Brits dodge the high street as heatwave boosts online shopping July 24, 2026 Retail sales jumped in June as the heatwave and heavy discounting drove Brits towards online shopping. The volume of retail sales jumped by one per cent in June, having slowed slightly from 1.2 per cent growth in May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Online shopping grew to the largest proportion of total [...]
OBR misery makes tax rises inevitable July 24, 2026 The OBR’s dire fiscal risks report portrays a world in which the only possible solution to Britain’s economic state is tax rises, says Emmanuel Igwe In ancient Greece, devotees trekked to Delphi to be told in ambiguous prose by the Pythia that chaos was nigh and only sacrifice to Apollo could hold off punishment. These [...]
Burnham’s cost of living push under threat as oil hits $100 July 23, 2026 The benchmark oil price has hit $100 per barrel amid a re-escalation of war in the Middle East, undermining Andy Burnham’s cost of living drive. Brent crude oil prices inched past the $100 milestone on Thursday afternoon following attacks by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia based in Yemen, on two Saudi Arabian tankers. The recent [...]
Here’s how to fix London listings July 23, 2026 We need a whole of government effort to halt Britain’s companies falling prey to overseas bids, says Andrew Griffith Mitie’s takeover by rival facilities management group OCS marks the London Stock Exchange’s eleventh £1bn takeover so far this year. That’s before the Prologis bid for Segro. The cry will go up about the London Stock [...]
‘Businesses are not cash machines’ – Badenoch calls on Burnham to rule out tax rises July 23, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has called on Andy Burnham to rule out tax rises as the new Prime Minister has made a series of small unfunded promises. The Tory leader said Burnham seemed “like a nice guy” and had a “sense of humour” yet she ridiculed the Prime Minister’s early flurry of policies. In her speech overlooking [...]
Social media ban driving ‘screen-free’ sales, The Works boss says July 23, 2026 The boss of discount retailer The Works has said the government’s crackdown on social media usage has driven customers towards the “screen-free activities” offered in his stores. Gavin Peck, chief executive of the Aim-listed retailer, believes Labour’s incoming social media ban has pushed up demand among parents for analogue activities for their children and was [...]
Allegion (NYSE: ALLE) Reports Q2-2026 Financial Results July 23, 2026 Low-Double Digit Revenue Growth, High-Teens EPS Growth; Raising Full-Year 2026 Outlook Quarterly Financial Highlights (All comparisons are year-over-year, unless otherwise noted) Net earnings per share (EPS) of $2.15, up 16.2% compared with $1.85; Adjusted EPS of $2.40, up 17.6% compared with $2.04 Revenues of $1,151.5 million, up 12.7% on a reported basis and up 6.9% on an organic basis Operating margin of 22.1%, compared with 21.5%; Adjusted operating margin of 24.2%, compared with 23.7%
‘Door is open’ to interest rate hike as inflation fears return July 23, 2026 An interest rate hike by the Bank of England this year is back on the cards as fears of continued oil and gas trade disruption across the Strait of Hormuz could push inflation higher, according to City economists. A spike in oil prices to levels seen during the Iran war has dampened the mood across [...]
‘Ever-widening gap’: Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin urges Burnham to cut more pub taxes July 23, 2026 JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has called on the Prime Minister to go further to reduce the soaring tax burden faced by pubs. The chairman of the UK’s best-known pub chain said Burnham’s decision to slash business rates for pubs is an “implicit recognition that the hospitality sector is over taxed”. The Prime Minister announced [...]
Roasting heat putting Brits off roasts, warns Toby Carvery owner July 23, 2026 The sweltering summer heat has put Brits off their roasts, one of the UK’s biggest pub companies has warned, after the country set a fresh June temperature record. The owner of Toby Carvery, which offers year-round roast dinners and has more than 100 sites across the country, reported a 2.4 per cent drop in food [...]