Oliver Bonas: ‘Growth hard to come by’ with Reeves’ tax hikes September 23, 2025 Oliver Bonas has warned the outlook for the UK economy is “not easy” and that “growth hard to come by” because of the tax rises introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Autumn Budget last year. The retailer added that its pre-tax profit fell during 2024 because of rising costs while it pins its hopes [...]
Shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher unexpectedly spike after sales boost September 23, 2025 Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix, saw its share price rise more than 17 per cent on Tuesday morning after posting a better-than-expected sales update. The FTSE 100 firm told markets that sales improved 0.9 per cent in the six months ended 31 July, 2025, to £6.8bn, driven by a 4.4 per cent [...]
Fabergé lost millions before takeover deal September 23, 2025 Fabergé, the jeweller famous for its imperial Russian Easter eggs, fell into the red in the year before being sold to a technology investor for $50m (£37m) last month. The company is set to be taken over by SMG Capital, a US investment company controlled by the tech backer Sergei Mosunov. Fabergé is currently owned [...]
Bowers & Wilkins cuts dozens of jobs after plunging to $8m loss September 22, 2025 Bowers & Wilkins has cut dozens of jobs after plunging to an $8m (£6m) loss despite seeing an upturn in sales, its latest accounts show. The premium headphone and speaker maker, which counts David Beckham among its brand ambassadors, has reduced its workforce by 14 per cent, with 50 production jobs going amid the introduction [...]
Co-op expected to reveal financial hit from cyber attack September 21, 2025 The Co-operative Group is expected to shed light on the impact of a damaging cyber attack in its first financial update since being targeted by hackers. Shoppers were faced with empty shelves and issues with payments during the fallout from the cyber incident in April, as a raft of retailers were hit. On Thursday, the [...]
Warm weather bolsters retail sales ahead of all-important golden quarter September 19, 2025 Retail sales were bolstered by good weather and rising real incomes this summer, but the struggling sector is looking ahead to the festive season for a bigger boost. Sales fell by 0.1 per cent in the three months to August 2025 when compared with the three months to May 2025, according to the Office for [...]
Next share price slumps on gloomy prediction for UK economy September 18, 2025 Next shares sunk on Thursday morning after the retailer issued a stark warning that the UK faces ‘anaemic’ growth due to a combination of technological and regulatory changes. Despite reporting a 10 per cent rise in half-year sales, the FTSE100 company flagged “strong evidence” of a material squeeze on wider UK employment levels due to [...]
Greg Jackson spins off Kraken from Octopus Energy September 18, 2025 Greg Jackson’s Octopus Energy has announced the spin-off of its technology arm Kraken to become a standalone business. The group said the move is aimed at “speeding up the platform’s expansion across the globe” and allowing Kraken to “fast-track investments into its technology, expand into new energy markets and regions, and drive innovation”. Kraken has [...]
Health-conscious Brits lead Dash Water to record-breaking summer September 18, 2025 Health-conscious Brits are expected to have helped sales surge by almost half at soft drink brand Dash Water thanks to a record summer. The business, which is based in London, has revealed its revenue is forecast to jump by 45 per cent in 2025 to £42m. The business, which is based in London and was [...]
Whittard of Chelsea brews up bumper funding deal with OakNorth September 16, 2025 Whittard of Chelsea has secured a bumper funding deal worth £12m with digital bank OakNorth “to support its continued growth and expansion”. The Oxfordshire-headquartered company said it is now “well-positioned” to build on its UK base and expand further into international markets such as China and the US. The funding news comes after Whittard of [...]