Vape giant Supreme buys Slimfast in £20m deal October 20, 2025 Wholesaler Supreme has bought meal replacement and weight management brand Slimfast in what promises to be an immediately earnings-enhancing deal, analysts have said. The deal, which saw Supreme buy Slimfast UK and Europe for £20.1m, sent the former company’s share price up more than six per cent in early trades. Slimfast is known for its [...]
UK legal sector sees strong growth but AI puts pressure on hourly billing system October 20, 2025 The legal sector in the UK continues to outperform despite challenging market conditions but the uncertainty around cyber attacks could impede firms’ strategic objectives. According to the PwC Law Firm Survey 2025, the Top 10 law firms have reported UK fee income growth of 8.1 per cent, compared to 5.2 per cent across all international [...]
Housing market ‘desperately needs’ a demand boost October 20, 2025 Analysts have argued the UK’s housing market needs demand-boosting policies after the housing market missed out on its usual Autumn bounce. House prices rose 0.3 per cent month on month, to £371,422 – far below the ten-year average October bounce of 1.1 per cent, according to Rightmove. “Buyers at the higher end in particular have [...]
In focus: Getty and Shutterstock merger gets CMA probe October 20, 2025 The $3.7bn (£2.7bn) merger between Getty Images and Shutterstock is to be the subject of an in-depth probe from the UK’s competition watchdog after ‘substantial concerns’ were flagged. The deal, which was first announced in January, had already attracted the eye of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in June but will now be looked into [...]
Three Points Law: Former Mishcon sports pair go it alone – with help from AI October 20, 2025 For a combined 25 years Simon Leaf and Tom Murray have worked at the cutting edge of sports law, advising clients including England footballer Marcus Rashford, Formula 1 driver Alex Albon, TikTok and the Saudi Sports Ministry for Mishcon de Reya. This week they have officially launched their own practice, Three Points Law, formed in [...]
Property taxes send UK to ‘second-bottom’ of global rankings October 20, 2025 The UK is second-bottom of global competitiveness rankings for property taxes, fresh analysis has shown, undermining Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ ambition to “back the builders, not the blockers”. The Tax Foundation’s International Tax Competitiveness Index placed the UK at 32nd out of 38 in a damning indictment of HMRC’s complicated rules and a higher burden preventing [...]
Secure Trust Bank, Bank of Ireland up motor finance provisions October 20, 2025 Secure Trust Bank and the Bank of Ireland have added themselves to a growing list of businesses upping their provisions ahead of a flurry of claims expected in connection with the motor finance scandal. Following the publication of the UK finance watchdog’s review into the saga, Secure Trust Bank said it had more than tripled [...]
Cutting affordable housing quotas is a slap in the face for Labour voters October 20, 2025 If Labour is no longer in favour of building affordable housing, what exactly is the party for, asks James Ford.
B&M: City broker ‘not concerned’ about retailer despite turmoil October 20, 2025 City broker Panmure Liberum has reassured investors about a serious slide in B&M’s share price, arguing that it’s based on a ‘one-time error’ and doesn’t suggest underlying trouble. B&M surprised markets this morning when it released a trading statement showing a significant accounting error and the related departure of its chief financial officer. The FTSE [...]
Inflation set to hit double Bank of England’s target October 20, 2025 The UK’s isolated struggles with price growth are set to hit a new milestone on Wednesday as consumer price index (CPI) inflation will surge to double the Bank of England’s target rate. In more troubling news for the Treasury and the Bank’s interest rate-setters, inflation is forecast to hit four per cent in the year [...]
