Arne: Brothers enjoy huge pay day as profit surges September 1, 2025 The brothers behind clothing brand Arne have raked in the cash after sales and profit at their company surged in 2024 ahead of the brand opening its first store. The Warrington-headquartered business has posted a turnover of £84.1m and pre-tax profit of £11.9m for 2024 The figures compare to the turnover of £37.4m and pre-tax [...]
Local shops axe jobs and cut investment amid surging costs September 1, 2025 UK convenience stores have cuts 2,000 jobs over an “extremely challenging year” after coming under pressure from soaring labour costs and fierce competition from supermarkets. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) warned that pessimistic consumers and increased costs for retailers are therefore putting the UK’s 50,000 local shops under pressure, resulting in weaker investment and [...]
Asda boss slams tax hikes: ‘Businesses have to be allowed to invest’ August 28, 2025 Asda chair Allan Leighton has warned that the Government must change the way it thinks about growth or risk a stagnating economy. Ahead of Asda’s quarterly results – where the grocer reported its fourth consecutive quarter of improving like-for-like sales – Leighton said that the company has a “simple philosophy… if you want growth, you [...]
British Retail Consortium appoints its first female chair August 28, 2025 The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has appointed Jo Whitfield as its new chair, the first woman in its history to hold the role. Whitfield will replace outgoing chair Andy Higginson, who has been in the position since September 2023. “I’m honoured to be joining the BRC as its first female Chair, and to be supporting [chief executive] [...]
Mark Kleinman: Gupta steeled for high-wire act to end without Liberty August 28, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column Gupta steeled for high-wire act to end without Liberty It’s crunch time – again. For Sanjeev Gupta, brushes with insolvency are nothing new. The steel tycoon has turned the process of snatching victory from the jaws of [...]
Retailers’ woes stretch into second day after bearish Deutsche note August 27, 2025 A sell-off affecting some of the UK’s largest retailers has extended into a second day, after an analyst warned the spectre of higher taxes in the Autumn Budget, a softening labour market and sticky inflation will dent consumers’ spending habits. Shares in AB Foods, Wickes and B&Q-owner Kingfisher all shed between one and 1.5 per [...]
Retail sales fall for eleventh consecutive month August 27, 2025 UK retail sales have continued their steady decline as price pressures weigh on already-stretched consumers, according to new data. The CBI’s monitor for annual retail sales was little changed at -32 in August, from -34 in July. “Weak demand and higher labour costs continue to put pressure on margins, dampening sentiment across the retail and [...]
Jubel CEO: ‘We’re doing something different and it’s working’ August 27, 2025 When CEO and founder of Jubel, Jesse Wilson, left his corporate role to create his own lager, he knew he wanted to carve out a peach-shaped niche in a saturated beer market. Since its launch in 2018, Jubel has reached that goal, with its trademark fruity lager on tap in nearly 1,500 pubs across the [...]
New Look owners line up Rothschild as high street chain prepares for possible sale August 24, 2025 The owners of New Look have appointed Rothschild to oversee a strategic review that could see the high street fashion chain change hands next year. Alcentra and Brait, which have controlled the retailer since 2020, tapped the investment bank after receiving unsolicited approaches from potential buyers, Sky News reported. No timeline has been set for [...]