Urban Pubs and Bars defies hospitality gloom with doubling of profit February 2, 2026 One of London’s biggest pub chains has defied hospitality gloom after posting a more than doubling of profit. Urban Pubs and Bars, which operates more than fifty venues across the capital including The Wren in Bank, the Commercial Tavern in Spitalfields and the Punch Tavern in Fleet Street, saw pre-trax profit climb to £1.7m for [...]
Welsh Rugby missed out on £45m in previous Principality Stadium deal January 31, 2026 The Welsh Rugby Union lost £45m from underselling the naming rights to the Principality Stadium, according to a new report. A 10-year deal with insurer Principality is expected to conclude this year, with the decade-long cost of sponsoring Wales’ biggest stadium widely reported to be £1m per season. That’s despite research from The Sponsor shared [...]
Drinks firms ‘have no choice’ but to increase prices, say industry bosses January 31, 2026 Top drinks businesses “have no choice” but to increase prices after facing steep cost hikes from rising alcohol duty, industry leaders have warned. In November’s autumn budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that alcohol duty would increase in line with Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation. It means that the tax charged on alcoholic drinks will increase [...]
FICO UK Credit Card Market Report: November 2025 January 30, 2026 Pre-Christmas spending remained below 2024 figures, but balances rose as payments fell to the lowest level since 2021
Media Release: Jannik Sinner and Allianz Announce Multi-Year Global Partnership January 29, 2026 Jannik Sinner becomes Global Brand Ambassador of the world’s most valuable insurance brand. The partnership broadens Allianz’s established sports collaborations; the large tennis fan base worldwide will drive emotional engagement with Allianz. “We’re here to serve” captures the spirit of both partners; joint projects with The Jannik Sinner Foundation aim to support children’s future.
Allianz serves up Jannik Sinner partnership January 29, 2026 Reigning Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has penned a multi-year deal with Allianz. The Italian, who takes on Novak Djokovic on Friday in the Australian Open semi-finals, has inked a partnership with the insurance giant that will see him become a global brand ambassador. Sinner said he would be looking “forward to building a collaboration with [...]
UK dividends jump in the final financial quarter of 2025 January 29, 2026 UK dividends rose in the final quarter of 2025, lifted by better than anticipated payouts across a range of sectors. Dividends jumped 1.3 per cent on a headline basis to £14.3bn, according to the latest dividend monitor figures from financial services company Computershare. Regular dividends, excluding one-off special payments, rose to £13.9bn, up 2.1 per [...]
TfL wants to create a publicly owned bus company for London January 28, 2026 Transport for London (TfL) is working on plans to create a publicly owned bus company to compete against private operators in the capital. In its draft business plan, detailing investment priorities for the rest of the decade, TfL said “we will develop detailed proposals for a new publicly owned bus company”. “We will assess how [...]
Reply and the University of Milan Launch Experimental Research on Biological Computing Based on Cortical Labs’ CL1 Platform January 28, 2026 Reply [EXM, STAR: REY] today announced the start of a collaboration with the Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation of the University of Milan, together with the “Centro Dino Ferrari” of the University of Milan – Ospedale Policlinico, for a new research and experimental initiative in the field of biological computing. The project aims to explore [...]
Bailey warns of ‘urgent need’ to improve resilience in non-bank finance January 28, 2026 The Governor of the Bank of England has warned of an “urgent need” to improve the resilience of the sprawling network of financial firms lending beyond the traditional banking sector. Andrew Bailey said that the financial sector was significantly more robust than it had been before the financial crisis, but warned that regulators still faced [...]