Supermarket bosses meet Rachel Reeves amid dire food inflation warning Retail The bosses of some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets met Chancellor Rachel Reeves in emergency cost of living talks on Wednesday, amid warnings that food inflation could rise to double digits this year. Leading supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons attended Downing Street after efforts to gather industry bosses last week were abandoned amid concerns [...]
Reeves summons supermarket bosses again after snub Retail Rachel Reeves has summoned supermarket bosses for a Downing Street meeting on Wednesday after being snubbed last week. The new meeting will be attended by executives at Sainsbury’s and Tesco but bosses at Asda, Aldi and John Lewis will miss out, supposedly due to diary clashes. The Chancellor hastily invited grocery executives to a meeting [...]
John Lewis boss: Labour must keep pledge to reform business rates Retail Labour must honour its manifesto promise to fundamentally reform the business rates system, John Lewis boss Jason Tarry has said. The retail chairman said the changes at last year’s Budget were positive for retail but offered a “short-term” fix to a system which unfairly disadvantages physical retailers as opposed to online shops. Chancellor Rachel Reeves [...]
John Lewis reinstates staff bonus but remains ‘cautious’ March 12, 2026 John Lewis has returned its staff bonus after years of its suspension, as the retail titan turned a profit but remains “cautious” in a testing retail environment. The partnership, which also owns Waitrose, made a £134m profit in the year to January 2025, up six per cent from the year before, and notched growing sales [...]
Staff bonus up in air as John Lewis tempers expectations March 8, 2026 Many of John Lewis’ more than 70,000 employees will be hoping for some good news next week, as the retail giant will announce whether it will be reinstating its sorely missed staff bonus after years of freezes. The bonus handed out to staff had long been a central part of John Lewis’ brand, as symbolic [...]
Oxford Street regeneration a complex undertaking for City Hall March 5, 2026 The centrepiece of shopping in the capital is set for a major makeover, after London mayor Sadiq Khan set out his long-mooted plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street on Wednesday. The plan will transform the makeup of central London and bring huge opportunities for retailers, but the proposal – particularly its computer-generated elements – leave plenty [...]
Labour accused of ignoring rental housing February 27, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned she must “take sharp notice” of the collapse of John Lewis’ housing venture by investing immediately in the build-to-rent sector. The Association for Rental Living (ARL), the body which represents the build-to-rent sector, has sent an open letter to senior Labour figures calling on the government to develop a [...]
John Lewis blames high costs as it axes build-to-rent venture February 25, 2026 Retail giant John Lewis is to withdraw from its build-to-rent business in a shock U-turn on its diversification plans, after bemoaning high interest rates and a downturn in the London property market. John Lewis Partnership (JLP), which also owns Waitrose, took on management of around 1,000 homes in Bromley, West Ealing and Reading as part [...]
Christmas adverts in 2025 review, from John Lewis to AI Coca-Cola November 11, 2025 As the embers of bonfire night slowly cool in the rain, our minds are turned to Christmas in its full commercial glory. It’s funny how at this time of year people start to look at ads – the same people that have been actively avoiding them all year! Christmas adverts have become a necessary backdrop [...]
Topshop and Topman losses revealed before John Lewis move October 7, 2025 Losses at the joint venture behind Topshop and Topman have been revealed ahead of the brand’s return to UK stores next year. The brands were sold by online clothing retailer Asos to a joint venture alongside Danish retail tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen’s Heartland in September 2024. Asos had previously acquired Topshop and Topman along with [...]