Logile Appoints James Freshwater to Drive Expansion and Transform Retail Workforce Operations Across UK & EMEA March 17, 2026 Freshwater to lead Logile’s expansion across the region by helping retailers optimise operations amid labour pressures and execution gaps
Virgin wines looks to Gen-Z wine-lovers for growth after suffering loss March 17, 2026 Online retailer Virgin Wines turned a loss but remains confident a surge of Gen-Z drinkers who no longer view wine as “elitist” will push the firm into the black. The wine seller made a £400k pre-tax loss in the first half of the year, down from a £1.3m profit last year, but saw revenue grow [...]
Wickes profit doubles as DIY firm bets on solar March 17, 2026 Home improvement retailer Wickes has doubled its profit as the firm positions itself to become a leader in solar panel installation. The firm took revenue of £1.6bn, up six per cent, and pre-tax profit grew from £23m to £49m, in the year to December 2025. Wickes was promoted to the FTSE 250 last year, as [...]
Dragons Den star steps in to save Robert Dyas March 16, 2026 A former Dragons Den star has stepped in to “steady the ship” at a beloved high street hardware store as losses climb. Theo Paphitis, who owns a string of retailers, has installed himself as interim chief executive at Robert Dyas, as the home improvement and electrical appliance seller battles “testing times”. Paphitis bought the retailer [...]
London-based insuretech Loxa bags £2.7m to expand across Europe March 16, 2026 London-based insuretech Loxa has completed a £2.7m seed funding round to expand its embedded insurance platform across the European retail market. The firm secured the investment in three separate tranches from a group of angel investors and family offices. The Lazaroo-Hood Group led the backing with further support from the Angel Investment Network, FundMyPitch, and [...]
‘Fibremaxxing’: How food manufacturers made fibre cool again March 12, 2026 “Fibremaxxing,” the UK’s new healthy eating trend, erupted at the start of 2026, as fibre replaced protein as the go-to fashionable food. Previously mundane, bland foods like prunes and seeded bread surged in popularity, with posts with the hashtags “fibremaxxing” having been viewed more than 150m times on TikTok. Sales of prunes increased 60 per [...]
Here comes Elon: Tesla wins licence to supply electricity in Britain March 12, 2026 Tesla has been granted approval to supply electricity to homes and businesses across the UK, opening the door for the electric vehicle giant to enter the country’s retail energy market. Energy regulator Ofgem confirmed on Thursday that Tesla Energy Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of Musk’s company, has been granted an electricity supply licence by the [...]
Shawbrook shares dive after profit jump on bullish AI plans March 12, 2026 Shawbrook Bank reported a jump in profit for the last year in its first set of first set of financial results since its landmark IPO in October. The London-listed bank reported a pre-tax profit of £340.5m, up from £293.8m the year prior as costs tumbled and the group’s loan book swelled. Still, the firm’s shares [...]
John Lewis reinstates staff bonus but remains ‘cautious’ March 12, 2026 John Lewis has returned its staff bonus after years of its suspension, as the retail titan turned a profit but remains “cautious” in a testing retail environment. The partnership, which also owns Waitrose, made a £134m profit in the year to January 2025, up six per cent from the year before, and notched growing sales [...]
Sheffield Wednesday: New preferred bidder’s quick deal incentive revealed March 11, 2026 Sheffield Wednesday’s new preferred bidder, US group Arise Capital Partners, hopes to complete a cut-price takeover of the fallen English giants before the end of the season. The group, made up of investors David Storch, Michael Storch and Tom Costin, has emerged as the club’s latest would-be saviour with an offer reported to be in [...]