Andrew Griffith: ‘Tell us which City rules to slash’ November 10, 2025 Look at a UK companies’ annual report today and you will find a lengthy tome more likely to resemble a doorstop than something to provoke interest or excitement from investors. Much of this is the result of a vast expansion of corporate reporting requirements placed on businesses, starting with Labour’s Companies Act 2006 and pursued [...]
Investors pile into Sainsbury’s, but will it last? November 6, 2025 Sainsbury’s has proved a good bet for investors this year as the grocer goes from strength to strength, but will it last into 2026? The UK’s second-largest supermarket has seen a 50 per cent uplift in share price since April, with another five per cent jump following better-than-expected results on Thursday. It’s a marked departure [...]
UK telecom giants sign new pact to block scam calls as AI drives fraud November 5, 2025 Britain’s biggest mobile networks have agreed to overhaul their systems to stop scammers using fake numbers to impersonate banks and government departments. As ministers seek to stem the growing tide of AI-driven fraud, BT, EE, Vodafone, Three, Virgin Media O2, Sky, TalkTalk and Tesco Mobile have signed a new telecoms charter with the Home Office. [...]
Is Next still a bellwether for the UK high street? October 30, 2025 Next sailed past its projected sales figures this Autumn, the high street stalwart told markets on Wednesday, despite wider issues in the UK high street. Overall sales rose 10.5 per cent in the 13 weeks to October 25, far above guidance of 4.5 per cent, with international sales growth at 38.8 per cent quarter on [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves must avoid tax encore for retail, HMV boss warns October 29, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of HMV joins a chorus of warnings to give the retail sector some reprieve. As high street music retailer HMV breezes into the all-important golden quarter, boss Phillip Halliday is eyeing a chart-topper [...]
Supermarkets call on Chancellor to ‘bring inflation to heel’ October 27, 2025 Britain’s largest supermarkets have called on Rachel Reeves to exclude all shops from upcoming changes to to business rates, warning that any hikes to their input costs would further stoke food inflation that is already at over double the Bank of England’s target. In an open letter to the Chancellor, bosses from the UK’s nine [...]
The Capitalist: Sydney Sweeney an SEO knockout for The Standard October 23, 2025 Jewel-laden tax bills, the start of Christmas and The Standard's bosom friend Ms Sweeney. Catch up on the latest shenanigans.
Meat and coffee prices drive grocery price inflation October 14, 2025 Grocery price inflation in the UK passed five per cent in September to its highest level since July after the cost of fresh meat and coffee jumped. Like-for-like grocery price inflation rose to 5.2 per cent over the four weeks to 5 October versus the same period last year, according to the latest figures from Worldpanel [...]
South American wine is booming – try these bottles for the best experience October 7, 2025 South American wine is booming for us Brits. An Argentinian Malbec has long been a gateway, converting consumers with broodingly smooth glasses of dark fruits and spice at a good price. Last year the UK overtook China as the largest importer (by value) of Chilean wine with their lithe Sauvignon Blancs and traditional Carmère. Even [...]
‘Subdued’ services sector suffers steep drop as tax hikes bite October 3, 2025 Business activity expansion fell to a five-month low after a “subdued” services sector experienced a dull end to the third quarter. S&P’s UK Services Purchasing Managers Index Business Activity tumbled to 50.8 in September, falling steeply from the 16-month high of 54.2 secured in August. “This summer’s acceleration in output growth is now looking like [...]