longer to sell homes as stamp duty weighs on confidence

April 29, 2026

The wait for a London house sale is six days longer now than last year, as the capital sees the “greatest impact” from stamp duty and the Iran war’s hit to property confidence. The average time it takes for a house in the capital to be snapped up once it is listed on the market [...]
Chaos: Now Downing Street rules out rent freeze after backlash over ‘reckless’ rumours

April 28, 2026

Downing Street has ruled out a rent freeze just hours after the Chancellor refused to distance herself from the policy while speaking in the Commons. The apparent kite flying sparked 24 hours of panic among residential landlords and economists, who dubbed the rumoured policy a would-be “disaster”. Reeves had reportedly been considering the policy to [...]

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Tamdhu: The scotch whisky taking on Macallan

By: Felix Armstrong

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