Billionaire Issa brothers shrink empire ahead of blockbuster IPO August 14, 2025 The forecourts empire founded by the billionaire Issa brothers has sealed a second deal this week to sell off part of its international business as it works up to a possible blockbuster float in New York. Blackburn-headquartered EG Group has agreed to dispose of its operations in Australia to Ampol in a deal which values [...]
FatFace slims down workforce as brand returns to profit August 14, 2025 FatFace shed almost 300 jobs as it returned to profit in its first full year after being acquired by FTSE 100 giant Next. The retailer was snapped up by the Leicester-based group for £115.2m in October 2023 in a deal which saw it fall to an initially reported pre-tax loss of £3.2m in the 35 weeks [...]
Gatwick profit jumps after boost to passenger numbers August 14, 2025 Gatwick airport has reported a double-digit rise in profit in the first half of 2025, driven by a boost to passenger and aircraft traffic volume. Total revenue reached £491.4m in the first half of the year, up 0.7 per cent from 2024. Adjusted revenue – accounting for two “large one-off elements” which occurred last year [...]
Demand for passive funds drives assets under management to record highs August 13, 2025 The UK investment management industry reached “record highs” in 2024, boosted by demand for low-cost products and overseas interest in UK assets. Tracker net sales surged for the third consecutive year, as investors increasingly look towards low-cost products and passive investments. In contrast, active sales tumbled, according to the latest report from the Investment Association [...]
Advertisers have a new audience to sell to: AI models August 12, 2025 For generations, advertisers have obsessed over how best to win the hearts and minds of consumers. But with people increasingly turning to their large language model of choice for product recommendations, the industry has a new audience to get its head around: artificial intelligence, writes Ali Lyon. David Ogilvy had four golden rules to help [...]
Elon Musk’s Tesla makes bid to power UK homes August 11, 2025 Elon Musk’s Tesla has applied for a licence to supply electricity to UK homes and businesses, in a move that could see the world’s most famous electric car brand take on Britain’s energy giants as soon as next year. The application was filed late last month by Tesla Energy Ventures, the Manchester-based energy subsidiary of [...]
John Lewis: Losses triple at retail giant’s property start-up August 11, 2025 Losses tripled at the property start-up owned by retail giant John Lewis during its latest financial year despite its income shooting up, it has been revealed. BTR (Operating) Limited has posted a pre-tax loss of £406,000 for the 12 months to 25 January, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The latest figure comes [...]
Iceland in the red as Rachel Reeves’ tax raid forces prices higher August 8, 2025 Iceland has warned it is being forced to increases prices because of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax raids as the supermarket chain fell into the red. The Flintshire-headquartered said that while it is “doing our utmost” to offset increasing costs arising from last year’s Autumn Budget, it will “inevitably have to pass some of these on [...]
‘My boss knew I’d leave Freshfields from my first week in’: Nnamdi Emelifeonwu on setting up legal tech firm Definely August 7, 2025 Freshfields lawyer Nnamdi Emelifeonwu left law to set up legal tech firm Definely. He takes us through his career in Square Mile and Me.
Hawes & Curtis: Profit continues to fall at Dragons’ Den star’s brand August 4, 2025 Profit at Hawes & Curtis, the retailer owned by Dragons’ Den star Touker Suleyman, has shrunk for a second consecutive year despite rising sales. The London-headquartered fashion brand has posted a pre-tax profit of £3.7m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. That figure compares to the £4.7m it reported for 2023 and [...]