ABF: Primark owner’s shares sink as sales slow at FTSE 100 giant September 10, 2025 Shares in Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) have plunged after posting what analysts branded a “mixed bag” of results. The FTSE 100 warned that challenging conditions were weighing on the company’s trading, listing consumer caution, geopolitical uncertainty and inflation as top factors. Shares plunged 13 per cent on the news to their lowest value [...]
Janus Henderson’s Laura Foll on navigating UK equities and value investing September 10, 2025 Laura Foll is co-manager of the Lowland and Law Debenture investment trusts at Janus Henderson, as well as Janus Henderson’s UK Equity Income & Growth open-ended fund. Later this month, on 17 September, City AM is partnering with Law Debenture on its new financial education initiative, WIN, which aims to support those new to investing. [...]
Pret A Manger writes down value by a third amid £525m losses September 9, 2025 Pret A Manger has written off a third of the value it was handed after its 2018 acquisition by European investment group JAB as an uncertain UK economy puts pressure on the sandwich chain. The group made a £553m non-cash impairment to the £912m goodwill on its balance sheet created as part of the 2018 [...]
Shopper confidence falls as Brits expect food inflation to climb September 9, 2025 Surging food inflation has dented Brits’ confidence at supermarkets, with many expecting food prices to climb even further, according to new data. Inflation at the grocers hit five per cent in the four weeks ended August 10, down from 5.2 per cent in the previous month but well above the wider UK rate of 3.6 [...]
Bank of England: Interest rate cuts are near the end September 4, 2025 The Bank of England is less likely to make drastic cuts to interest rates in the coming year as officials said the current cycle could “not go on forever”. In a hearing before the Treasury Select Committee, members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) indicated markets may be correct to predict there would be no [...]
Outlook for UK economy ‘remains subdued’ as bosses battle cost hikes September 1, 2025 Private sector bosses are predicting activity to shrink again over the next three months when a fresh bout of inflation is expected to compound cost pressures hoisted upon them at last year’s Autumn Budget. According to the Confederation for British Industry’s (CBI) Growth Indicator, more firms expect trading conditions to worsen in the three months [...]
Greene King landlords plea for Rachel Reeves to cut bills September 1, 2025 More than 600 Greene King landlords have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to lower taxes for pubs ahead of the Autumn Budget as the sector grapples with ever-rising costs. The hospitality industry has been vocal about the cost pressures it has been facing since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, with businesses facing surging energy, [...]
Reeves warned ‘sin taxes’ could fail to boost tax receipts September 1, 2025 Labour officials have been warned that plans to boost government revenue by raising “sin taxes” could be judged harshly by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) this year, with industry bosses calling on the Treasury to listen to “on-the-ground concerns” before making a final decision. Reports have suggested the government could raise gambling levies later [...]
Asda boss slams tax hikes: ‘Businesses have to be allowed to invest’ August 28, 2025 Asda chair Allan Leighton has warned that the Government must change the way it thinks about growth or risk a stagnating economy. Ahead of Asda’s quarterly results – where the grocer reported its fourth consecutive quarter of improving like-for-like sales – Leighton said that the company has a “simple philosophy… if you want growth, you [...]
‘Inflation fears’ and trade turmoil to reinforce sterling rally August 28, 2025 A fresh bout of inflation and Donald Trump’s capricious approach to trade policy should extend the pound’s rally well into next year, according to a top investment bank which has raised its 12-month forecast for sterling against the dollar. Panmure Liberum’s Simon French said the recent string of hotter-than-expected inflation readings in the UK was [...]