Asda: ‘It’s going to take time to rebuild’ says new boss March 14, 2025 UK supermarket giant Asda has dominated headlines for the last year for a host of different reasons: turmoil at the top, declining market share and issues with a significant IT upgrade. The grocer’s market share fell 5.8 per cent between December 2023 and 2024, while the market share of all other major UK supermarkets grew. [...]
Asda: ‘We know what we need to do’ after sales disappoint again March 14, 2025 Sales and revenue at Asda dropped last year, as expected, but the supermarket said it has begun to deliver on its turnaround plan. Like-for-like sales at the supermarket giant fell by 3.4 per cent year on year, while revenue dipped 0.8 per cent to £21.7bn. The TDR-owned supermarket struggled last year with a declining market share [...]
BT boss and Ella’s Kitchen founder join new board of trade March 14, 2025 BT chief executive Allison Kirkby and Ella’s Kitchen founder Paul Lindley are among the government’s appointments to the newly revamped board of trade. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has unveiled the new expert panel, which will aim to advocate for their sectors and help businesses, including the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), [...]
Tech secretary Peter Kyle asks ChatGPT about UK businesses, AI and podcasts March 14, 2025 The UK’s technology secretary Peter Kyle has asked ChatGPT questions about UK businesses, artificial intelligence (AI) and even what podcasts he should appear on. A Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by the New Scientist magazine revealed Kyle, who leads the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been making regular use of the [...]
Berkeley warns planning reform won’t solve overregulation of housebuilding March 14, 2025 Housebuilder Berkeley has warned that continued incremental regulatory changes will continue to place significant pressure on the delivery of new homes, despite the recently-announced planning reforms. Regulation on the construction of homes has increased recently, particularly in light of the Grenfell tragedy. The Building Safety regulator, which sets out rules to protect the design and [...]
Infrastructure boom lifts Balfour Beatty, Kier Group and Costain March 14, 2025 London-listed construction firms Balfour Beatty, Kier Group, and Costain, have all reported robust results this week as the UK’s increasing prioritisation of major infrastructure projects starts to life the sector. Their combined order books now exceed more than £30bn and shareholders stand to benefit. All three of the companies hiked their dividends and shareholder returns alongside their [...]
Jonathan Reynolds apologises to Parliament for ‘solicitor’ claim March 13, 2025 Jonathan Reynolds has apologised to the House of Commons and corrected the record over “inadvertently” claiming to have been a solicitor during a speech in 2014. The business and trade secretary said he should have made clear that he was a trainee solicitor when speaking during a debate on high speed rail. The term “solicitor” [...]
Iconic cinema in Chelsea put on the market March 13, 2025 An iconic Grade II ex-cinema in Chelsea has been put on the market, with potential to turn it into a hotel, housing or a member’s club. The closure of the cinema, which Hugh Grant called “strangely unbearable”, sparked headlines last year. The site, which originally opened in 1930 as the Forum Theatre, became the 26th [...]
Steel tariffs: US trade policy under Trump ‘challenging’, Reynolds admits March 13, 2025 The US tariff policy under President Donald Trump is proving “challenging” for Britain, the business and trade secretary has admitted. Jonathan Reynolds is in discussions with his US counterparts over Trump’s new 25 per cent tariff regime on steel and aluminium imports – but has not secured an exemption for the UK. It comes after [...]
Trump tariff war set to send cost of Guinness soaring March 13, 2025 Donald Trump’s trade war is set to send the price of Guinness soaring to new highs, a financial expert has warned. Trump’s stand-off with Mexico and Canada, now followed by tariffs on Britain and the EU, is having a knock-on effect that might hit drinkers in the pocket. The price of a pint of Guinness [...]
