‘Difficult year’ for discount retailer B&M as profits fall almost a half June 3, 2026 A series of updates from London-listed retailers has light on the battle for sales between online and traditional outlets, with household spending under pressure, writes Michael Hunter. FTSE 250 retailer B&M has revealed a drop of almost a half in annual profit in what it called a “difficult year”. It was the most eye-catching piece [...]
SpaceX helps Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust take off May 27, 2026 Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust revealed the extent of the success of its early backing for Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Wednesday. The buy-and-hold investor’s stake in the rocket maker now amounts to about a fifth of the £16bn fund, as revealed in its results for the year to the end of March. Overall, SMT’s net asset value [...]
Heat wave bottle jobs: Water firms set up emergency supply points in Kent, with tankers on standby May 25, 2026 With temperatures setting records for May over the long bank holiday weekend, emergency supplies of bottled water were sent to two major Kent towns and hundreds of Brits were hit with interruptions to their water supply. Distribution points were set up in Faversham and Ramsgate as a precaution, amid problems with infrastructure in the area. [...]
Trump on Iran: ‘Either a great deal or no deal’ as oil price reacts May 25, 2026 The prospect of a lasting peace deal between the US and Iran pushed the global oil price lower on Monday even as secretary of state Marco Rubio’s warned that a deal was far from done, putting a dampener on traders’ hopes. Brent Crude fell by over five per cent on Monday, taking the world’s main [...]
Investec eyes City hiring spree in major move into UK private banking May 21, 2026 Investec, the FTSE 250 financier, has unveiled plans to boost its UK private bank in a major strategic move that will include hiring new talent in the City. The expansion will boost its banking presence in London, as it seeks out wealthy clients for what will become a ‘full service primary bank”. It has identified [...]
Weather or not to stock – AI aims to shelter UK business from the classic (wet) British summer May 21, 2026 A chilly spring, a sluggish UK economy and hard-pressed household budgets at a time of rising interest rates have combined to put a national talking point – the weather – into the spotlight in the City. Seasonal trends, or the lack of them, can make or break trading at retailers and hospitality companies. Disruption from [...]
Experian and Relx fall as City unease over AI impact outweighs buyback billions May 20, 2026 Shares in Experian hit the bottom of the FTSE 100 in morning trade, with the City underwhelmed by what the credit checking giant called a “record year” and news of a fresh $1bn capital return. It did not look like enough to dispel fears over the potential long-term impact of artificial intelligence on the company, [...]
Mr Kipling’s ‘biggest ever year’ bakes in sweet-looking profit at Premier Foods May 14, 2026 The owner of some of the UK’s best loved and most famous food brands hailed standout performer Mr Kipling, on Thursday which helped Premier Foods eat City profit forecasts for lunch. Mr Kipling – the brand behind the “exceedingly good cakes” tagline, in use continually since 1967, when the range made its debut – had its [...]
Spire Healthcare shares rocket after £1bn bid approach May 14, 2026 Shares in Spire Healthcare shot to the top of the FTSE 250 on Wednesday, after the firm’s board signalled it would back a £1bn bid approach for the company from its second-biggest existing investor. Private equity outfit Toscafund said it would offer 250p per share, a hefty 66 per cent premium from Wednesday’s closing price [...]
HSBC is the only UK name on $13 trillion list of top global brands May 14, 2026 The rise of AI has shaken up an influential ranking of global big-name firms, as the competition to become one of the world’s elite brands becomes fiercer than ever, according to an influential index tracking the corporate elite. The Kantar Brandz Top 100 – which ranks the value of brands – unveiled on Thursday, is [...]
