Pepco to sell off Poundland business by September – for £1 May 22, 2025 Discount giant Pepco is set to sell its Poundland business by September as the brand struggles with high costs and low sales. In an update to markets this morning, Pepco said Poundland continued to see “challenging trading conditions” with revenue down 6.5 per cent in the first half of the year. The discount chain now [...]
Mitchells & Butlers: Profit at All Bar One owner jumps as Brits keep spending May 22, 2025 All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers has reported half-year profit ahead of the market despite significant cost headwinds. The All Bar One and Harvester owner told markets this morning that total revenue reached £1,454m in the 28 weeks ended April 12, up four per cent year on year. Operating profit rose 10 per cent to [...]
Mid-week office working back to pre-pandemic levels, says British Land May 22, 2025 Property giant British Land has said that mid-week occupancy in central London offices has returned to its pre-pandemic level, more than five years after the start of the work-from-home mandate. It said that lack of high-quality office space has contributed to record rents in the sector. “Return to the office is in full swing… the [...]
Easyjet holds guidance as it eyes £700m profit May 22, 2025 Easyjet has doubled down on full-year guidance as forward bookings showed promise ahead of summer. The low-cost carrier said bookings had been such that it expects to meet a prior target of £703m for annual pre-tax profit. Headline pre-tax losses came in at £394m, up 13 per cent year-on-year for the six months ended 31 [...]
Severn Trent paid over £2m to fight off bill overcharging lawsuit May 22, 2025 Severn Trent paid out more than £2m in legal fees to defend allegations it had overcharged millions of household consumers by underreporting sewage leaks. Professional costs increased by £2.3m last year, according to the firm’s annual report. These were mainly in relation to a class action claim brought against Severn Trent and a number of [...]
Starmer refuses to rule out further tax rises May 21, 2025 The Prime Minister has refused rule out further tax rises when challenged by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch during Prime Minister Questions. The fiery exchange came after it was revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner pushed for a £4bn tax hike on wealthier people in the lead up to the Spring Statement earlier this year. [...]
SSE boss: Zonal pricing would be a ‘huge mistake’ May 21, 2025 Introducing a zonal pricing scheme to the UK’s electricity market would be a “huge mistake,” the chief executive of SSE has said. Writing in City AM, the Scottish energy firm’s outgoing boss Alistair Phillips-Davies argued such a move would create a “postcode lottery” where some households would pay £200 to £300 more “simply because of [...]
Government U-turns on winter fuel allowances May 21, 2025 Keir Starmer plans to soften the government’s stance on winter fuel allowances in a major U-turn after restrictions on the payments sparked a backlash from pensioners. During Prime Minister’s questions, the Prime Minister said the government wants to “ensure that as we go forward, more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments,” as part of [...]
London house price growth cools as rents continue to climb May 21, 2025 Annual house price growth in London was just under one per cent in April, although rents continued to climb above the national average. Average house prices in the UK as a whole increased by 6.7 per cent £296,000 in England in the 12 months to April 2025, according to new data from the ONS. Prices [...]
JD Sports: Shares drop on tariff uncertainty despite higher dividend May 21, 2025 JD Sports has raised its dividend on a double-digit rise in revenue after an uptick in European and North American demand. Shares, however, dropped more than seven per cent as the retailer warned that the visibility in US trading was uncertain due to the tariff impact. Overall revenue grew 12 per cent to £11.45bn in [...]
