Mortgages rebound in lift for housing market July 29, 2025 Britons’ borrowing of mortgages and consumer credit rose at a faster pace in June, fresh Bank of England data has revealed, in signs that the recovery in the housing market is “well underway”. In monthly statistics released by the Bank to signal trends in the UK banking system, it was revealed that net borrowing of [...]
Metlen confirms £5.5bn London listing date July 29, 2025 Greek industrial giant Metlen Energy and Metals has confirmed it will list on the London Stock Exchange next week, in a much-needed boost to the UK’s listing-starved public markets. The mining and energy firm confirmed on Tuesday it had completed its voluntary Share Exchange Offer (SEO) with an acceptance rate of over 90 per cent, [...]
Barclays joins FTSE 100 peers in warning against bank tax hike July 29, 2025 Barclays has become the latest banking giant to send a firm warning to Rachel Reeves to avoid bank tax hike as the Chancellor scrambles to maintain her wafer-thin fiscal headroom. The FTSE 100 giant’s boss CS Venkatakrishnan, known as Venkat, said the government’s mission for growth would not align with slapping a tax increase on [...]
Auto Trader: Brits turn to older cars amid ‘economic uncertainty’ July 29, 2025 Brits are turning their backs on new cars choosing to buy more older models amid “ongoing economic uncertainty”, according to FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader. The Manchester-headquartered company said a “standout trend” of 2025 so far is the “growing appetite for affordable used cars”, particularly those aged between five and 10 years old. Auto Trader has [...]
Halfords: Departing CEO gets golden goodbye July 29, 2025 The departing chief executive of Halfords saw his pay more than double as the company clocked a statutory £30m loss in the year before he stepped down. Graham Stapleton took home a pay packet of £1.5m for the firm’s latest financial year, up from the £650,440 he received in the prior 12 months. Stapleton had [...]
Sell-out Farnborough International Airshow boosted by Airbus and Boeing deals July 29, 2025 Finances at the company behind the Farnborough International Airshow took off after the bi-annual show saw deals worth more £81bn agreed, it has been revealed. The accounts for Farnborough International, which runs the airshow as well as an exhibition and conference centre alongside two film studios, show the business achieved a turnover of £52.3m in [...]
Water firm Anglian to pay out £68m after breach of regulations July 29, 2025 Anglian Water is set to pay a £68.2m ‘redress package’ to improve the quality of its waste management after an investigation by the UK’s water watchdog found it had breached regulations. Ofwat found that Anglian Water had “fail[ed] to operate and maintain its wastewater assets adequately”, and that it was “systemically breaching” its duty to [...]
Canon: UK losses almost triple after expectations fall short July 29, 2025 Losses have almost tripled at the UK arm of camera and printer giant Canon as its performance fell below its expectations. The Uxbridge-headquartered division has reported a pre-tax loss of £14.4m for 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The latest pre-tax loss comes after Canon UK posted a loss of £5.1m for [...]
Rachel Reeves at odds with Bank of England over Revolut licence bid July 29, 2025 Rachel Reeves has clashed with the governor of the Bank of England after trying to support Revolut in its protracted regulatory process to secure a full banking licence. The Chancellor is reported to have attempted to secure a meeting between financial watchdogs and Revolut in hopes of pushing forward its banking licence bid. But the [...]
WH Smith sells Funky Pigeon brand for £24m in travel pivot July 29, 2025 WH Smith has sold its Funky Pigeon brand to Card Factory, as the retailer sheds legacy assets ahead of a pivot towards becoming a pared down travel retailer. The Bristol and Guernsey-based novelty greeting cards line was sold for £24m, with Card Factory looking to integrate its technology into its consumer business. Funky Pigeon’s sale [...]
