Pizza Hut, Poundland and WH Smith: The high street brands that closed stores in 2025 December 29, 2025 A raft of major UK retail and hospitality brands shut down stores across the UK this year, with other high street mainstays closing their doors for good. It came amid a backdrop of pressure on consumer finances, rising inflation for most of the year and increased costs for businesses. As a result, numerous businesses launched [...]
Asda: Will 2026 be the year supermarket giant bounces back? December 26, 2025 This time last year, analysts warned that Asda needed to “dig down into its soul” if it was to turn around its fortunes. After a rollercoaster 2024 in which it struggled with debt, strikes and falling sales, the Leeds-headquartered supermarket giant was hoping the new year would begin to reveal green shoots of recovery. Under [...]
Wild by Tart launch limited edition gin in national supermarkets December 17, 2025 The founders behind Wild by Tart have launched a limited edition gin in national supermarkets as they look to expand from their restaurateur roots. The duo, who started their culinary careers as food columnists for the Evening Standard Magazine, launched Wild by Tart in October 2019 in London Victoria. They have now collaborated with Bathtub [...]
Leon to close sites and cut jobs as it enters administration December 10, 2025 Fast-food chain Leon is set to enter administration, close a number of locations and cut jobs as part of a bid by its new owner to turn around the struggling chain. The company was bought back by co-founder John Vincent last month from Asda in a deal reported to be between £30m and £50m, well [...]
Woodford Reserve teams up with fashion house Markarian for 2025 holiday bottle December 9, 2025 Kentucky Bourbon brand Woodford Reserve has launched a limited edition 2025 holiday bottle, created in collaboration with New York fashion designer Alexandra O’Neill. Best known as the founder of luxury label Markarian, O’Neill’s design features a classy take on traditional sprigs of mistletoe and festive stars. The palette – with a backdrop of sage green [...]
Asda boss bashes Budget as sales continue to drop November 28, 2025 Asda boss Allen Leighton has hit out at the Autumn Budget as anti-growth and anti-investment as sales as the supermarket giant stumbled due to an IT handover. The executive chairman said Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget “didn’t do anything for anybody” and that “there’s nothing the government is doing that is stimulating growth”. Speaking to City AM [...]
Asda billionaire quits role at Vinted rival November 25, 2025 Billionaire Mohsin Issa, who co-owns supermarket giant Asda, has stepped down as a director of a second-hand fashion startup he backed. The businessman is a major investor in online platform Loopi alongside Victoria Price through Boulder Investco – a fund which supports startups in the UK. Launched in the UK in January, Loopi was co-founded [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Asos shares tumble, retail sales drop, Babcock sinks November 21, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. With just days to go before the Budget, there is increasing investor nervousness about what surprises could be in-store for businesses. Few are expecting those surprises to be pleasant. Speaking to the paper yesterday, the boss of the world’s biggest platinum group metals recycler warned Rachel Reeves [...]
Asda raises almost £600m from supermarket sell-off November 20, 2025 Asda has raised close to £600m from three deals for its supermarkets ahead of a looming debt repayment to previous owner Walmart. The grocery giant struck sale-and-leaseback deals for its supermarkets totalling £568m, according to the FT. It raised £467m in two deals with New York-based asset manager Blue Owl and London-listed Supermarket Income REIT [...]
Christmas adverts in 2025 review, from John Lewis to AI Coca-Cola November 11, 2025 As the embers of bonfire night slowly cool in the rain, our minds are turned to Christmas in its full commercial glory. It’s funny how at this time of year people start to look at ads – the same people that have been actively avoiding them all year! Christmas adverts have become a necessary backdrop [...]