Halfords lifts profit targets on heatwave boost August 27, 2026 The sun has shone on Halfords’ summer trading as the motoring and cycling retailer lifted its profit targets in response to “very strong” recent sales. The FTSE 250 firm had previously been tipped for a £52.6m pre-tax profit this year but said on Thursday that it now hopes to make between £55m and £65m. Shares in [...]
Puregym to double new gym openings in second half of year August 27, 2026 Puregym is set to bulk up its gym network in the second half of 2026 after seeing a boost to revenue in the first six months of the year. The Leeds-based group opened 17 sites in the first half of the year, but said on Thursday it remains on track to reach 60 new high-quality [...]
Park Plaza owner ‘not distracted’ after sale talks fail August 27, 2026 Hotel owner PPHE Group has said it is “not distracted from our core focus” after its takeover by a rival hotel operator fell apart, despite the company reporting slowing revenue growth in the last quarter. The FTSE 250 firm’s board had backed a sale to Israeli-based Fattal Hotel Group but opposition from a major shareholder [...]
What I’ve learned about English cricket finances in seven weeks chairing Sussex August 27, 2026 Seven weeks as chair of Sussex Cricket and no major jolts to the view of the sport that I held while my nose was pressed to the window looking in, but lots of new detail to fill out my understanding of its challenges. Some of these challenges are unique to cricket, others common to many [...]
Affluent Big Four partners lack ‘fire in the belly’ to disrupt consulting market August 27, 2026 The trend of Big Four partners leaving to launch boutique consultancies has accelerated in recent years. But Q5 co-founder has told City AM that many will struggle to build true challenger brands without an “all or nothing” approach. Five founders, including managing partner Olly Purnell, launched boutique consultancy firm Q5 at the height of the global financial [...]
Dolly Parton: The rhinestone capitalist August 27, 2026 Dolly Parton is often celebrated as a working class hero, but her entrepreneurial triumphs can be read as a fable of capitalism too.
Londoners can no longer afford the Notting Hill Carnival August 27, 2026 Around 2m people flock to Notting Hill Carnival each year. But there is no such thing as a free lunch, or free street party, says James Ford.
KBRA Assigns Rating to Petit Forestier Group’s $510 million and €100 million Senior Unsecured Notes August 26, 2026 KBRA Europe (KBRA) assigns a BBB rating to the senior unsecured notes (“Notes”) issued by Petit Forestier Group (“Petit Forestier”, “GPF” or “the group”), a global leader in full-service rental of refrigerated vehicles and a leading European lessor of display units and refrigerated containers, founded in 1907. The Notes include aggregate $510 million issued across [...]
Lloyds Bank and Halifax users unable to use app in latest outage August 26, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has been hit with another app outage that has left thousands of customers unable to use services. The financial giant – which has Lloyds, Halifax and Scottish Widows under its umbrella – said it was “working to get things back to normal as quickly as we can” as users took to social [...]
Reform to slash HMRC officials’ pay if taxpayers wait too long August 26, 2026 HMRC officials would be fined and dismissed if they keep taxpayers waiting too long to deal with government services under a Reform UK government. If Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister, customer services officers at the tax collector would have their pay tied to performance levels and be required to keep waiting times to below 30 [...]