Spring Statement 2025: ‘Missed opportunity’ to avoid hospitality cliff edge March 26, 2025 The UK’s leading hospitality body has slammed the Spring Statement as a ‘missed opportunity’ to solve the mounting crisis in Britain’s pubs and bars. The statement contained no phasing in of higher national insurance contributions (NICs) or extra support for the sector, despite pleas from the industry. “Growth won’t just happen without a plan. Today’s [...]
Private equity market bullish on resurgence in deals March 26, 2025 Private equity chiefs have become bullish for a surge in deals this year, in a rare piece of good news for the London Stock Exchange. When polled, 79 per cent of private equity general partners said they were expecting returns to rise this year, compared to just 24 per cent in 2024, data from Investec [...]
Morrisons looks to save £1bn as sales rise ahead of stores shake-up March 26, 2025 Morrisons has announced an uptick in sales amid a wide-ranging store shake-up plan which will see hundreds of jobs losses. Group like-for-like sales rose 2.1 per cent in the 13 weeks ended 26 January while total sales increased by 2.4 per cent to £4bn over the same period. The Yorkshire-headquartered grocer said it had made [...]
Libby’s Naked Wines diary: I visit Oxford’s trendy new rooftop March 26, 2025 This week in Libby’s Naked Wines diary, our wine columnist visits Oxford Simon Drake glides up to me in a jacket that looks and feels like he has skinned the Velveteen Rabbit. Indeed, it is so soft I pause for just longer than is potentially acceptable to stroke his velvety arm – before he gently [...]
Farrell draws heavily on Ireland staff for British and Irish Lions coaches March 26, 2025 Andy Farrell has drawn heavily on his Ireland staff after confirming his coaches for the British and Irish Lions’ tour to Australia this summer. Farrell’s Ireland assistant Simon Easterby, attack specialist Andrew Goodman and scrum coach John Fogarty have all been recruited from the Irish set-up, it was confirmed today. They join Aled Walters, Vinny [...]
Businesses told to watch out as CMA complaints spike ahead of new powers March 26, 2025 Complaints to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have jumped by almost a quarter in the year leading to the watchdog being handed more power. According to research commissioned by law firm Pinsent Masons, concerns raised about competition and consumer law surged by 23 per cent from 4,728 to 5,823 in the year to 30 [...]
City grandees launch bid to unseat Urban Logistics chair March 26, 2025 An investment trust run by City grandees has called a shareholder vote to unseat the chair and two directors of Urban Logistics REIT. City veterans Christopher Mills and Robert Naylor run Achilles Investment Company, and have banded together with Waverton Investment Management, TR Property Investment Trust and Harwood Capital to launch the takeover. Naylor and [...]
Will the government’s £2bn affordable housing top-up make a difference? March 25, 2025 The government has ploughed a ‘top-up’ investment of £2bn into the UK’s affordable housing sector as part of its pledge to revitalise residential construction. Officials say it will get working people and families into secure homes, while detractors say it doesn’t go far enough and might even be less money than the sector had anticipated. [...]
Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid make progress in transfer talks March 25, 2025 Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid moved a step closer on Tuesday with talks progressing between the club and the Brit. The 26-year-old, who has made over 300 appearances for the Anfield club, will be without a club should he reach the end of his contract this summer. He has reportedly not pursued [...]
Don’t look back in anger: Oasis fans misled by Ticketmaster, says CMA March 25, 2025 The UK’s competition regulator has accused Ticketmaster of misleading Oasis fans during the brand’s highly anticipated ticket sale, suggesting that some may have overpaid for seats that offered no real advantage. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has demanded changes to how Ticketmaster labels tickets and displays pricing information, following widespread complaints from fans who [...]