Oxford Street rebounds to pre-pandemic occupancy as firms bet on shops May 27, 2025 Shop vacancies on Oxford Street have fallen below one per cent for the first time since the pandemic as brands compete for best-in-class retail space. Overall shop vacancies on Oxford Street fell to 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the first time the figure has fallen below one per cent since [...]
The Guardian slashes losses amid record sales following The Observer deal May 27, 2025 The Guardian has slashed its losses and achieved a record revenue in the year the media group sold The Observer. The title achieved a revenue of around £275m, according to unaudited figures for the year to 31 March 2025, up from the £257.8m it posted for its prior financial year. The Guardian’s losses, which it [...]
UK is officially the work from home capital of Europe May 27, 2025 Brits work from home more than any other country in Europe, in an indication that corporate return-to-office campaigns have not yet ushered workers back into the office en masse. UK white-collar employees average 1.8 days a week WFH, compared to a global tally of 1.3 days, according to new research by King’s College London (KCL). [...]
South Western becomes first rail service renationalised under Labour May 25, 2025 The government’s renationalisation of rail services has started as trains operated by South Western Railway (SWR) were taken into public control. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who travelled on the first renationalised departure from London Waterloo, said it was “a new dawn for our railways”. SWR was previously owned by Firstgroup and MTR Corporation, but is [...]
Week in Business: Will Starmer sack Rachel Reeves? May 23, 2025 Cracks are appearing in Labour's economic strategy - will Keir Starmer roll the dice and look for a new Chancellor to change course?
Bloomsbury: Profit falls at Harry Potter publisher despite sales rise May 22, 2025 Profit at Bloomsbury Publishing, the giant most known for the Harry Potter series, was cut by almost a fifth during its latest financial year despite revenue rising. The London-listed company has reported a pre-tax profit of £32.5m for the year to 28 February 2025, down from the £41.5m it achieved in the prior 12 months. [...]
Why are the Tories polling behind the Lib Dems? May 20, 2025 The Lib Dems have polled above the Conservatives for the first time, a new survey has found, dealing a blow to the so-called natural party of government. The new poll means the Conservatives have slumped to fourth place, a downgrade one party source said had “put a pit in my stomach” and could be “the [...]
British ports request £120m for ‘white elephant’ Brexit border posts May 20, 2025 British ports are demanding £120m in compensation after being forced to invest millions in post-Brexit border control posts rendered “obsolete” by Keir Starmer’s new EU deal. Monday’s UK-EU trade deal committed to removing border checks on plant, animal and food imports from the EU member states. The deal was welcomed by the port industry, but [...]
Exclusive: Channel 4 launches video on Spotify May 20, 2025 Channel 4 has become the first UK broadcaster to bring video programming to the streaming platform, in a move that will see episodes from its youth-focused digital brand. While Spotify continues to broaden its video offerings beyond just music and podcasts, Channel 4 is seeking to expand its reach among a younger audience through new [...]
European leaders talk of war, but I keep getting out of offices May 20, 2025 Europe talks a hard game on defence, so why is the ministry of defence more concerned with horse dentists, asks Michael Martins.