Monzo, Starling, Zilch: The fintech IPOs that could boost London March 30, 2025 London markets have suffered a torrid couple of years, but could fintech help turn the tide? Swedish fintech Klarna marked the latest snub to the City after it announced it was pursuing a US-listing despite hopes the firm would float in London. This followed 88 companies leaving the London Stock Exchange (LSE) last year, including [...]
Retail sales beat expectations as Brits keep shopping March 28, 2025 Retail sales volumes beat expectations in February as British shoppers seemed to loosen their spending habits, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Retail sales rose one per cent month-on-month after rising 1.4 per cent in January. Markets had expected a decline of 0.3 per cent. Annual retail sales growth came in at 2.2 [...]
FTSE 100 retail giant Next passes £1bn profit milestone for the first time March 27, 2025 Next has joined a small group of UK retail companies in reporting more than £1bn in annual profit. The high street bellwether told markets this morning that its profit before tax for the year to January 2025 was £1.01bn, up 10.1 per cent year on year. Its share price rose more than eight per cent [...]
Mark Kleinman: Monzo chief lands windfall amid listing debate March 27, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles a nice payday for the Monzo boss, an unlikely friendship, and the great British export that is the Premier League. Bravery or foolhardiness? Klarna’s decision to press the button on a US initial [...]
Businesses told to watch out as CMA complaints spike ahead of new powers March 26, 2025 Complaints to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have jumped by almost a quarter in the year leading to the watchdog being handed more power. According to research commissioned by law firm Pinsent Masons, concerns raised about competition and consumer law surged by 23 per cent from 4,728 to 5,823 in the year to 30 [...]
Estée Lauder loses over £360m as it prepares to cut jobs March 26, 2025 Estée Lauder, the beauty giant behind brands such as Clinique, MAC, and Jo Malone, has slumped to a loss of more than £360m in the UK and Ireland as it prepares to cut thousands of jobs. The US multi-national, which is also the owner of Bobbi Brown, Aveda and Tom Ford, posted a pre-tax loss [...]
Julian Charles rescued out of administration after tax rises bite March 26, 2025 Julian Charles, the luxury bedding and homewares retailer, has been rescued out of administration after struggling with falling sales and increasing taxes. The Manchester-headquartered company’s business and assets have been sold to Great Bedding Co Ltd in a deal which safeguarded 230 out of 251 jobs and more than 25 trading sites as well as [...]
Retail sales plummet as trade fears and taxes weigh on confidence March 25, 2025 Retail sales dropped in March and are expected to fall further as low confidence worsens a decade-long decline in retail. Sales volumes in the UK dropped “markedly” in the year to March, according to the CBI’s latest trading survey. It was the sharpest drop since last July and marks the sixth consecutive months of decline, [...]
Profit jumps at electrical retailer AO World March 25, 2025 Profit has risen more than twice as fast as sales and far outstripped revenue growth at online electrical retailer AO World. The company told markets this morning that it expects retail revenue to increase by around 12 per cent in the 12 months to March 31. It expects like-for-like revenue to increase by around seven [...]
Kingfisher: French trading dampens performance of B&Q owner March 25, 2025 Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix, has reported a drop in sales driven by the weak consumer market in France. Sales fell 1.5 per cent to £12.78bn in the year ended January 31, Kingfisher told markets this morning. This drop was overwhelmingly driven by a 6.2 per cent drop in sales in France, [...]