Pret A Manger writes down value by a third amid £525m losses September 9, 2025 Pret A Manger has written off a third of the value it was handed after its 2018 acquisition by European investment group JAB as an uncertain UK economy puts pressure on the sandwich chain. The group made a £553m non-cash impairment to the £912m goodwill on its balance sheet created as part of the 2018 [...]
Let’s be honest, birthrates won’t go up without a religious revival September 6, 2025 Pro-natalist policies are welcome – but are unlikely to impact birthrates without a concurrent social shift to more traditional values.
Bodycare: Full list of stores to close as 450 jobs lost September 5, 2025 High street health and beauty retailer Bodycare has collapsed into administration with the loss of 32 stores and around 450 jobs being made redundant. Nick Holloway, Chris Pole and Mike Leeds from Interpath have been appointed joint administrators to G.R. & M.M. Blackledge plc, which trades as Bodycare. Founded in 1970 on a market stall [...]
Reform is gathering in Birmingham this week – with plenty to celebrate September 2, 2025 Amidst widespread economic pessimism and the rising salience of immigration, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government faces a collapse in public support as polls show Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surging to a commanding lead, writes Matthew Lesh Last month, Keir Starmer’s family summer escape to Scotland was abruptly cut short by an urgent dash across [...]
There are no incentives to buy or move home, Rachel Reeves warned September 1, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned there are no incentives for people to buy or move home and that the Labour government needs to take action to ‘tackle the malaise’ in the building materials industry. John Newcomb, CEO of national trade body BMF (Builders Merchants Federation), added that “immediate intervention is now needed to thwart [...]
Greene King landlords plea for Rachel Reeves to cut bills September 1, 2025 More than 600 Greene King landlords have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to lower taxes for pubs ahead of the Autumn Budget as the sector grapples with ever-rising costs. The hospitality industry has been vocal about the cost pressures it has been facing since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, with businesses facing surging energy, [...]
FTSE 100 reshuffle: Metlen to oust Taylor Wimpey August 28, 2025 A number of FTSE 100 constituents are set to find their spot at risk as the index heads towards a reshuffle. Metlen Energy and Metals, which switched its primary listing from Athens to London, is expected to capture a spot on London’s flagship stock exchange in the September reshuffle. The industrial firm has a market [...]
Ofgem ups energy price cap August 27, 2025 The energy watchdog has announced that the energy price cap will be raised by a higher than expected two per cent between October and December. Ofgem’s decision is set to push the typical household’s energy spend up to £1,755 per year, despite a fall in wholesale energy prices. This comes following a price dip over [...]
Consumer confidence still a ‘far cry’ from optimism of summer 2024 August 21, 2025 Consumer confidence ticked up slightly in August but remains far below where it was last summer, when Labour was elected in landslide victory. Brits’ expectations over the next three months of their personal financial situation have improved one point to minus six, a seven-point drop from August 2024, according to new figures from the British [...]
We Out Here festival review: Dorset isn’t supposed to be this cool August 19, 2025 We Out Here festival programmes a line-up of jazz-inflected music. Its diversity is exciting, says Adam Bloodworth Over fifty festivals have shuttered in the past year. Shockingly, turning a patch of rural grass into a temporary metropolis for the weekend doesn’t chime well with the cost of living crisis. For a midsize event, upfront fees [...]