Firms warned to make ‘contingency plans’ amid £6bn tariff hit January 19, 2026 Businesses across the UK have been warned to draw up “contingency plans” in case President Trump follows through on imposing 10 per cent tariffs on imports from major European economies next month. British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) director general Shevaun Haviland warned businesses to prepare for the worst as the impact of US tariffs on [...]
Inflation expected to inch back up due to travel rush January 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to edge back up as higher airfares and tobacco prices are squeezing British families’ budgets and adding to pressures on the cost of living. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted consumer price index (CPI) inflation to hit 3.3 per cent rate for the year to December, which would be higher than [...]
Rachel Reeves is acting like the mayor in Jaws – and small businesses are suffering January 19, 2026 The FTSE may be at an all-time high, but Reeves should not pretend all is calm when the waters are extremely choppy for small businesses, says Andrew Griffith Embattled ministers love good news to boast about on social media or in a TV studio, and this government’s most embattled minister, Rachel Reeves, is no exception. [...]
AI-Powered Creator Monetisation Platform, Fanvue, Hits $100m Run Rate and Raises $22m Series A Investment – as Leading Global Creators Rush to Join the Platform January 19, 2026 Fanvue, the AI-powered creator monetisation platform with a $100m-plus run rate, has announced a $22m Series A investment round. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112458975/en/ Fanvue has bet big on AI-powered tools changing the face of an industry estimated to be worth over $500B by 2030. The platform, which recently [...]
Wetherspoon to reveal Christmas trading amid challenging backdrop for pubs January 18, 2026 Pub giant JD Wetherspoon is set to shed light on how its customers fared over the key Christmas period amid a backdrop of rising costs for the sector. The value pub chain, which runs around 800 venues across the UK, will become the latest firm to reveal its latest trading performance when it updates shareholders [...]
UK ready to mirror US with female athletes becoming investors January 17, 2026 For three consecutive years, not a single female athlete has appeared among the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. The bar keeps rising. In 2025, the threshold jumped to $53.6m, up 19 per cent year on year. Coco Gauff, the highest-earning female athlete in the world, made $34.4m and still fell nearly $20m short. Meanwhile the global [...]
Exclusive: Rachel Reeves to lead start-up delegation at Davos January 16, 2026 Rachel Reeves will lead a delegation of entrepreneurs in charge of some of Britain’s fastest growing start-ups to the World Economic Forum in Davos next week, City AM can reveal. The troupe of UK-based founders will join the Chancellor and business secretary Peter Kyle in the Swiss Alps as part of a concerted push by [...]
Urban Pubs & Bars launches acquisition spree after strong Christmas sales January 16, 2026 Urban Pubs & Bars has embarked on an aggressive acquisition spree as the London-based hospitality group toasted strong demand over the Christmas season. This week the company announced it had acquired The Birdcage in East London from Brewdog, marking its sixth acquisition of 2026. The deal follows the recent completion of five premium hospitality venues [...]
Rising Fraud Puts Half of UK Retailers at Risk of Closing or Scaling Back in 2026, New Research From payabl. Finds January 16, 2026 Rising fraud is putting significant pressure on UK retailers, with half of businesses at risk of closing or scaling back in the year ahead, new research finds. The research from leading European financial technology provider payabl.’s Fraud in Europe report shows that the impact of fraud on retailer operations, margins and customer trust has become [...]
Rapyd’s 2026 State of Stablecoins: Businesses Move En Masse as Stablecoins Go Mainstream January 16, 2026 Rapyd’s 2026 State of Stablecoins Report shows 64% of businesses surveyed already use stablecoins or plan to within three years, with speed, easier cross-border transactions, and cost savings driving adoption