Gym Group upgrades outlook as Gen-Z shrugs off heatwave and World Cup September 9, 2026 Gym Group has upgraded its outlook after tempting Gen-Zers into its gyms throughout the summer, despite the distractions of the World Cup and multiple heatwaves. Will Orr, chief executive of the no-frills gym provider, said the group is still on course to deliver three per cent sales growth despite a “noisy macro [environment], some hot [...]
Oil hits $100 a barrel as Iran war escalates September 9, 2026 Oil prices hit $100 per barrel for the first time since July on Wednesday morning as new strikes in the Middle East sparked fresh concerns for global oil supplies. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – jumped more than two per cent, hitting $100 per barrel after making consistent gains from the [...]
One of Britain’s biggest taxpayers has left – who can replace Rokos? September 9, 2026 Christopher Rokos was Britain’s third largest individual taxpayer last year, handing over an estimated £330m. Now he’s moved to Greece and no British government seems to have a plan to replace that revenue, says Damian Pudner So, Chris Rokos is off to Greece. For those who don’t know the name, Christopher Rokos is one of [...]
Food inflation set to surge next year as Iran war ramps up supply costs September 9, 2026 Food inflation could top six per cent next year as rising fuel prices triggered by the war in Iran ramp up supply chain costs, a top food industry body has warned. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents the UK’s food manufacturers, has urged the government to help the industry keep its costs down, [...]
Icon Solutions and MongoDB Benchmark Shows IPF Processing 6,000 Payments per Second with Zero Data Loss Under Failure September 8, 2026 Joint benchmark on MongoDB Atlas demonstrates near-linear scalability, sub-second end-to-end latency and recovery from application and database node failures without losing a single transaction.
KBRA Releases Research – European Fibre: From Buildout to Maturity September 8, 2026 KBRA releases research examining the European fibre infrastructure sector’s transition towards a more operationally focused phase as networks move beyond peak construction, as well as key credit trends shaping the next stage of the European fibre market. While rollout and commercial risks have always been central to credit analysis, greater operating history is allowing investors [...]
Funding Circle boss bows out as fintech lifts profit forecast September 8, 2026 The boss of small business lender Funding Circle has laid out plans for her departure as the fintech lifted its profit forecast for the year ahead. Lisa Jacobs, who has led the firm since 2022, will step down as chief executive by “no later than September 2027,” the firm said on Tuesday. The fintech chief [...]
Dunelm shares crater as hot weather undermines growth plan September 8, 2026 Shares in Dunelm plummeted after its new boss warned that record summer temperatures had posed an early hurdle to her plans to kick off growth at the furniture and homeware seller. Clo Moriarty, who joined the group from Sainsbury’s in October last year, said progress towards her new strategy has so far been delayed by [...]
Labour takes narrow lead over Reform as donation row wounds Farage September 8, 2026 Labour has taken a narrow polling lead over Reform UK for the first time in a year and a half as voters warmed to Andy Burnham in September. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll has shown that Labour now enjoys 26 per cent of the voter share, ahead of Reform UK, which is on 25 [...]
Retail sales slow as heatwave boost cools September 8, 2026 The heatwave boost fuelling summer sales cooled last month, as Brits cut back on retail spending to deal with rising bills. Retail sales grew by 0.7 per cent in the year to August, marking a significant slowdown compared to 3.1 per cent growth in August 2025, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). August’s rate [...]