Annabel’s profit trebles as Mayfair club defies hospitality gloom February 16, 2026 One of London’s best-known private members clubs has shrugged off wider hospitality gloom after posting a near-tripling of profit. Mayfair-based Annabel’s, which has been based on Berkeley Square since the 1960s, toasted a pre-tax profit of £12.4m in the year to January 2025, a rise of 184 per cent on the previous year. Revenue over [...]
Greene King weighs job cuts as pub sector braces for cost squeeze February 15, 2026 Greene King is preparing to cut around 100 roles as Britain’s second-largest pub operator reviews its cost base against a backdrop of rising taxes and mounting pressure across the hospitality sector. The brewer and pub group, which operates roughly 2,600 sites across the UK, is understood to be assessing changes to its head office and [...]
UK innovation economy is the most under-priced asset in global markets February 13, 2026 Don’t write off Britain’s science and innovation sector. We are building global companies and attracting international attention, says Saul Klein If you listened only to the mood music in the City, you’d think the UK’s innovation story was already over. But in the week that London-founded ElevenLabs raised $500m from investors, making it the UK’s [...]
European Enterprises Adopt Robust Sustainability Practices February 12, 2026 Regulatory pressure, energy transformation drive companies toward integrated digital solutions spanning multiple enterprise functions, ISG Provider Lens® report says
British Gas boss: Electricity bills to top Ukraine war heights February 11, 2026 Electricity bills will be higher in 2030 than in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the boss of British Gas has warned, as the government pushes through major upgrades to the UK’s grid infrastructure. Chris O’Shea, chief executive of British Gas-owner Centrica, said the UK was playing catch-up after years of underinvestment, and [...]
Womble Bond Dickinson Energy Outlook 2026: UK Energy Capacity Growth Lags Global Average Amid Rising Costs and Delays February 11, 2026 The global energy sector is facing mounting pressure as accelerating demand collides with grid constraints, rising project costs, and shifting government policies, according to Womble Bond Dickinson’s Energy Outlook 2026. Based on insights from more than 650 senior leaders across energy companies, investors, service providers, and energy-intensive consumers worldwide, the research highlights the difficulty of [...]
Why the net zero transition is not about building more wind turbines February 11, 2026 The UK is electrifying faster than it is building the infrastructure to support it. The transition won’t fail because we can’t generate enough power, but because the grid isn’t stable enough to deliver it. says Emma Parkinson The EV charger story is being treated like a consumer inconvenience – a queueing problem, a pricing problem, [...]
Bank of England raises alarm on unemployment as interest rates unchanged February 5, 2026 The Bank of England has held interest rates but policymakers warned that the spiralling unemployment rate and weak growth was weighing down on price growth. In its decision on Thursday, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to leave interest rates at 3.75 per cent. But economists warned that unemployment could jump higher over the [...]
UK construction ‘exits tailspin’ but job losses persist as housebuilding slumps February 5, 2026 The UK’s struggling construction sector showed signs it was turning a corner at the beginning of the year even as job losses and shrinking order books persisted. The latest construction Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) from S&P Global – which serves as a headline index tracking industry activity – edged up to 46.4, up from 40.1 [...]
Political risk is back – and financial services are most exposed February 4, 2026 As global politics becomes more volatile and the state accounts for more activity, political risk is becoming a major factor in investment decisions – and the smartest firms are pricing it in, says Benedict McAleenan There’s a meme on social media where people post photos of themselves in the innocent days of early 2016. Gen [...]