Shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher unexpectedly spike after sales boost September 23, 2025 Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix, saw its share price rise more than 17 per cent on Tuesday morning after posting a better-than-expected sales update. The FTSE 100 firm told markets that sales improved 0.9 per cent in the six months ended 31 July, 2025, to £6.8bn, driven by a 4.4 per cent [...]
Autumn tax hikes would lead to inflation over five per cent ‘well into next year’ September 23, 2025 Food inflation will rise and remain above five per cent well into 2026 if the retail industry is hit by further tax rises at the Autumn Budget, a leading lobby group has warned. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that the government risks ‘losing the battle’ against inflation if business rates on large shops rise [...]
Tate & Lyle share price drops after Morgan Stanley downgrade September 22, 2025 Tate & Lyle’s share price dropped more than six per cent on Monday morning after Morgan Stanley changed its rating for the sugar giant. The broker cut the stock to “underweight” from “equal weight”, with a 500p price target. It cited higher risk to Tate & Lyle’s mid-term targets after Tyson Foods said it would [...]
Young Brits have become an unlikely driving force for Buzz Bingo September 22, 2025 Over half of Buzz Bingo’s new members in the last year have been under 35. It’s a remarkable statistic for a game generally portrayed as the home of older generations; one memorable Simpsons episode features a 4pm nap time for its group of elderly players. But that’s no longer reflective of the game in 2025: [...]
Starmer’s new towns plans blasted for ‘lacking vision’ September 20, 2025 The Lords’ Built Environment Committee has criticised the government’s current vision for new towns, calling for a clearer and more community-focused strategy. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer plans to build up to 12 new towns across the UK, with each settlement having the potential for at least 10,000 homes. Work on the towns is expected [...]
Warm weather bolsters retail sales ahead of all-important golden quarter September 19, 2025 Retail sales were bolstered by good weather and rising real incomes this summer, but the struggling sector is looking ahead to the festive season for a bigger boost. Sales fell by 0.1 per cent in the three months to August 2025 when compared with the three months to May 2025, according to the Office for [...]
Consumer confidence drops ahead of Budget September 19, 2025 Brits’ confidence has fallen as nerves grow over the possibility tax rises in the upcoming November Budget. GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index decreased by two points to -19 in September, with all measures down in comparison to last month. “There’s an autumnal chill in the air this month,” Neil Bellamy said. “With tax rises expected in [...]
Housing in London now classed as unaffordable at every income level September 18, 2025 London housing has been officially classed as unaffordable for every income decile in a ‘pretty grim’ picture of the housing market. New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the average English home costs 7.9 times the average salary. If you live in London, conditions are far worse: Someone earning an average [...]
Next share price slumps on gloomy prediction for UK economy September 18, 2025 Next shares sunk on Thursday morning after the retailer issued a stark warning that the UK faces ‘anaemic’ growth due to a combination of technological and regulatory changes. Despite reporting a 10 per cent rise in half-year sales, the FTSE100 company flagged “strong evidence” of a material squeeze on wider UK employment levels due to [...]
Will Shu quits as Deliveroo CEO after denying he planned to leave September 18, 2025 The CEO of Deliveroo, Will Shu, has announced his decision to step down from the company he co-founded in 2013, just months after the company denied he had any plans to leave. In February, after growing speculation Shu was preparing to exit the tech business later in the year, Deliveroo issued a statement in which [...]