UK SMEs brace for inflation strain as confidence slips October 22, 2025 Small business (SME) optimism is faltering as sticky inflation, labour shortages and rising borrowing costs pile pressure on firms already stretched by thin margins and political uncertainty. Small business confidence dipped in September, with recent Opinium polling suggesting that UK entrepreneurs are increasingly uneasy about the months ahead. The latest figures from the National Federation [...]
Rachel Reeves plans another NIC tax raid at November Budget October 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves is gearing up for another billion-pound raid on National Insurance Contributions (NICs) as the Chancellor finds ways to plug a huge fiscal black hole in November’s Budget. Reeves is understood to be drawing up plans to extend NICs taxes to include limited liability partnerships or LLPs, to whom the tax does not currently [...]
Calls for Reeves to scrap customs ‘loophole’ used by Shein in budget October 21, 2025 Retailers would benefit if the UK scrapped or reduced import relief for low-value goods in the upcoming budget, according to experts. There has been much speculation that the Chancellor will scrap the low-value import VAT relief that lets goods under £135 enter the UK duty-free (parcels above that value can incur customs duties of up [...]
Bodycare: Creditors to lose millions after retailer’s collapse October 21, 2025 Bodycare owed more than £30m when it collapsed into administration with the loss of around 1,400 jobs, it has been revealed. The high street health and beauty retailer fell over in September with an initial 32 stores closed and around 450 employees being made redundant. That move was followed a few days later when it [...]
British chipmaker Ensilica becomes latest victim of Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack October 16, 2025 British chipmaker Ensilica is thought to have become the latest supplier to Jaguar Land Rover to take a hit from the carmaker’s cyberattack, as the firm cut its supply expectations for the forthcoming year. The Oxford-based business saw its shares tumble on Thursday after it revised down its revenue expectations to £28-30m for the year [...]
Salesforce rolls out new AI tools amid escalating job concerns October 15, 2025 US tech behemoth Salesforce unveiled ‘agentforce 360′ on Tuesday, its latest generative AI platform built to automate repetitive tasks, as concerns around AI’s impact on jobs continue to swirl, and the company itself navigates workforce reductions. Salesforce executives framed the platform as a way to augment rather than replace human workers, providing tools that allow [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Ofcom fines Royal Mail, CMA’s vet crackdown October 15, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. 15 months on from Labour’s stunning general election victory and a month out from its next budget, how is the City feeling about the current government? It’s safe to say that enthusiasm has waned a little since high expectations were set last year. Some City analysts are [...]
Will London meet tinned tuna giant Prince’s expectations? October 14, 2025 The City heaved a sigh of relief last week after tinned tuna heavyweight Princes confirmed its intention to proceed with its IPO to list on London’s main index. The group, which has a £2bn portfolio of familiar household food brands including margarine brand Flora and Olivio olive oil, expects trading to begin at the end [...]
Detached, ignorant, and selfish: City broker blasts the Treasury October 14, 2025 City broker Shore Capital has blasted the Treasury as incapable of creating economic growth, as Britain gears up for a tax-raising budget. Rumours of various taxes that Rachel Reeves might introduce in this Autumn’s budget in an attempt to plug a £40bn gap in the nation’s finances have been swirling, despite strong pushback from companies and consumers. [...]
Versace: UK sales slashed again as profit almost wiped out October 14, 2025 Sales at the UK arm of fashion house Versace have been slashed by a fifth for a second consecutive year as the downturn in luxury spending continues. The division has reported a turnover of £15.2m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The latest total is [...]