Firstgroup shurgs off rail nationalisation with open access growth June 10, 2025 Firstgroup shares soared more than eight per cent on Tuesday after the transport giant reported a bumper set of annual results. Profit came in ahead of expectations as management launched a £50m share buyback programme. Shares are now up close to a third this year to date. Also encouraging for investors was “further growth in [...]
London to lose out on major local growth funding in Spending Review June 10, 2025 The London Mayor has doubled down on his crusade against the terms mandated by the Treasury’s Spending Review amid concerns over losing access to local growth funds. London and other English regions could lose access to the £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Growth Hub Funding, and the £4.8bn Levelling-Up Fund. A source close to the [...]
Retail shrinks by over 360,000 jobs in a decade June 10, 2025 The number of retail jobs in the UK has shrunk by more than a tenth since 2015, according to new data. There were 2.76m jobs in retail in March 2025, 360,000 fewer than in 2015, according to the latest report by the ONS. The number of full-time jobs has fallen by 117,000 since 2015, while the number [...]
M&S: FTSE 100 retail giant resumes online orders after cyber attack June 10, 2025 Marks and Spencer has resumed online orders six weeks after a cyber attack forced it to pause e-commerce operations. On its website, M&S said that customers “can now place online orders for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales”, while deliveries to Northern Ireland will restart in the coming weeks. In a Linkedin post, managing [...]
The Whisky Exchange appoints new managing director June 10, 2025 The Whisky Exchange has announced the appointment of Natalie Tennent as managing director after a successful integration of the business into Pernot Ricard. Tennant, who has 30 years of experience with wine and spirits merchant Berry Bros, will move into the role on July 7. She will take over the role from deputy managing director [...]
Firstgroup: Profit at Avanti West Coast owner beats expectations June 10, 2025 Transport giant Firstgroup has extended its share buyback program by £50m after annual revenue came in ahead of forecasts. The additional £50m buyback program follows Firstgroup’s return of £92m to shareholders in the 2025 financial year. The group also raised its dividend to 6.5p, up from 5.5p last year. The FTSE 250 company told markets [...]
Green light for Sizewell C as £14.2bn to go to major nuclear project as part of Spending Review June 10, 2025 The UK’s nuclear energy capacity is set to receive a major boost after the government confirmed it would put up the funds for the Sizewell C plant, ending months of uncertainty. Funding for the project is set to be announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves alongside a decision on the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition at [...]
Fresh blow for Rachel Reeves as voters scorn growth plans June 10, 2025 A dwindling number of Brits have confidence that the government can deliver on its plans for economic growth, fresh polling has found, laying bare the scale of Rachel Reeves’ challenge to restore voter trust as she prepares to unveil the Spending Review on Wednesday. Just 22 per cent of Brits have some confidence in the [...]
Eurostar to launch direct services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva June 10, 2025 Eurostar has announced plans to launch direct services from London to Germany and Switzerland for the first time. The cross-channel operator is looking to purchase 50 new trains at a cost of £1.7bn to service the routes, which are expected to run from the “early 2030s”. Journey times are expected to last around five hours [...]
Cheers! City Beerfest returns to Guildhall for 11th year June 10, 2025 City Beerfest will return to Guildhall for its 11th year this July, bringing together food, drink and live music on the site of London’s second-century Roman Amphitheatre. The festival, which has become one of the City of London Corporation’s most popular events, will have over 40 different beers on offer in the Guildhall’s courtyard. It [...]
