Business confidence plunges to lowest level since Liz Truss’s mini-budget January 15, 2025 Rachel Reeves’s tax hikes have pushed business confidence to its lowest level since the wake of Liz Truss’s calamitous mini-Budget, as firms fret over a surge in costs and slowdown in the domestic economy, a closely watched survey has suggested. Concerns over a looming tax bill and a slump in sales caused business confidence to [...]
Fortnum & Mason to ‘limit price rises’ as it battles surging costs January 14, 2025 Iconic London store Fortnum & Mason has vowed to limit increasing prices in the wake of tax rises by the Labour government. The retailer, which can trace its roots back to 1707, has said the outlook for its operating costs in 2025 “remains challenging”. The company pointed to inflation, labour costs, tax increases, raw materials, [...]
Card Factory: Shares ‘should rise rapidly’ after successful Christmas January 14, 2025 Shares in Card Factory rose more than five per cent after the retailer reported festive growth ahead of the wider market. Revenue rose 4.7 per cent in November and December, driven by a higher average spend on sweets and toys. Total sales for the 1 months ended 31 December, 2024, reached £506.6m, up 6.2 per [...]
Surging gold price helps pawnbroker Ramsdens to record profit January 14, 2025 Ramsdens has delivered a record profit thanks to the surging gold price and demand for its pawnbroking services. The retailer, which offers financial services as well as pawnbroking, told markets this morning that revenue rose 14 per cent in the year to September 30, to £95.6m from £83.8m in 2023. Gross profit rose 13 per [...]
Trouble for B&M as millions wiped off value despite huge pay day January 14, 2025 Despite reporting increased sales and a huge dividend of more than £150m, shares in B&M plunged in the aftermath of its latest trading update last week. Shares in the Liverpool-headquartered discount retailer slumped from 360p to 316p following the publication of its third quarter results. B&M’s price has hardly recovered in the days since, with [...]
Ocado shares surge after online grocer reports record-breaking year January 14, 2025 Ocado Retail’s sales boomed in the weeks leading up to Christmas, vastly outperforming the broader market with double-digit revenue and customer growth. In a trading update issued today, the company, a 50:50 joint venture between Ocado and Marks and Spencer, reported revenue growth of 17.5 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 December. Ocado [...]
JD Sports shares plunge after retailer warns on profit January 14, 2025 JD Sports shares plunged more than 12 per cent this morning after the company issued a profit warning. The FTSE 100 giant forecast full year profit before tax at between £915m and £935m, down from its previous estimate of £955m to £1.035bn. This morning, the retail giant told markets sales fell 1.5 per cent across November [...]
Ryanair’s airport booze ban is a bootleggers and baptists problem January 14, 2025 Ryanair has reiterated calls for a two-drink limit in airport bars. Like the prohibition-era bootleggers who lobbied for Sunday closing laws, they’re just trying to increase their own sales, says Christopher Snowdon The budget airline Ryanair has called for a two-drink limit in airport bars to create “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews”. [...]
Rising wages hit British strawberry growers January 13, 2025 The British berry growing industry has warned its future is under threat despite its value rising to £2bn for the first time. According to industry body British Berry Growers, rising energy costs and wage increases will continue to create ‘challenging circumstances’ for fruit farmers in 2025. The latest warning comes after the British Berry Growers [...]
FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader gears up for £87m HQ move January 13, 2025 FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader has confirmed plans to relocate its headquarters from a building named after a Manchester legend to a new base worth £87m. The company is to leave its home at 1 Tony Wilson Place in First Street and move to Bruntwood SciTech’s 3 Circle Square in 2026. Auto Trader has been [...]