Investor pressure mounts on boss of King’s favourite interior designer Retail A former National Lottery boss is under growing pressure to quit as chair of King Charles’s preferred interior design outlet over opposition to the group’s “lavish” relocation and “poor performance”. Dame Dianne Thompson is facing calls to resign from her role at Sanderson Design Group as part of a campaign against the wallpaper company’s drift [...]
Upper Crust owner SSP warns on profit as Iran war hits tourism Hospitality SSP, the owner of travel food outlets like Upper Crust, has warned it will take a hit to its profit after the Iran war caused a “significant contraction” in global tourism. The catering group, which also owns Millie’s Cookies and Caffè Ritazza, said the sharp drop in travel caused by the Middle East conflict has [...]
Retailers suffer ‘sharp decline’ in footfall Retail Retail footfall took a dive in September as shoppers stayed away from shopping centres, prompting calls for the Chancellor to slash taxes for high street firms. In September, the UK’s total retail footfall fell by 2.9 per cent, far worse than the 1.7 per cent decline recorded in the month prior, according to the British [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rallies as oil falls back after Trump’s Iran war pledge October 9, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Donald Trump has said the US has engaged in “productive discussions” with Iran and would refrain from attacking the country before the midterm elections, bringing relief to the oil market. It’s taken the price of Brent crude back slightly, though it has remained around $103 per barrel after [...]
Tesco urges Healey to slash ‘fundamentally unfair’ business rates October 8, 2026 The boss of Tesco has urged John Healey to reform the “fundamentally unfair” business rates system and avoid a so-called warehouse tax. Ken Murphy, chief executive of the UK’s biggest grocer, has become the latest retail industry figure to urge the Chancellor to cut taxes on high street businesses, as Andy Burnham pledges a revival [...]
Asos hackers duped employee in data breach October 8, 2026 The hackers behind a threat to leak Asos customer data duped an employee by posing as a “trusted contact,” the fast-fashion group has said. An unknown group shocked Asos’ millions of customers on Tuesday when they published a push notification on the online retailer’s app, claiming to have hacked into the company and threatening a [...]
Tesco lifts profit outlook as consumer confidence ‘resilient’ October 8, 2026 Tesco has lifted its profit outlook after seeing a boost in online sales, as the UK’s largest supermarket said consumer confidence is proving “resilient” despite an “uncertain external backdrop”. The FTSE 100 grocer improved its lower-end operating profit target from £3bn to £3.15bn for the full year, leaving its top-end forecast at £3.3bn. Industry figures [...]
As it happened: Oil surges after Trump says he doesn’t ‘really want’ Iran peace October 8, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. The FTSE 100 has returned to the red after markets were hit by the spiking price of oil this week that led to a global bond sell-off. The UK’s 10-year gilt yield rose ten basis point yesterday before giving up some gains to settle seven basis points higher at [...]
Retailers demand energy bill cuts as costs rise by £440m October 8, 2026 Retailers have urged John Healey to slash green policy costs from energy bills, warning that their electricity costs are set to soar by £440m this year. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) – which represents top retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer – has warned that rising “policy costs” on energy bills will inevitably [...]
Shein UK revenue hits £2.5bn despite IPO woes October 7, 2026 Fast-fashion giant Shein took in more than £2.5bn in UK revenue last year as it tightens its hold on British shoppers despite its IPO woes. The e-commerce firm generated £2.58bn in revenue in 2025, newly published accounts show, as its pre-tax profit widened by 18 per cent to £45m. Proof of Shein’s growing presence in [...]