Theo Paphitis: Losses slashed in half at Ryman despite falling sales April 2, 2025 The group behind Ryman, the stationery retailer owned by former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, has slashed its loss almost in half despite falling sales. The Cheshire-headquartered group has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.49m for the year to 30 March, 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The figure comes after Ryman Group posted [...]
Zurich acquires stake in transactional insurance specialist Icen Risk April 1, 2025 Global insurance giant Zurich Insurance is set to acquire a stake in Icen Risk, a Lloyd’s of London coverholder and a growing player in London’s specialist insurance market. Since it was founded in 2018, Icen has carved out a niche in transactional risk, notably tax and intellectual property risk in complex M&A deals. According to [...]
Boutique Leicester Square hotel handed £42m price tag April 1, 2025 A recently-converted boutique hotel in London’s Leicester Square has been put on the market for £42m. The former office building on 2-5 Charing Cross Road has undergone a significant conversion project and is set to be fully operational by June. The announcement comes as former Natwest bank on London’s Piccadilly is also set to become [...]
Rory Sutherland: Capitalism is ‘unbelievably tedious’ and ‘needs a rebrand’ April 1, 2025 Capitalism is "unbelievably tedious" and should be rebranded for people to fight for it, marketing veteran Rory Sutherland has said.
House prices continue their steady upward climb April 1, 2025 House prices continued to rise in March as easing affordability pressures – alongside the end of the stamp duty holiday – boosted demand. UK house price growth remained stable in March at 3.9 per cent, the same as in February, according to Nationwide’s house price index. “These price trends are unsurprising, given the end of [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes will cost me £1m – Hooch tycoon March 31, 2025 The founder of the alcoholic drinks empire behind the likes of Hooch and VK has warned the tax hikes announced by Rachel Reeves will cost him an extra £1m. Steve Perez, the boss of Derbyshire-headquartered Global Brands, added that the Chancellor has “stacked the odds” against businesses like his and that he has “no choice” [...]
London’s commercial property sector is suffocating March 31, 2025 A combination of environmental regulations and falling office attendance means commercial property is struggling and the Spring Statement was a missed opportunity to turn it around, says Dan Drogman The UK’s commercial property sector is being strangled from all angles, and this year’s Spring Statement was a missed opportunity to relieve that pressure. Let’s start [...]
New tax rules set to hit crypto in 2025 March 28, 2025 As the UK tightens the screws on cryptocurrency taxation, investors and policymakers find themselves at odds over the future of digital finance. From April, around 12 per cent of UK crypto holders could face a hefty 24 per cent capital gains tax (CGT) rate – part of a broader tax squeeze that some argue is [...]
AJ Bell sells bespoke SIPP and SSAS arm to Investacc March 27, 2025 AJ Bell has sold off its Platinum Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and Small Self-Administered Scheme (SSAS) arm to specialist pension provider Investacc for £18.5m. The bespoke service, designed for co-directors and partners in a business, currently has only 3,600 customers but £3.2bn of assets under administration. Offering a wider range of investment choices than the [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Housing reform to pave way for GDP growth March 26, 2025 The government’s changes to housebuilding will result in a £6.8bn boost to GDP by 2029, according to OBR figures included in the Spring Statement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves called the forecast the “biggest ever” positive growth impact that the OBR has projected from a non-fiscal government policy. Changes to the UK’s housebuilding market were a cornerstone [...]