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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Hospitality inflation climbs as pressure on sector persists

February 18, 2026

Food and restaurant prices are rising at a faster rate than overall inflation, in a sign that cost and tax pressures on the hospitality sector are unlikely to ease. While headline Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation dropped to three per cent in the year to January 2025, food and restaurant inflation climbed from 3.8 to [...]
Exclusive: NHS must keep medicine clawback down or lose investment, says weight-jab boss

February 18, 2026

The NHS must keep its medicines clawback tax low and predictable or else risk disrupting the rollout of weight-loss drugs in the UK, Novo Nordisk’s UK chief has said. Sebnem Avsar Tuna, general manager of UK operations for the Ozempic and Wegovy maker, told City AM the Government must keep in place the current ceiling [...]
Full house: Gen-Z flocks to bingo halls in latest leisure trend

February 18, 2026

Following in the wake of analogue trends including vinyl, polaroid cameras and Nokia phones, Gen Z Brits could be swarming into bingo halls as they take their retro obsession back to the 1950s. Buzz Bingo, which operates at 79 sites in the UK including five in London, claims interest from young people is driving its [...]
Third of young Brits brew business ideas at the pub

February 18, 2026

A third of young Brits have come up with a business idea over a pint at their local boozer, new research has revealed. Brits are finding unlikely entrepreneurial inspiration in pubs as 18 per cent of all people in the UK have had a light-bulb business moment here, according to new polling by GoDaddy. This [...]
John Lewis boosts staff pay despite losses

February 18, 2026

Retail giant John Lewis has announced a £108m investment in staff pay despite losses at the retail giant tripling over its last financial year. The John Lewis Partnership, which also owns supermarket Waitrose, announced on Wednesday it will hike shop floor pay by 6.9 per cent, which it says will boost the pay packet of [...]
Hospitality crisis pushed thousands of firms to shut in 2025

February 17, 2026

Thousands of hospitality industries were forced to call time last year, as soaring operating costs took their toll. The owners of 3,353 accommodation, food and drink firms entered insolvency proceedings in the twelve months to December 2025, according to the Buchler Phillips hospitality index. These insolvencies spell out the impact of food inflation and climbing [...]
Brewdog faces hangover from ‘punk’ investment model

February 17, 2026

Once offering a craft beer revolution to its “punk” investors, Brewdog’s likely sale has angered some of its thousands of small-scale shareholders and could see the brand’s elements be flogged off in segments. The UK’s largest independent brewer kickstarted the country’s craft beer obsession and challenged traditional financing models by offering cheap shares to consumers. [...]
Labour’s employment legislation and national insurance blamed for rising joblessness

February 17, 2026

National insurance hikes and the employment rights act mean businesses are being forced to cut back on hiring, business leaders and analysts have said. The labour market continued to loosen at the end of last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, with unemployment climbing to 5.2 per cent between October and [...]
Debenhams shares plunge after £35m capital raise confirmed

February 17, 2026

Debenhams shares plunged ten per cent in early deals after the struggling fashion group confirmed plans to launch a £35m equity raising round. The group’s board said the fundraise will allow it to complete its resurgence but the plans did little to calm investors as its share price tumbled on the Tuesday open. Debenhams Group, [...]
Annabel’s profit trebles as Mayfair club defies hospitality gloom

February 16, 2026

One of London’s best-known private members clubs has shrugged off wider hospitality gloom after posting a near-tripling of profit. Mayfair-based Annabel’s, which has been based on Berkeley Square since the 1960s, toasted a pre-tax profit of £12.4m in the year to January 2025, a rise of 184 per cent on the previous year. Revenue over [...]

Legal powerhouse Weil Gotshal set to liquidate after 95 years

MPs call for free-to-air Rugby League World Cup matches

Watching my first Budget: An idiot’s blow-by-blow account

By: Felix Armstrong

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