FTSE 100 banks outperform but face tougher waters ahead August 4, 2025 The FTSE 100’s banking constituents breezed through the second quarter results season as interest income remained stable and trading income soared on the back of market volatility. The ‘Big Five’ banks of London’s flagship stock index – Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds and Standard Chartered – pocketed a combined £12.8bn in the three months to June [...]
Highest profit in over a decade for London St Pancras Highspeed August 4, 2025 London St Pancras Highspeed, the company which runs the rail line between the capital and the Channel Tunnel, has reported its biggest profit for more than a decade. The business has achieved a pre-tax profit of £136.6m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The total is [...]
Dishoom served huge valuation after founders sell stake August 4, 2025 Dishoom has been valued in the region of £300m after striking an investment deal with a firm backed by LVMH. The restaurant chain has agreed a deal for an undisclosed sum with US-based L Catterton in a move which will see founders Shamil Thakrar and Kavi Thakrar dilute their stakes. Both co-founders are expected to [...]
Hawes & Curtis: Profit continues to fall at Dragons’ Den star’s brand August 4, 2025 Profit at Hawes & Curtis, the retailer owned by Dragons’ Den star Touker Suleyman, has shrunk for a second consecutive year despite rising sales. The London-headquartered fashion brand has posted a pre-tax profit of £3.7m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. That figure compares to the £4.7m it reported for 2023 and [...]
Auction Technology Group shares tumble after debt-fuelled acquisition of Chairish August 4, 2025 Shares in Auction Technology Group tumbled on Monday after the firm added to its debt pile with the acquisition of furniture marketplace Chairish in a $85m (£64m) deal. The London-listed company said it had extended its revolving credit borrowing capacity to $275m alongside the deal, which was funded by a combination of cash and debt. [...]
President Donald Trump could be given Freedom of the City of London August 4, 2025 President Donald Trump could be offered the Freedom of the City of London during his second state visit to the UK in September. The Independent has reported that the Freedom is on the table to get the US President in the room with the City of London Corporation, which hopes to use the symbolic honour [...]
Comparing Nigel Farage to Jimmy Savile marks a new low in politics August 4, 2025 Invoking Jimmy Savile to attack Nigel Farage over online safety is not just offensive – it exposes a deeper intolerance in political debate. Peter Kyle’s remarks cross a dangerous line, says Eliot Wilson You would think that any mainstream politician would think twice before comparing an opponent to Jimmy Savile. The man police believe was [...]
Libby in Paris: How to drink wine like the French August 2, 2025 There’s something so effortlessly chic about Parisians. The French way of life is tightly woven with centuries of excellent wine-making, and they seem to drink it beautifully. I popped over for Bastille Day to see if I could learn to sip with similar sophistication. It began as soon as I arrived. I had booked a [...]
Inside SLB v BBF: Top lawyers, bitter barbs and the European Super League August 2, 2025 Next week lawyers representing Super League Basketball clubs will lodge their response to a counter-claim from the British Basketball Federation, the latest move in a High Court legal battle that is giving the sport much-needed attention but for all the wrong reasons. In a nutshell, the BBF has stripped SLB of its licence to run [...]
For London to remain a business travel hub, we’ve got to sort out Heathrow August 2, 2025 Without Heathrow upgrade, London risks losing the economic benefits of being Europe’s leading business travel hub, writes Andrew Crawley While collaboration and virtual meeting tools have become commonplace, organisations are still profoundly aware of the value of in-person connection. People will always want to do business with those they trust, and there’s something about meeting [...]