As it happened: Stocks jump on peace hopes; Reeves hit by falling retail sales and surge in borrowing May 22, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices remain volatile and heightened as peace talks in the Middle East continue to run into stumbling blocks. Brent crude futures were up to $104 this morning following reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader was ordering for the nation’s enriched uranium reserves to remain in [...]
The Works shares soar as families look for ‘screen-free’ fun May 21, 2026 Shares in The Works soared on Thursday morning after the retailer said growing demand for “screen-free” entertainment is driving up revenue. The Aim-listed stock jumped 11 per cent on early trading, to 60p, after it reported revenue growth of more than three per cent to £260m in the year to May. The retailer saw like-for-like [...]
Toast Supports the International Chamber of Commerce UK Trade & Export Initiative for Hospitality Brands Expanding Internationally May 21, 2026 Toast (NYSE: TOST), the global technology platform built for restaurant and retail businesses, today announced its participation as a proud sponsor of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UK Trade & Export initiative. As the world’s largest business organisation and the only one with United Nations observer status, the ICC represents 45 million companies globally. [...]
Next faces shareholder pressure over worker pay May 21, 2026 Shareholders in Next are set to put pressure on the retail giant to take action on its “reliance” on low-paid labour. At Next’s annual general meeting on Thursday, a group of investors will call on the retailer to take further action on worker pay and adopt the “real living wage” for all employees. But the [...]
Weather or not to stock – AI aims to shelter UK business from the classic (wet) British summer May 21, 2026 A chilly spring, a sluggish UK economy and hard-pressed household budgets at a time of rising interest rates have combined to put a national talking point – the weather – into the spotlight in the City. Seasonal trends, or the lack of them, can make or break trading at retailers and hospitality companies. Disruption from [...]
Marquee Brands Enters Strategic Partnership With DAMAC Group for a Majority Interest in Roberto Cavalli May 20, 2026 The Partnership Positions Roberto Cavalli for a New Phase of Global Expansion and Omnichannel Growth
DNA Payments and ETABS Partner to Offer Integrated Payment Solutions for Retail and Trade Businesses May 20, 2026 E-Trading and Business Services Ltd (ETABS) has partnered with DNA Payments, the UK’s leading independent payments provider, to bring reliable and secure integrated payment solutions to UK retail, trade, and warehousing businesses, both in-store and online. ETABS’s unified software helps retail businesses manage everything from large inventories to busy trade counters and shop floors, covering [...]
1GLOBAL Launches Verint Communications Analytics to Enhance Cloud Compliance for Financial and Regulated Industries May 20, 2026 1GLOBAL now offers transcription with insights into mobile calls in 10 countries on Verint Communications Analytics, built specifically for financial markets and trading environments Streamlines the compliance investigation and mobile call monitoring process through transcription and analysis Supports transcription and translation from 30+ languages into English with near real-time processing
Goldman Sachs lands lead role on SpaceX’s record $1.75 trillion IPO May 20, 2026 SpaceX is preparing to launch what could become the largest stock market flotation in history, after Goldman Sachs secured the coveted lead left underwriting role on a proposed $75bn initial public offering. The Elon Musk-led rocket, satellite and AI group is expected to publish its prospectus as early as Wednesday ahead of a planned Nasdaq [...]
M&S profit slumps in fallout from cyber attack May 20, 2026 Marks & Spencer saw its profit slump by a quarter as the retailer took more than a £100m hit from its “traumatic” cyber attack last year. The FTSE 100 supermarket and clothing business saw pre-tax profit fall by 29 per cent to £365m in the year to March, despite sales growing by 25 per cent [...]