John Lewis: Losses triple at retail giant’s property start-up August 11, 2025 Losses tripled at the property start-up owned by retail giant John Lewis during its latest financial year despite its income shooting up, it has been revealed. BTR (Operating) Limited has posted a pre-tax loss of £406,000 for the 12 months to 25 January, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The latest figure comes [...]
Starting pay growth at slowest pace since 2021 August 11, 2025 Pay for new hires rose at the slowest pace in over four years, fresh data has indicated, in signs redundancies and higher taxes are depressing wage growth. The lack of demand among recruiters and the larger number of job seekers in the UK economy has led to starting salary inflation slowing down to its lowest [...]
July fails to bring summer boost for high streets August 8, 2025 Footfall on UK high streets fell again in July as shoppers continued their slow move online, dashing retailers’ hopes for a summer boost. Overall footfall – which includes high streets, retail parks and shopping centres – fell 0.4 per cent in July, while high street footfall fell 1.7 per cent. Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA [...]
Shawbrook expands loan book ahead of mooted London float August 7, 2025 Specialist lender Shawbrook expanded its loan book in the first half of the year helping profit soar. The bank – which is owned by private equity firm Pollen Street Capital – recorded a 35 per cent jump in profit before tax to £168.6m as its loan book grew 14 per cent to £17bn. Deposits were [...]
‘My boss knew I’d leave Freshfields from my first week in’: Nnamdi Emelifeonwu on setting up legal tech firm Definely August 7, 2025 Freshfields lawyer Nnamdi Emelifeonwu left law to set up legal tech firm Definely. He takes us through his career in Square Mile and Me.
Hiscox shares jump after firm lifts buyback despite wildfire losses August 6, 2025 Shares in Lloyd’s of London insurer Hiscox jumped more than 10 per cent in early deals this morning after the company hiked its share buyback. Overall, the group posted a slight fall in interim profit as wildfire claims hit its reinsurance division, but the group increased capital returns on the back of substantial investment income. [...]
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 [...]
SME housebuilders are key to growth – and the Conservative revival August 1, 2025 Housing was a major cause of the Conservative collapse – particularly with young people. If we want to build the right houses in the right places, SMEs are the answer, says Jack Rankin Like the Chancellor, I’m no economist. She might have a degree in PPE, but you don’t need that to work out that [...]
Rachel Reeves could use bank windfall tax to plug Labour’s U-turns July 31, 2025 Rachel Reeves could launch a fresh tax grab on banks to plug the spending holes left by Labour’s recent U-turns, new analysis has found. The Chancellor is poised to hike taxes in the Autumn Budget after a series of government policy switches eroded her already wafer-thin fiscal headroom of £9.9bn. This comes as fresh research [...]
London’s offices ‘regain footing’ as deals tick up and prime rents surge July 31, 2025 Activity in London’s office market has seen a boost, driven by a strong second quarter marked by a number of high-profile leasings. Office take-up in the first half of 2025 reached 4.8m sq ft, up four per cent on the long term average, according to data from Savills. Second-quarter leasings were up 18 per cent [...]