Frasers to launch Sports Direct in Australia and New Zealand April 15, 2025 Frasers will enter into a long-term agreement with wholesaler Accent Group to launch Sports Direct across Australia and New Zealand in the next step in its international growth plans. The 25-year partnership aims to rollout up to 100 Sports Direct stores across the region, which would boost the total number of Sports Direct stores by [...]
B&M: Poor UK sales weigh on earnings for bargain retailer April 15, 2025 Discount retailer B&M expects full-year earnings to fall year on year as poor UK sales weigh on overall company performance. However, the company told markets this morning that it expects to report earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) above the midpoint of its £605m-£625m guidance range. The firm lowered its expected full-year EBITDA [...]
Barclays: Consumers plan to ‘buy British’ amid escalating trade war April 15, 2025 British consumers are planning to buy more UK-made products as two thirds of adults fear tumbling markets could lead to a deterioration in household finances, new research by Barclays has shown. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have dampened the UK’s economic outlook and put household finances under pressure. Consumers are now rapidly responding to the changes, [...]
Grid connection for clean energy firms to be fast-tracked, ministers say April 15, 2025 Grid connections for businesses delivering clean energy are to be prioritised, ministers have said. The government has said so-called ‘zombie projects’ which hold up the queue for National Grid connectivity are set to be axed from the waiting list. While industries including data centres and AI, wind energy and solar projects will be accelerated for [...]
Why the UK can’t get a grip of its energy crisis April 14, 2025 A months-long cost-of-living crisis, state bailouts of consumer energy bills, endless planning rows, judicial interventions and now the near-collapse of Britain’s only manufacturer of virgin steel all show different sides to the UK’s ongoing energy crisis. Its dependency on foreign imports, poor planning of infrastructure and lack of control over soaring bills means the extent [...]
What’s going on with Trump’s tech tariffs? April 14, 2025 This weekend, investors got a rare gift from the Trump administration, under the form of a tech tariff reprieve. Or so they thought. True to Trump-era form, the relief came wrapped in mixed messages and policy pivots, causing enough confusion to keep Wall Street analysts scratching heads. After rattling markets with sweeping tariffs on Chinese [...]
British Steel announces new interim leadership April 14, 2025 British Steel has announced the appointment of Allan Bell as interim chief executive after the government took over its Scunthorpe steelworks. Bell will take up the position with immediate effect, while Lisa Coulson has also been appointed chief commercial officer. Both are long-term employees of British Steel, with more than three decades of collective experience [...]
‘It’s existential’: Unpacking a looming tax scarier than the National Insurance hike April 13, 2025 For William Fugard, chief executive and co-founder of Gusto Organic, headaches caused by issues beyond his control are an occupational hazard. The terms on which the UK decided to leave the European Union meant that – in 2019 – the cost of exporting a pallet of his firm’s premium soft drinks went from £70 to [...]
Bull fight! Living the Lamborghini dream on the road and racetrack April 12, 2025 Ferruccio Lamborghini wasn’t a fan of motorsport. While Enzo Ferrari sold road cars primarily to bankroll racing teams, his rival on the opposite side of Modena saw things differently. Launching the Lamborghini Miura in 1966 – widely regarded as the world’s first supercar – Ferruccio said: “Every one I build [will be] like winning a [...]
Jaecoo is the new SUV in town and it’s coming for Land Rover April 12, 2025 You’ve probably never heard of the car brand Jaecoo before, but you’re about to start seeing a lot of them. The Jaecoo 7 boasts the three things most motorists in the UK are looking for in a new set of wheels: It’s a mid-size SUV; it’s hybrid with fantastic fuel economy and all the latest [...]