Calls for hospitality support grow as business rates outcry deepens January 12, 2026 Calls for the government to extend its rumoured support package for pubs to the entire hospitality industry grew on Monday, after a string of data releases laid bare the bleak outlook for UK venues amid fresh polling that reveals enormous public support for the embattled sector. According to the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll, 70 [...]
A Ghost in Your Ear is the scariest show in London January 9, 2026 A Ghost in Your Ear | ★★★★★ | Hampstead Theatre Theatre has evolved remarkably little over the centuries – plonk Shakespeare in the front row at the Almeida and he’d immediately recognise what’s going on. One area that feels ripe for exploration is the use of audience headphones to introduce another dimension to productions. The [...]
Sainsbury’s shares dip despite £800m shareholder payout plan January 9, 2026 Sainsbury’s share price has dipped by over 4 per cent on Friday morning following its Q3 results, which revealed grocery sales at the FTSE 100 giant grew by over 5 per cent during the festive period. The boss of the supermarket chain said it “won grocery market share for the sixth consecutive Christmas” after grocery [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Sainsbury’s and Unite dish shareholders cash; Mining merger talks January 9, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It was Britain’s retail sector taking centre stage yesterday amid a fresh influx of corporate updates that gave a snapshot of the industry’s December performance. Tesco came out swinging, revealing its market share had climbed to the highest in 10 years after a Christmas sales [...]
FA Cup Predictions: Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United advance but Nottingham Forest exit in Hollywood-inspired cup upset January 8, 2026 The Premier League takes a break this weekend after a hectic period over Christmas and New Year. But there is no slowing down as the FA Cup takes centre stage. One of the calendar’s traditional highlights, the third round weekend, may have lost some of its sparkle, but there are still some mouthwatering ties to [...]
Ministers to offer business rates relief to pubs after backlash January 8, 2026 Panicked ministers are poised to water down the business rates bombshell faced by pubs, after an aggressive backlash from the industry saw over a thousand landlords ban Labour MPs from their premises. The government is expected to announce an overhaul to the way it calculates business rates for pubs within days, which it says will [...]
The Capitalist: What happened to Dry January? January 8, 2026 In this week’s diary, property investment board games, new ways to ride the Tube and why Dry January seems like a distant memory WHAT HAPPENED TO DRY JANUARY? “I was gonna do it but then I went to the pub yesterday,” a senior City AM staff member admitted to The Capitalist, remarking on their own [...]
Shares down as Tesco hits 10-year UK market share high amid festive boom January 8, 2026 After a “strong Christmas” period, Tesco now anticipates its full-year adjusted operating profit will reach the upper end of its £2.9bn to £3.1bn forecast range. In its Q3 update, the FTSE 100 giant revealed its total group sales reached £24.9bn for the 19-week period. It was the Republic of Ireland that had a strong food [...]
M&S shakes off cyber chaos with strong Christmas sales January 8, 2026 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has delivered a steadier than feared Christmas trading update, offering some festive cheer for investors after a year, overshadowed by a costly cyber attack and months of disrupted online sales. The retailer reported group sales of £5bn for the 13 weeks to 27 December, up 3.3 per cent excluding Ocado Retail, [...]
Greggs shares tumble as baker gets burnt by flaky economy January 8, 2026 Shares in Greggs took a tumble on Thursday morning after “disappointing” sales growth from a subdued economy left investors with little to cheer for. The chain’s total sales in the golden quarter rose 7.4 per cent as it opened 207 new shops in the last 12 months leading to a net gain of 121 new [...]