Retail bosses ramp up pressure on Healey to cut ‘ridiculous’ tax burden Retail The bosses of Marks & Spencer and John Lewis have piled further pressure on the government to slash the “ridiculous” tax burden facing high street firms. Stuart Machin, chief executive of M&S, called on Chancellor John Healey to “restore hope” within the retail industry by turning a corner from Labour’s last two budgets, which he [...]
London’s best pub crawl through our Toast the City finalists Toast the City As we prepare to reveal the City’s best boozer at our Toast the City awards, we sent wine writer Libby Brodie on a pub crawl through some of the contenders Nowhere in the world does pubs like the City of London. We have absolutely nailed it. We do firesides, board games, slowly poured pints, waxy [...]
Barbados holidays: The quieter side of the island, with true local charm Life&Style For years travellers have flocked to the pristine West Coast of Barbados – but could the South Side of the island offer a different perspective? Yes, essentially: those hoping to experience authentic Bajan culture as well as stay in luxury accommodation now have a variety of options on this lesser-explored part of the island. I [...]
Dave’s Wine Bar: Why I think it’s a Toast the City star September 10, 2026 Dave’s Wine Bar is one of our Toast the City finalists. Libby Brodie visits to find out what makes it such a special drinking den Dave’s Wine Bar is tucked up St James Passage, a handily central space for a glass of great wine in the City. Named for David Howden, the CEO of Howden [...]
John Lewis posts £120m loss as Labour tax raid pushes up costs September 10, 2026 The owner of John Lewis fell to a loss of more than £120m in the first half of its trading year as the retail giant hit out at Labour tax raids for “the increased costs of doing business”. The John Lewis Partnership, which also owns Waitrose, posted a pre-tax loss of £124m, 41 per cent [...]
Iceland boss Richard Walker vows to set up shop on Falkland Islands September 4, 2026 The boss of Iceland has waded into the fresh row over the Falkland Islands, vowing to open a supermarket in the British territory. Lord Richard Walker, executive chairman of the retailer, wrote on LinkedIn: “We’ve been supporting the Great British high street for 50 years. “As we continue our international expansion programme, we are committed [...]
John Lewis boss: UK economy facing a ‘permacrisis’ September 3, 2026 The boss of John Lewis has warned that the UK economy is locked in a “permacrisis” as he urged the government not to hike business rates on large retailers. Peter Ruis, the outgoing managing director of the retail giant, said that British businesses are facing a “permacrisis externally [which] isn’t going to go away”. Last [...]
We take a food and drink Odyssey through the Square Mile August 17, 2026 As voting for the Toast the City Awards enters its final week, we sent our wine columnist Libby Brodie on a wine Odyssey through the City’s finest bars and restaurants. Vote for your favourites on our website here. As The Odyssey continues to smash records – it’s now Christopher Nolan’s highest ever grossing film – [...]
Could a ‘land blocking’ rule change spell danger for Aldi and Lidl? August 13, 2026 German discounters Aldi and Lidl have rapidly taken control of the UK’s budget grocery market in recent years. But could new curbs on ‘land blocking’ slow their insurgency? Only a few decades ago, Lidl and Aldi were oddities. By 2008, the German discount supermarkets had been in the UK for more than 10 years but [...]
John Lewis’ new boss faces a battle to boost online sales August 12, 2026 Another cloud appeared in an already gloomy sky for John Lewis on Monday, when its managing director, Peter Ruis, announced his surprise departure. Just days before, an internal interview with the group’s chair, Jason Tarry, was leaked to the press, in which he warned of a “really tough” period for the firm. Ruis’s decision to [...]