Zara boss calls for crackdown on fast-fashion tax loophole May 9, 2025 The head of Zara’s parent company has called for a US-style crackdown on shipments of small goods in Europe to “level the playing field” between Chinese and European firms. Chinese giants Shein and Temu have heavily disrupted the global fashion market in the last few years, putting pressure on older companies. Part of their meteoric [...]
Einkvan at The Coronet: Jon Fosse play is appropriately gruelling May 9, 2025 Einkvan | Coronet Theatre | ★★★★☆ “You don’t read my books for the plots,” Jon Fosse once said. The same is true of his theatre: His play Einkvan (Everyman) at The Coronet explores familiar ideas: doubles, grief, atomisation, fishing and painting, existentialism. Einkvan is particularly interested in the excruciating feeling of isolation, one that’s experienced [...]
Mortgages rates set to fall after Bank of England interest rate cut May 9, 2025 Analysts have predicted that the Bank of England’s decision to reduce interest rates on Thursday will encourage major banks to cut mortgage rates. Lower rates will be a major affordability boost for the UK’s housing market, which continues to price out young buyers unable to rely on financial gifts or savings. “If homebuyers can borrow more, they [...]
Is the UK-US trade deal a win for Starmer? May 9, 2025 In what has been hailed by trade experts as “the biggest week for UK trade since Brexit,” the UK has struck the long-awaited trade deal with the US, just over a month after – so-called ‘Liberation Day’ – tariffs were announced. This is the US’ first bilateral deal since these tariffs were imposed. But it’s [...]
British Airways owner IAG to buy 53 new aircraft as earnings beat estimates May 9, 2025 British Airways and Aer Lingus owner, IAG, has announced the order of 53 new aircraft for its fleet, alongside better-than-expected first-quarter results. IAG announced the order of 53 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft for its long-haul fleet, comprising 32 Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways and 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft for Aer Lingus, Iberia and LEVEL. [...]
Rightmove: Lower mortgages and browsing Brits boost property portal May 9, 2025 Property platform Rightmove has benefitted from a more optimistic housing market as mortgage rates fall, with buyer demand and property listings both up. The FTSE100 company, which is home to over 80 per cent of all consumer time spent on UK property portals, said new property listings rose nine per cent in the first four [...]
Investment boss: US capital flight won’t necessarily benefit UK May 9, 2025 Investors fleeing US markets won’t necessarily boost the value of those in the UK or Europe, a senior investment boss has warned, pouring cold water on hopes for a London Stock Exchange revival. Last month’s Bank of America global fund manager survey found that investors were looking to cut their exposure to US stocks at [...]
M&S will ‘need to go on a charm offensive’ to win customers back May 8, 2025 Analysts have warned that Marks and Spencer (M&S) faces an uphill battle to win back customers when it has dealt with its ongoing cyber attack. The high street darling told markets it had suffered a “cyber incident” at the end of April. Around £1bn has been wiped off its market value since 1 April, and [...]
Co-op breach a ‘stark reminder of why cash remains essential’ May 8, 2025 The disruption to card payments at Co-op stores last week is a warning to Brits on over reliance on digital payments, according to a leading consultancy firm. The Co-op shut down parts of its IT systems last week and suspended contactless payments at nearly 10 per cent of stores after detecting a potential breach. “The [...]
How did Next become an online shopping behemoth? May 8, 2025 A better-than-expected set of first-quarter results from Next this morning has highlighted its growing reputation as an online fashion platform. Online sales, which account for around 30 per cent on overall sales, grew by 8.9 per cent in the UK and 29.6 per cent internationally. Internet-based sales have been a bigger driver of revenue over [...]
