‘Difficult year’ for discount retailer B&M as profits fall almost a half June 3, 2026 A series of updates from London-listed retailers has light on the battle for sales between online and traditional outlets, with household spending under pressure, writes Michael Hunter. FTSE 250 retailer B&M has revealed a drop of almost a half in annual profit in what it called a “difficult year”. It was the most eye-catching piece [...]
Number of private school pupils plummets after Labour’s VAT hike on fees June 3, 2026 Private school pupil numbers have plummeted by 30,000, down nearly 7 per cent in some year groups, since Labour introduced VAT on fees. As of 1 January 2025, private school fees in the UK, including tuition and boarding, are subject to 20 per cent VAT, a change announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her 2024 [...]
The Quantum Effect: 41% of Large UK Enterprises Surveyed Expect Quantum Computing to Unlock More Than £100 Million in Value in as Little as One Year June 3, 2026 Two-thirds (65%) of UK businesses surveyed are already adopting or piloting quantum computing, signalling a shift from whether enterprises should explore quantum to how quickly they can put it to work
Why Britain needs a defence innovation engine June 3, 2026 Britain must follow the US by aligning government demand, private capital, and entrepreneurs to leverage its technological talent against modern national security threats, says Simon Pavitt Britain has spent years celebrating entrepreneurs who changed how we shop, bank, travel and work. From Deliveroo and Revolut to Wise, British founders have shown they can build world-class [...]
Is ‘disinformation’ really one of the biggest challenges facing London? June 3, 2026 All power to the Lady Mayor and her newly assembled team of City leaders who want to shout from the rooftops about the strengths and assets of our great capital city. Dame Susan Langley will tonight launch a new campaign, Team UK, backed by some of the Square Mile’s biggest business and industry groups, with [...]
Everyone’s drinking mid-strength wine. Here’s what to buy June 3, 2026 The best mid-strength wine to buy, according to our columnist Libby Brodie There is an awful lot of scaremongering amongst the drinks industry about people turning their backs on booze. It is true that there is a fervent wellness trend right now and some dogmatic corners of it do demonise drink, but how genuine is [...]
How Young’s is shrugging off hospitality gloom June 3, 2026 Like many of his Square Mile customers, Young’s boss Simon Dodd knows how to schmooze with booze. Three years ago, the listed pub chain exec invited rival Clive Watson, the founder of City Pub Group, for lunch at Smiths, the top-notch bar and grill atop Smithfield market, for a steak and a glass of wine. [...]
Municipal bonds could revolutionise Britain – but there’s a catch June 3, 2026 Municipal bonds could create genuine local economic autonomy. But they require infrastructural change to work, writes Tim Focas.
Freddie’s Flowers losses double after firm shuts London warehouse June 3, 2026 Freddie’s Flowers has incurred a more than doubling of its pre-tax losses after the firm closed its warehouse amid an outsourcing of operations. The London-based flower subscription business, which began operations in a gazebo in the garden of a residential street, posted a pre-tax loss of £2.1m in the year to August 2025, compared to [...]
This is why the City’s fintech IPO boom hasn’t happened yet June 3, 2026 Hopes remain high for a flurry of fintech listings, in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at whether this could come to fruition and what could be holding it up. City officials have pinned a hefty portion of their hopes for a London Stock Market revival on the nation’s fintech stars. Rachel Reeves [...]