High Court rejects Square Mile Tom James’ legal case against former employee November 5, 2025 The High Court has dismissed a lawsuit to enforce restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations against a former employee of giant Tom James in the Square Mile. Tom James is the world’s largest manufacturer and retailer of customised clothing, and in the City, where some suits are priced at around £2,500, it tailors to working professionals. [...]
Full steam ahead for Trainline as it raises its end of year guidance November 5, 2025 London listed ticketing app Trainline has seen its shares rocket after the firm raised its pre-tax profit guidance. Total revenue inched up 2 per cent year by year to £23m from £229m in the first half of the year. Free cash flow hit £79m, while basic earnings per share increased by 54 per cent to [...]
M&S reveals full cost of cyber attack November 5, 2025 The hit from Marks and Spencer’s cyber attack earlier this year is set to total £136m by 2026, the company said this morning. This is in addition to insurance income of £100m related to the attack, which hit the FTSE 100 firm in April. The fashion and food company was forced to suspend online orders [...]
ABF considers spinning off Primark November 4, 2025 Consumer goods giant ABF is considering selling off fashion brand Primark as it undertakes a ‘comprehensive review’ of the business. ABF, which founded Primark – then known as Pennies – in Dublin in 1969, said that “no decision” has been taken yet. The strategic review will be carried out with the help of the advisory [...]
British SMEs locked out of trade deal benefits as red tape bites November 3, 2025 Britain’s small businesses are failing to reap the rewards of the government’s post-Brexit trade deals, as red tape, tariffs, and weak confidence leave exports flatlining and financial distress mounting across SMEs, according to a new report. New figures from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) show that 84 per cent of firms with fewer than [...]
Private credit: Ponzi scheme or panacea? November 3, 2025 Over the past decade, the private credit industry has ballooned from arcane financial solution to a core pillar of asset management. But recent tremors in corporate debt markets have led several economic institutions to warn of its risks to the global economy. Ali Lyon asks: how worried should we be? What kept you awake at [...]
Apple and Amazon defy Wall Street gloom on iPhone and cloud sales October 31, 2025 Tech behemoths Apple and Amazon have defied expectations with results that outshone Wall Street forecasts, rounding off a big week of earnings from the world’s most powerful firms. Both companies posted double-digit revenue growth and upbeat outlooks, calming investor nerves after a rocky few days for the wider tech sector. While Apple reported a surge [...]
Shawbrook shares jump in biggest City IPO debut of the year October 30, 2025 Shares in specialist lender Shawbrook soared in early trading after the firm made its IPO debut in the City. The bank’s stock was up over six per cent in early trading to 393.43p. Shawbrook kicked off its London Stock Exchange float targeting a valuation just shy of £2bn with a listing price of 370p. “We [...]
Is Next still a bellwether for the UK high street? October 30, 2025 Next sailed past its projected sales figures this Autumn, the high street stalwart told markets on Wednesday, despite wider issues in the UK high street. Overall sales rose 10.5 per cent in the 13 weeks to October 25, far above guidance of 4.5 per cent, with international sales growth at 38.8 per cent quarter on [...]
Badenoch stitched Starmer up like a kipper October 30, 2025 Kemi Badenoch scored a direct hit on Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday. In asking him if he could rule out raising income tax, VAT or national insurance she stitched him up like a kipper. She knew (we all knew) that he would decline the opportunity and the Tory leader knew that when she [...]