Bank of England Live: Bailey refuses to confirm if Budget influenced rates decision November 6, 2025 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Andrew Bailey has refused to confirm whether the upcoming Budget and Rachel Reeves’ recent comments influenced his decision on interest rates. The Bank of England has held interest rates at four per cent in its final decision before the Autumn Budget. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted [...]
Pub closures reach new high as hospitality braces for Budget November 6, 2025 Pubs and bars are closing at the fastest rate seen this century, fresh City AM analysis has found, as rising costs squeeze many in the hospitality sector to the point of collapse. The number of British pubs and bar businesses appointing liquidators or administrators surged to 449 in the first 10 months of the year, [...]
JD Wetherspoon ‘more cautious’ on outlook due to Budget uncertainty November 5, 2025 JD Wetherspoon has said it has become “more cautious in its outlook” as Britain’s best-known pub chain braces for the prospect of further tax hikes at the Budget later this month. The firm, which operates around 800 pubs across the UK, reported a 3.7 per cent rise in like-for-like turnover for the 14 weeks to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Wetherspoons boss’ Budget warning; M&S takes cyber hit November 5, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. If you need a clear sign that there is an AI bubble, look no further. American tech stocks fell sharply on Tuesday after a hedge fund manager famed for predicting the Global Financial Crisis revealed he had taken out a billion-dollar bet against some of the world’s [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Shawbrook confirms IPO; Aston Martin hit by tariffs October 6, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. After a worryingly-long drought, the London IPO market roared back to life this morning following a shot in the arm last week. Shawbrook has kicked off the week putting the City on the front foot after confirming intentions of a float. It’s a major boost, one that [...]
JD Wetherspoon: Profit rockets as Tim Martin takes jab at tax rises October 3, 2025 JD Wetherspoon has reported another successful quarter after outperforming the wider hospitality market again, although boss Tim Martin has warned on the effects of taxing the sector too hard. The pub giant told markets this morning that like-for-like sales rose 5.1 per cent year on year, while revenue rose 4.5 per cent to £2.12bn. Profit [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Wetherspoons boss slams taxes; Tuna giant eyes IPO October 3, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. There is no clearer sign of the scale of political turmoil the past nine months than the soaring price of gold. The precious metal started the year near $2669 and has since soared to $3900 – a rise of over 45 per cent. The asset now looks [...]
JD Wetherspoons: Sales overtake pre-pandemic levels July 23, 2025 Sales at JD Wetherspoon have overtaken pre-pandemic levels for the first time after a sluggish five years for the hospitality industry. Revenues at its 794 pubs have grown 5.1 per cent in the year to date, the company told markets this morning, putting growth at the chain above the industry average. “Sales volumes, which were [...]
Pub bosses in joint call for ‘urgent’ tax reform July 14, 2025 Pub bosses have called for urgent reform of the business rates system, arguing that the levy places unfair pressure on hospitality venues at a time of rising costs across the board. Greene King boss Nick Mackenzie said that business rates should be “fundamentally reformed” so that the tax – which applies to all commercial venues [...]
One pub to close every day in 2025, new data reveals July 10, 2025 Small pubs are being forced to close in the face of unsustainable costs pressures, according to new data. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has estimated that 378 pubs will close this year across England, Wales and Scotland, amounting to more than 5,600 job losses. The industry body pointed to the heavy pressure of [...]