Top retail boss warns UK heading into recession September 24, 2025 The boss of AO World has warned that inflation, new red tape around hiring and higher taxes are quickly pushing the UK into a recession. “We’ve lived through a few recessions in the last 25 years – I think we’re heading into another one,” founder and CEO of AO World, John Roberts, told the BBC. [...]
Generation ‘locked out of home ownership’ in UK housing crisis September 24, 2025 The ‘stark’ affordability crisis facing Britain’s would-be homeowners is locking a generation out of the market, according to a new report. The research – created by Skipton Building Society in partnership with Oxford Economics – finds 98 per cent of adults living with their parents cannot afford to buy a house in their local area. [...]
Moët & Chandon: Sales slump by £25m at champagne owner September 24, 2025 UK sales at the owner of champagne label Moët & Chandon slumped by £25m during its latest financial year amid “difficult trading conditions”, it has been revealed. Moët Hennessy UK has reported a turnover of £267.1m for 2024, down from the £292.7m it achieved in 2023. The business said its fall in sales was “In [...]
Rick Stein’s restaurant group serves up losses as jobs cut September 24, 2025 Rick Stein’s restaurant group served up higher losses in 2024 amid falling sales and job cuts, it has been revealed. Spread across three companies, each entity recorded a lower turnover and widening pre-tax losses for 2024 compared to 2023. The Stein Group includes twelve restaurants, a cookery school in Padstow and a meal kits business. [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to reconsider Labour manifesto tax pledges September 24, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned that tweaking small levies and relying on the wealthy to contribute to the state would hinder growth as another prominent report has called for Labour manifesto commitments to be reversed. In a report by the Institute for Government (IfG), Labour strategists were criticised for the party’s “original sin” of [...]
Brits forced to raid savings in order to cope with financial uncertainty September 23, 2025 The strain of the cost of living crisis combined with ongoing wider economic problems has forced Brits to change both their spending and savings habits in order to remain financially stable. According to the latest survey from St James’s Place, 18 per cent of 8,000 respondents have had to dip into their savings, while 41 [...]
Oliver Bonas: ‘Growth hard to come by’ with Reeves’ tax hikes September 23, 2025 Oliver Bonas has warned the outlook for the UK economy is “not easy” and that “growth hard to come by” because of the tax rises introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Autumn Budget last year. The retailer added that its pre-tax profit fell during 2024 because of rising costs while it pins its hopes [...]
Autumn tax hikes would lead to inflation over five per cent ‘well into next year’ September 23, 2025 Food inflation will rise and remain above five per cent well into 2026 if the retail industry is hit by further tax rises at the Autumn Budget, a leading lobby group has warned. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that the government risks ‘losing the battle’ against inflation if business rates on large shops rise [...]
Young Brits have become an unlikely driving force for Buzz Bingo September 22, 2025 Over half of Buzz Bingo’s new members in the last year have been under 35. It’s a remarkable statistic for a game generally portrayed as the home of older generations; one memorable Simpsons episode features a 4pm nap time for its group of elderly players. But that’s no longer reflective of the game in 2025: [...]
Housing in London now classed as unaffordable at every income level September 18, 2025 London housing has been officially classed as unaffordable for every income decile in a ‘pretty grim’ picture of the housing market. New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the average English home costs 7.9 times the average salary. If you live in London, conditions are far worse: Someone earning an average [...]