Compass: Catering giant buys Vermaat Groep in £1.3bn deal July 22, 2025 Compass has agreed to acquire European food services business Vermaat Groep for €1.5bn (£1.3bn). Shares in the hospitality giant rose by more than five per cent in early trades. Vermaat, which is a market leader in the Netherlands, will give Compass a “unique opportunity” for sustainable growth in Europe, the catering company told markets this [...]
Marston’s: New pub strategy helps sales July 22, 2025 Pub giant Marston’s has said its switch from brewing to ‘pure-play hospitality’ is progressing ahead of schedule and showing encouraging results. Like-for-like sales for the 15 weeks to 12 July 2025 rose 2.9 per cent, in line with expectations, Marston’s told markets this morning. Excluding the impact of last year Euro 2024 Championships, like-for-like sales [...]
Lionesses and late licences set to deliver £135m boost to UK economy July 22, 2025 Pubs will be allowed to stay open until 1am tonight for the Lionesses’ Women’s Euros semi-final with Italy as the UK economy gets set for a boost of more than £135m. The Home Office announced plans in May to extend licensing hours if England reached the last four of the tournament and they were approved [...]
Ministers urged to reinstate tax-free shopping to deliver Brexit boost July 22, 2025 Ministers have been urged to reinstate tax-free purchases for international visitors to make the UK a ‘global shopping capital’ and help the country benefit from its position outside the EU. “With Britain no longer in the EU, we have the opportunity to become the best place in the world for shopping,” Derrick Hardman, chair of [...]
Mitchells and Butlers on road to FTSE 100 if streak continues, City broker says July 21, 2025 City broker Peel Hunt has suggested Mitchells & Butlers, owner of hospitality chains All Bar One and Nicholson’s, could make its way into the FTSE 100 if it continues to outperform the market. Mitchells & Butlers has beaten the wider hospitality sector every year since 2017, growing at 3.9 per cent in the first quarter [...]
Peter Shilton’s shirt from Maradona Hand of God to be auctioned July 21, 2025 The shirt worn by England goalkeeper Peter Shilton when Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” goal at the 1986 World Cup is set to be auctioned for an estimated price of £300,000. The infamous game saw Maradona lift the ball over Shilton using his left hand, putting Argentina ahead in a quarter-final that they [...]
BBC Sport signs Premiership Women’s Rugby deal July 21, 2025 The BBC is betting on the Women’s Rugby World Cup driving interest in the domestic game with a deal to show Premiership Women’s Rugby matches over the next two seasons. The contract includes the broadcast of one live Premiership Women’s match every week of the season, in addition to one semi-final and the final. “With [...]
Mikel Arteta defends Arsenal over Thomas Partey handling July 21, 2025 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is “100 per cent” confident that the club followed the right process around Thomas Partey, following the player’s arrest on suspicion of rape and sexual assault. Speaking on the club’s pre-season tour to Asia, Arteta addressed the situation for the first time since Partey was charged this month, days after his [...]
Why are London house prices falling? July 21, 2025 House prices in London have fallen this month as higher taxes hit both domestic first-time buyers and international non-doms. Inner London prices fell by 2.1 per cent in July month on month, according to Rightmove’s latest house price index, while overall prices in the capital fell by 1.5 per cent. Rightmove noted that April’s increase [...]
Ofwat to be scrapped in sweeping water reforms July 21, 2025 Ofwat is set to be abolished and replaced by a “single, powerful regulator” aimed at cutting water pollution and protecting families from higher bills, the government has revealed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said operations conducted in England by Ofwat will be merged with the Environment Agency, Natural England and [...]
