FICO UK Credit Card Market Report: October 2025 December 23, 2025 Pre-Christmas spending and average active balances fall, however average balances for missed accounts remain high reflecting continued financial pressure
Mothercare shares dive as firm warns future in ‘significant doubt’ December 23, 2025 Shares in retailer Mothercare plunged by 10 per cent on Tuesday after the group cast “significant doubt” over its future on Tuesday. In a trading update it said it had breached an emergency loan agreement leaving the firm on the hook for millions of pounds. The AIM-listed company was set to repay an £8m loan [...]
Modon Holding Forms Joint Venture With Related Companies and Panepinto Properties to Deliver Harborside 4, a Luxury Residential Tower Along the Waterfront in the Heart of Downtown Jersey City December 22, 2025 Modon acquires a majority equity stake in Harborside 4, a prime 54-story development scheme in downtown Jersey City which will deliver 800 luxury rental apartments and condos in Q1 2029 Joint venture with Related and Panepinto supports Modon’s ongoing strategy to diversify its global portfolio through high quality investments and strong international partnerships
Budget uncertainty dampens November spending December 19, 2025 Black Friday discounts failed to significantly boost consumer spending in November, as Budget uncertainty kept shoppers away from the high street. Sales declined 0.1 per cent last month, following a 0.9 per cent fall in October, as households opted to hold off spending in the run up to Christmas and wait to see the outcome [...]
FCA probe and bonus clawbacks: WH Smith acts against former directors as North America profit plunges December 19, 2025 WH Smith’s board will trigger clawback provisions for senior executives following accounting errors woes that had resulted in a probe by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). WH Smith chief executive Carl Cowling stepped down with immediate effect last month after the report, produced by Big Four audit firm Deloitte, identified weaknesses in the operations of [...]
ESW and Scholl Partner to Accelerate Cross-Border Ecommerce Expansion Across 50+ Markets December 18, 2025 Expansion leverages ESW’s cross-border capabilities alongside Shopify’s infrastructure and Arsenalia’s strategic consultancy to power Scholl’s global DTC growth.
Zara turns to AI-edited models amid shop closures December 18, 2025 Zara is using artificial intelligence to edit images of human models for its e-commerce platforms, City AM understands, as the fast-fashion giant looks to cut costs amid a tough retail backdrop. Models who have previously shot campaigns for Zara have since been contacted by the Spanish retail giant and asked for permission for their images [...]
Elliott turns the page on London’s IPO drought with Waterstones listing plan December 18, 2025 Elliott Management is preparing a multibillion-pound flotation of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, with a listing expected next year and London edging out New York as the preferred venue. The US hedge fund has reportedly begun sounding out advisers ahead of a potential IPO, with banks likely to be appointed in early 2026. While no [...]
Brits’ disposable income shrinks in disappointing Golden Quarter December 18, 2025 Brits feel far poorer now than they did at the start of 2025, with even high-income households downbeat about their financial prospects. In January, people were four per cent more likely to say their pay had gone up rather than down, but Brits are now seven per cent more likely to have seen their pay [...]
How Christmas lights give London its sparkle December 18, 2025 London’s festive lights, a tradition since 1954, are integral to the capital’s economic and social vitality, says Karen Baines When London switched on its first festive lights along Regent Street in 1954, few could have imagined how profoundly they would come to define the season. That gesture lit the way for a much-loved tradition that [...]