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 [...]
Christmas grocery shopping hits fresh high while Brits make budget trimmings January 7, 2026 Brits splashed out on groceries in the run-up to Christmas but watched their budgets more than ever, as own-brand products and cut-price veg caught the eyes of shoppers. Festive grocery sales increased by 3.8 per cent on the previous year, as Brits spent a record £13.8bn on Christmas supermarket shops amid moderately easing retail inflation [...]
British shoppers turn to AI as London high street sales falter January 7, 2026 As our beloved high streets grapple with rising business costs, decaying consumer confidence and yet another bout of tax uncertainty, AI agents are reshaping how consumers shop. A report published by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warns that that so-called ‘agentic AI’, a quasi-autonomous form of artificial intelligence, could shift from novelty to norm within [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stock rally cools; Oil tumbles amid Trump tensions January 7, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The London stock market has opened on a dimmer mood with morning with both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 trading into the red. The blue-chip index was hit by the falling price of oil with major stock losses across energy giants Shell and BP. [...]
SA20 future in doubt as Big Bash sale process squeezes cricket investment January 7, 2026 The SA20 franchise tournament is facing an uncertain financial future amid the threat of fresh competition for funding from Cricket Australia’s Big Bash, which is preparing to sell off stakes in its franchises to private investors later this year. All six SA20 franchises are owned by Indian Premier League teams, many of whom have expressed [...]
Why business owners are telling the next generation to give up on Britain January 7, 2026 Despite the government’s lofty pledges to be the “start-up hub of the world,” confidence has fallen so low that only 17 per cent of owners would advise a young entrepreneur to start their business in the UK today, says Matthew Elliott When entering government, Sir Keir Starmer stated that wealth creation would be his “number [...]
Back Bawn to start the New Year with a Boom January 6, 2026 AFTER huge crowds packed into Kempton for two high-class days of racing over Christmas, which saw a brilliant three-way finish in the King George, racing returns to the Sunbury-on-Thames venue this Saturday. Ground conditions continue to be much dryer than the norm for this time of the year, and while rain is due later this [...]
Have a few Bob on Olinger to retain Stayers’ Hurdle January 6, 2026 WITH the turn of the year behind us and the 2026 Cheltenham Festival looming in the not-so-distant future, now is the time to begin building our ante-post portfolio for the Festival. Tipping an 11-year-old in one of the Championship races at this point might raise a few eyebrows, but I think there’s plenty to suggest [...]
Fownes and Ho Perfect Together at the Valley January 6, 2026 LOCAL racegoers can look forward to the first race meeting of the year at Happy Valley, when the city track hosts a nine-race card, starting at 10.40am on Wednesday. Former four-time champion trainer Caspar Fownes will surely be licking his lips with anticipation at a return to his favourite track after a relatively quiet Christmas [...]