UK retail sector faces mounting pressures after Budget, warns Begbies Traynor December 27, 2024 UK retailers in critical financial distress has surged by more than 25 per cent, marked by weaker-than-expected retail sales and Budget uncertainty
Mark Kleinman: Hold the Telegraph front page – then hold it some more December 27, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week he tackles the Telegraph bid, Mike Ashley’s failed Boohoo approach and an oil deal in the North Sea I suspect you’d have got long odds on January 1 on the auction of The Daily [...]
Retail in 2025: The year of personalisation, AI, wellness – and no more barcodes December 24, 2024 2024 has been a tough year for retail. From companies sounding the alarm on business rates in the first half of the year to low consumer confidence and footfall proving stickier than expected, the festive period has now been overshadowed by stark warnings about further cost rises next year. Restructuring partner at RSM UK, Gordon [...]
The top five trends emerging in sports marketing in 2025 December 22, 2024 Sports marketing continues to play a diverse and increasingly important role in the marketing mix for brands. And for many reasons. It serves as a launchpad for brands seeking to enter new markets by capitalising on major events across the globe that command mass audiences. It’s a signal of a brand’s stature and prominence re-enforcing [...]
FTSE 100 logs worst week in more than a year December 21, 2024 The FTSE 100 touched a more than one-month low on Friday and logged its sharpest drop since October 2023 for a week filled with a raft of central bank policy decisions. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.3 per cent, hitting its lowest since 13 November, though the mid-cap FTSE 250 was up 0.3 per cent, after [...]
UK retail sales rise slightly in November amid concern over golden quarter December 20, 2024 The latest ONS data showed retail sales jumped 0.2 per cent last month, following a 0.7 per cent fall in October.
Sales skyrocket at London Waterloo after biggest ever Wetherspoons opens December 19, 2024 Sales at London Waterloo shops have soared to the top of a leader-board of Britain’s busiest train stations, following the opening of the UK’s largest ever railway station Wetherspoons. The London hub reported the most quarterly sales growth of any of the 19 stations Network Rail runs in the UK, up 47 per cent year-on-year, [...]
Shops being ‘thwacked by colossal’ employment costs December 18, 2024 Business rates rises totalling £7.6m are being faced by shops in Scotland when the new tax year starts, according to new figures. A total of 4,520 shops liable for the intermediate and higher property rates will experience an increase in their rates bills, according to information obtained by Conservative MSP Craig Hoy and published by [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher sells underperforming Romanian arm December 18, 2024 Kingfisher has agreed to sell its Brico Dépôt Romania business for £58m to Altex Romania. The sale, which is expected to be completed in the first half of the next financial year, comprises the entire Brico Dépôt Romania business, including its network of 31 stores in 24 cities, distribution operations, and head office in Bucharest. It [...]
Inflation spike ‘raises questions’ over health of UK economy December 18, 2024 The spike in inflation to 2.6 per cent today has raised questions about the health of the UK economy, according to analysts. The news comes ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide the path of interest rates tomorrow, with markets agreeing that combined with higher-than-expected wage growth yesterday, a cut is off the [...]