By: Helen Cahill

I report on retail and property for City A.M. I have covered the investigation into BHS and London's housing crisis. You can email me on helen.cahill@cityam.com with tips or commentary.

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Supermarkets are leading the FTSE 100 after Morrisons’ stellar results

January 10, 2017

Supermarkets are leading the FTSE 100 risers today after positive data on the sector's sales over Christmas – and a strong update from Morrisons. Morrisons' share price was up 3.64 per cent at time of writing after the Bradford-based grocer reported a 2.9 per cent jump in like-for-like sales for the nine weeks to 1 [...]
No, Jeremy Corbyn – income disparity is not getting worse in the UK

January 10, 2017

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has proposed putting a cap on earnings in the UK, saying that the income disparity in the UK "is getting worse". Speaking on the BBC Today programme, Corbyn said: "I can't put a figure on it and I don't want to at the moment. Read more: Corbyn's only hope of power may be [...]
Supermarkets had a record Christmas – but prices are rising

January 10, 2017

Supermarkets had a record Christmas period in 2016, with sales growing at their fastest rate since June 2014, but prices are finally starting to rise following the Brexit vote. The latest figures from Kantar Woldpanel show that sales were up 1.8 per cent for the 12 weeks ending 1 January. Consumers spent nearly half a billion pounds [...]
Consumer spending cooled in December after post-Brexit spending spree

January 10, 2017

Consumer spending cooled towards the end of 2016, pointing to a slowdown in Britain's spending spree following the Brexit vote. In October and November, consumer spending growth hit 5.5 per cent and 5.1 per cent respectively, according to Barclaycard. But this figure fell to four per cent growth year-on-year in December. Read more: Aldi bags [...]
UK retail scores “solid yet unspectacular” end to 2016

January 10, 2017

Retailers are bracing themselves for a possible slowdown in consumer spending this year, but the sector ended 2016 in (relatively) good health, thanks to a strong performance on Christmas week. Like-for-like sales in UK retail increased one per cent year-on-year in December 2016, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG, improving from a [...]
Manufacturing giant Premier Foods to increase prices due to Brexit vote

January 10, 2017

Premier Foods, the supplier of iconic brands such as Mr Kipling cakes and Bisto gravy, is in talks with its major retail customers about lifting prices due to a double whammy of weaker sterling and higher commodity costs. City A.M. can reveal that the listed food manufacturer last month opened discussions with the likes of [...]
Rents in London fell slightly in December

January 9, 2017

Average rents in London edged down slightly at the end of 2016, but remain more than twice as expensive as rents across the country. In December, London rents fell by 0.13 per cent, to £1,882 per month. Renters in a one-bed flat paid £1,455 on average in December, which represents nearly three-quarters of the average disposable [...]
Marks and Spencer chairman rejects demand for reversal of company’s benefit cuts

January 9, 2017

The chairman of high street stalwart Marks and Spencer has defended the company's decision to cut some of the benefits it offers to employees. Last year M&S staff were asked to sign new contracts ending benefits such as double pay for employees working on Sundays. MPs asked to meet M&S chief executive Steve Rowe to discuss the changes, [...]
Aldi bags record Christmas sales after a year of store openings

January 9, 2017

Aldi boosted its Christmas sales in 2016 after a bumper year of store openings. The discount supermarket opened seventy new stores throughout the year, leading it to 15 per cent year-on-year sales growth in December – its highest growth since landing in the UK in 1990. Aldi did not disclose its like-for-like sales growth for the [...]
UK house prices grew 6.5 per cent in December

January 9, 2017

UK house prices grew 6.5 per cent year-on-year in December, Halifax said this morning, as it warned that housing demand is expected to drop in 2017. The UK average house price reached £222,484 in the final month of the year, up 1.7 per cent on November's average – the biggest month-on-month growth since March 2016, when [...]

James Reed: V-levels are Labour’s best idea yet

EC urged to stop Fifa’s ‘aggressive and exploitative’ World Cup ticket prices

Two amazing London pubs have just reopened – but which to visit?

By: Helen Cahill

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