Asos returns to profit as cyber attack fallout ‘not a big thing’ Retail Asos has returned to profit after the cyber attack that rocked the fast-fashion seller last month, as its boss insisted the impact of the incident was “not a big thing”. The London-listed retailer said its decision to pause some marketing and customer-related activity in the aftermath of the incident resulted in a “short-term disruption” to [...]
Lord Peter Cruddas: When I first discovered the internet, I tried to buy it Opinion Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, CMC Markets founder Peter Cruddas takes us through his career.
Will Andy Burnham’s stockpile missive start a tinned food revolution? Analysis If you are old enough to remember 70s London you will have heard of Big Biba, the fashion retailer that expanded into a huge, seven-storey department store on Kensington High Street in 1974. The opening of Big Biba mesmerised Londoners: the shopping experience was unlike anything else. The walls were adorned with groovy patterns while [...]
Traffic-free Oxford Street delivers boost for retailers November 4, 2026 Retailers on London’s Oxford Street have seen their sales jump by nearly a fifth since the iconic shopping street was pedestrianised last month. The number of transactions at 40 Oxford Street stores jumped by 19 per cent in the first week of the scheme, compared both to the prior week and the same time last [...]
Baillie Gifford trust chair to raise activist campaign complaints with City minister November 4, 2026 The City minister has offered to meet the chair of Baillie Gifford’s US Growth to discuss potential safeguards for the investment trust industry, after the FTSE 250 trust was swept up in a years-long activist campaign waged by US hedge fund Saba Capital. Lucy Rigby or her officials will meet US Growth (USA) chair Tom [...]
‘Safety net rather than a straitjacket’: Pension providers question Labour guaranteed income plan November 3, 2026 Pension providers have questioned whether the government can deliver on its plans to guarantee retirement income for millions of private sector workers. Pensions minister Torsten Bell unveiled plans on Tuesday which will require pension providers to offer workers an annual income as standard in retirement. Dubbed ‘Guided Retirement’, the overhaul is anticipated to bring private [...]
Can Marks & Spencer’s TikTok star help it ‘dump the frump’? November 2, 2026 Marks & Spencer will face shareholders on Wednesday, with hopes of presenting a lift from its breakout social media star, Kathryn Turner, writes Felix Armstrong. Ditch the fake blood and vampire fangs: Britain’s viral Halloween costume this year featured a white shirt, a blue sweater vest and a blonde wig. Kathryn Turner, Marks & Spencer’s [...]
London’s house builders and consumer groups targeted by short sellers November 2, 2026 House builders and consumer groups are coming under pressure from short sellers as investors bet on a downturn across both sectors in the coming months. The number of London-listed firms with over five per cent of their shares held short more than doubled from 27 to 60 in the three months to October, according to [...]
‘Tech carnage’: AI stocks plunge as investors spooked by gloomy earnings October 30, 2026 The global tech sell-off deepened on Friday after a string of heavily disappointing earnings revived fears over the pace and scale of AI spending. The Nasdaq Composite Index plunged 2.2 per cent at the open on Friday after a $500bn rout in Google-owner Alphabet’s shares on Thursday. Roughly $3 trillion has been wiped off the [...]
DNA Payments Partners With Zeal to Launch Loyalty and Real-time Customer Insights Service in the UK October 30, 2026 DNA Payments, one of the UK’s fastest-growing payment providers, has begun piloting a new loyalty programme for select UK merchants, in partnership with Zeal, the data and loyalty layer for card machines. This service lets participating merchants turn each transaction into an identified customer interaction, with fast, simple setup. Zeal’s functionality is designed to help [...]