Pandora: UK profit slumps as sales slip after record high September 30, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of luxury jewellery brand Pandora has fallen significantly as its sales slipped back from a record high. The London-headquartered division has posted a pre-tax profit of £14.9m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The latest total comes after Pandora achieved a pre-tax profit of £61.1m in 2023. [...]
Doing business in Britain is too difficult, too expensive and too uncertain September 30, 2025 Business confidence is at a three-year low and productivity has not improved for 15 years. It is businesses that policymakers must turn to – and fast – to get growth back on track, writes ICAEW chief executive Alan Vallance Whatever your political leanings, we can all agree that the UK faces a challenging economic context. Weak [...]
Retail body warns against tax hikes amid ‘nightmare’ inflation September 30, 2025 Britain’s largest retail business group has warned the Treasury that further tax hikes on businesses will keep shop prices “higher for longer”, after data showed food inflation in September remained at its highest levels since the height of the cost-of-living crisis. British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive Helen Dickinson said even if the Chancellor chooses [...]
Will we mourn the loss of WH Smith from the high street? September 29, 2025 So long then, WH Smith, a firm which has graced our high streets for more than a century – even though it never intended to. Founded as a small newspaper kiosk in Mayfair in 1792, the business grew massively in the mid-19th century, spurred by the rapid expansion of the railways, which allowed consumers up [...]
Rachel Reeves warns ‘harder choices’ coming at Budget September 29, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has warned that her choices will be “harder” at this year’s Budget, with questions being raised on whether she will row back on Labour manifesto tax commitments to plug a £30bn shortfall. In a speech at the Labour Party conference, Reeves said that “harsh global headwinds” and the effects of her Tory [...]
Instead of a taxi tax, Reeves should fix the absurd VAT system September 29, 2025 Reeves’ tax grab on taxis highlights the absurdity of the VAT system and raises the question of whether VAT should be levied more consistently across goods and services, says Ben Ramanauskas It has been reported that Rachel Reeves will announce at the Budget that taxi journeys will be subject to VAT. This has drawn criticism [...]
Profit at Jamie Laing’s Candy Kittens slashed after major change September 29, 2025 Profit at Candy Kittens, the cat-shaped confectionary brand owned by Radio One DJ and Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing, has been slashed after it made a major change in 2024. The business, which specialises in vegetarian and vegan sweets, decided to switch focus to distribute more to grocers in the UK at the end of 2023 and signed [...]
Tesla: UK sales slump by £500m as profit slashed September 26, 2025 Sales at the UK arm of Elon Musk’s Tesla slumped by more than £500m as its profit was also slashed during its latest financial year. The division, which is headquartered in Manchester, has reported a revenue of £1.94bn for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The new figure comes after Tesla posted a [...]
Does Bank Rate really control inflation? September 26, 2025 Despite the Bank of England’s claim that Bank Rate controls inflation, recent policy decisions — including cutting rates while inflation stayed high — suggest the relationship is weak, inflation is more persistent than expected, and the MPC may be underestimating how hard it is to bring prices down, says Paul Ormerod The Bank of England [...]
Watch: Is the UK at risk of recession? September 25, 2025 We were told this would be the most pro-business government in the history of the country – so why have a gang of top chief executives this week fired warning shots at the Treasury – and why has one of them warned that we’re heading into a recession? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. [...]