Virgin wines looks to Gen-Z wine-lovers for growth after suffering loss March 17, 2026 Online retailer Virgin Wines turned a loss but remains confident a surge of Gen-Z drinkers who no longer view wine as “elitist” will push the firm into the black. The wine seller made a £400k pre-tax loss in the first half of the year, down from a £1.3m profit last year, but saw revenue grow [...]
Bank of England: We can’t eliminate bias in AI March 16, 2026 A top boss at the Bank of England has warned the use of artificial intelligence programs will never be bias-free and instead users must be aware of the risk. Jem Davis, chief compliance officer at the Bank of England, said: “My view is you’re probably not going to be able to eliminate bias completely, but [...]
Chinese online retailer takes on Amazon March 16, 2026 Chinese retail giant JD.com has mounted a challenge to Amazon’s control of the home-delivery market with its UK launch of online shop Joybuy. The platform will offer big-name brands including Apple, Samsung and Lego and is taking on Amazon’s reputation for speedy delivery with its “Double 11” promise – meaning orders placed before 11am will [...]
London-based insuretech Loxa bags £2.7m to expand across Europe March 16, 2026 London-based insuretech Loxa has completed a £2.7m seed funding round to expand its embedded insurance platform across the European retail market. The firm secured the investment in three separate tranches from a group of angel investors and family offices. The Lazaroo-Hood Group led the backing with further support from the Angel Investment Network, FundMyPitch, and [...]
WATCH: From phone business to coffee giant – how Grind carved out a niche March 12, 2026 As retail coffee prices rise and consumer spend declines, the UK’s coffee industry has never been more competitive. US tariffs on coffee-producing countries, hedge fund speculation on commodity prices and increases in business taxes have created a challenging environment. So how has one independent, South London producer managed to beat the odds and find its [...]
Here we go again: Tube strikes to hit London from March to May March 12, 2026 Fresh tube strikes are set to take place over a period of two months with businesses and commuters hit by union action on some of the busiest days of the week. RMT, the union representing London Underground staff, has announced that strikes will take place over 12 days between March and May, with both morning [...]
Estee Lauder sues Jo Malone March 12, 2026 Beauty giant Estee Lauder has launched legal action against perfumer Jo Willcox (nee Malone) over her new perfume brand with Zara. Estee Lauder bought Malone’s self-named perfume brand and naming rights in 1999 for ‘undisclosed millions’. She stayed on as creative director until 2006, when she left her eponymous perfume brand. After a five-year legal [...]
Shawbrook shares dive after profit jump on bullish AI plans March 12, 2026 Shawbrook Bank reported a jump in profit for the last year in its first set of first set of financial results since its landmark IPO in October. The London-listed bank reported a pre-tax profit of £340.5m, up from £293.8m the year prior as costs tumbled and the group’s loan book swelled. Still, the firm’s shares [...]
Thailand sets sights on £2.3bn exhibition growth with design-led economic pivot March 11, 2026 Thailand’s business events strategy targets higher-value trade, FDI and global capital flows Thailand is repositioning itself as a serious player in the global exhibition economy, having unveiled a strategy in London that seeks to move the country beyond traditional trade events and into higher-value, design-led international platforms. At a briefing hosted by the Thailand Convention [...]
UK economic rebound to be short-lived as Iran war shock looms March 11, 2026 The UK economy is predicted to have seen modest growth at the start of the year while the labour market appeared to be easing and interest rates were very much on a downward path. Forecasters agreed the outlook for the UK economy looked reasonably promising, if not exciting. That was until President Trump spoiled the [...]