Asos shares plunge as investors lose confidence March 17, 2025 Asos shares have slumped more than eight per cent in early deals this morning, extending losses recorded over the past few months as investors have lost confidence in the retailer’s turnaround plan. The e-commerce firm’s share price has dropped by a third in the last month and has fallen by half since the start of [...]
Asda: ‘We know what we need to do’ after sales disappoint again March 14, 2025 Sales and revenue at Asda dropped last year, as expected, but the supermarket said it has begun to deliver on its turnaround plan. Like-for-like sales at the supermarket giant fell by 3.4 per cent year on year, while revenue dipped 0.8 per cent to £21.7bn. The TDR-owned supermarket struggled last year with a declining market share [...]
Are you an SME looking to export? Here’s what you need to know March 14, 2025 As Paul Lindley is appointed advisor to the newly announced Board of Trade, he explains why there’s never been a better tome for SMEs to start exporting The UK’s trading landscape has been transformed in recent years, with Brexit reshaping relationships with the EU, new trade agreements emerging and a notable rise in global economic [...]
AI agents: meet your new (cheaper) colleague March 13, 2025 The rise of AI agents is reshaping the workplace as their potential to redefine numerous job roles increases. Across various business sectors, firms are integrating these ‘agents’ to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance decision making. As adoption accelerates, traditionally human roles are becoming progressively automated. Meanwhile, other roles are evolving at a similar rate [...]
Home Bargains billionaire promises Liverpool its first five-star hotel March 13, 2025 Liverpool could be set for its first five-star hotel if plans for a 60-storey skyscraper are approved for the city, it has emerged. The update, delivered to investors at international property conference MIPIM in the south of France, comes after plans for the development were first revealed last year. KEIE Limited, a subsidiary of TJ [...]
Profits at DFS shoot up as retailer grabs market share March 13, 2025 DFS has swung back to profit as demand for home furniture has recovered. Share in the sofa retailer rose more than 13 per cent in early trades. The company told markets this morning that underlying profit before tax nearly doubled to £17m in the 26 weeks to December 29, up from £8.7m last year. Last [...]
John Lewis scraps staff bonus again despite tripling profit March 13, 2025 The John Lewis Partnership has scrapped its staff bonus for the third year in a row despite a near-tripling in profit. The company, which owns both John Lewis and Waitrose, told markets this morning that profit before tax increased from £42m to £126m over the 52 weeks to 25 January. Overall sales rose three per [...]
Mark Kleinman: FCA chief Rathi not at the exit door after all March 13, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. Today, he looks at the FCA chief, big Boots to fill and a high street icon FCA chief Rathi not at the exit door after all Embattled, besieged, under-fire: a few short weeks ago, there seemed no [...]
Government urged to ditch ‘shares tax’ for retail investors March 12, 2025 The government must use its Spring Statement to cut the stamp duty on shares paid by retail investors to help foster a British investment culture and boost financial inclusion, Hargreaves Lansdown has said. In an impassioned plea, the investment platform argued cutting the tax, which is applied on the purchase of all UK shares, would [...]
Legal & General: FTSE 100 giant hikes shareholder returns after strong year March 12, 2025 Asset management and insurance giant Legal & General has reported a six per cent increase in core operating profit for 2024. Core operating profit hit £1.6bn and pre-tax profit under IFRS accounting standards stood at £542m. Off the back of these robust numbers Legal & General announced a £500m share buyback for 2025, as part [...]