Only pubs set to benefit from business rates U-turn as hoteliers barred January 21, 2026 Pubs will be the only businesses to benefit from the government’s business rates U-turn as other hospitality firms will be shut out from tax relief, Rachel Reeves has hinted. The Chancellor told reporters at Davos that pubs face a different situation to the rest of the sector, likely meaning hotels and other hospitality businesses will [...]
Next seals deal to acquire Russell & Bromley January 21, 2026 High street giant Next has stepped in to buy shoe seller Russell & Bromley in the latest in a string of acquisitions by the FTSE 100 retail giant. The sale will see Next acquire the Russell & Bromley brand, and three of its stores in Chelsea, Mayfair and the Bluewater Shopping Centre, in exchange for [...]
Business health check: the five-point plan to sharpen 2026 performance January 20, 2026 Businesses thrive on certainty, something that is frequently in short supply. That’s why now is a good time to check your business has the tools to withstand whatever the next 12 months might send your way. Prepare for what you know about – and what you don’t. Planning for the year requires getting comfortable with [...]
Sally Clarke’s Notting Hill bakery put up for sale after suffering losses January 16, 2026 A bakery business owned by seasoned restaurateur Sally Clarke has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace after suffering losses, City AM can reveal. The Notting Hill Bakery, which employs dozens of staff and makes nearly £6m per year selling artisan breads, cakes and cookies, is seeking buyers for all or part of [...]
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 [...]
On this day: The fall of Carillion January 15, 2026 On this day 2018 Carillion, the construction giant, ran out of road Tarmac. It is easy to forget that the word we unthinkingly use for the everyday road material began life as a trademark, a mixture of coal tar and macadam aggregate which in 1903 launched a company. By the 1990s, Tarmac Group was a [...]
Baker Tilly hits record $6.8bn revenue following surge in tax advice January 14, 2026 Baker Tilly International has reported a landmark year, with 2025 revenues surging 21 per cent to $6.8bn (£5.05bn), but it was its tax division that stood out. Over 2025, North America was the fastest-growing region at 37.5 per cent, underpinned by the Baker Tilly (US) and Moss Adams merger in June 2025, followed by EMEA [...]
FTSE 100 Live: UBS to get new boss; Premier Inn leaseback deal January 13, 2026 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. What’s an easy way to tell apart a developed country from a less developed one? One straightforward yardstick is the behaviour of state institutions and their relationship to government. If they are well run, they are operated by professionals independently from the executive. Or – the executive [...]
Immigration law firm put up for sale on insolvency market amid visa crackdown January 13, 2026 A London law firm specialising in immigration services has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace in an early sign the government’s crackdown on visas has sparked a slump in applications. Woolwich-based A Vincent Solicitors, which employs more than two dozen staff and has a second office in Manchester, offered multi-lingual support services [...]
Businesses are suffering financial losses from faulty AI advice January 6, 2026 Half of UK accountants and bookkeepers have said businesses have suffered financial losses due to AI slop that has caused ‘avoidable mistakes’ in the books. New research by Dext found that nearly a third (31 per cent) of accountants and bookkeepers encounter client mistakes on a weekly basis, caused by wrong or misleading AI-generated financial [...]