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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Rain drives shoppers off high streets in blow to retailers

March 6, 2026

This year’s record wet weather has kept Brits indoors and away from the high street, in a blow to retailers as they face growing costs. Retail footfall fell by 4.5 per cent in February year on year, down from January’s 0.6 per cent decrease, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). UK retailers are sounding [...]
Oxford Street regeneration a complex undertaking for City Hall

March 5, 2026

The centrepiece of shopping in the capital is set for a major makeover, after London mayor Sadiq Khan set out his long-mooted plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street on Wednesday. The plan will transform the makeup of central London and bring huge opportunities for retailers, but the proposal – particularly its computer-generated elements – leave plenty [...]
Exclusive: Frasers Group acquires stake in athletic giant Puma

March 5, 2026

Frasers Group has taken a stake in athletic giant Puma, City AM can reveal. Retail giant Frasers has acquired 246,000 shares in the athletic group, according to German filings published on Thursday. Puma’s share price currently stands at €22.50, meaning this 5.77 per cent stake is worth more than €5.5m. Frasers Group, founded by British [...]
Estate agency Foxtons says ‘government-driven’ costs harming bottom line

March 5, 2026

Leading estate agency Foxtons has hit out at the “strain” caused by national insurance and minimum wage hikes as it contends with a “challenging” market. The firm said “government-driven” pressures are harming its bottom line, as revenue growth was “offset” by increased external costs. The Labour government is facing increasing pressure from business to address [...]
Taylor Wimpey profit halves as Budget impacts sales

March 5, 2026

The UK’s third-largest house builder saw its profits halve last year due to the cost of fire safety regulations and a regulatory settlement with the competition watchdog. Taylor Wimpey’s profit plummeted by 54 per cent to £146.5m despite revenue growing by 13 per cent to £3.8bn, in the financial year to December 2025. The group [...]
Labour warned it could miss housing targets over tax burden on sector

March 4, 2026

A leading construction industry body has warned the Labour government could miss its ambitious house building target as employment costs and tax burdens build pressure on the sector. The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), which represents more than 2,000 firms providing critical machinery and expertise to the industry, told City AM Labour will fail to meet [...]
Brits go budget as ready meals replace restaurant dates

March 4, 2026

Shoppers are opting for own-brand ready meals instead of fancy restaurant dinners in a boost for supermarkets. Brits are spending more on groceries but getting less for their money, as total till sales at UK supermarkets grew 3.3 per cent in the four weeks leading up to 22 February while the number of units sold [...]
Iceland versus Iceland: Trademark feud put on ice

March 4, 2026

The decades-long trademark dispute between UK retailer Iceland and its Nordic namesake looks to be thawing as the supermarket’s boss offered discounts for shoppers in Reykjavik. Executive chair Richard Walker has signalled an end to the frosty dispute between Iceland and Iceland which was kicked off by his father, the retailer’s co-founder Malcom Walker. The [...]
Asda boss: Government ‘more and more difficult’ to deal with

March 4, 2026

The boss of supermarket chain Asda has said the government has become “more and more difficult” to deal with, claiming the pressures on business posed by policy have ballooned since he began his career. Allan Leighton, Asda’s chair, said businesses are increasingly facing obstacles to growth which are “not of their own making”. At Tuesday’s [...]
Brewdog: James Watt ‘heartbroken’ as craft beer firm sold

March 4, 2026

Brewdog co-founder James Watt has said he is “heartbroken” after the craft beer titan’s sale cost nearly 500 jobs and left thousands of “punk equity” investors empty-handed. Watt, who co-founded the firm with his school friend Martin Dickie in 2007, said the past week “has been incredibly hard” and described the sale to US cannabis [...]

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By: Felix Armstrong

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