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 [...]
Hotel Chocolat tastes sweet success of quitting London October 20, 2025 How Hotel Chocolat has performed since being acquired by Mars for more than £500m in July 2023 has been revealed for the first time. The Hertfordshire-headquartered business quit the London Stock Exchange after being taken over in a £534m deal. The deal, which at the time represented a 169.8 per cent premium on its 139p [...]
Betfred founder: Tax rises are “biggest threat” to the industry October 19, 2025 Betfred shops could vanish from UK high streets if Chancellor Rachel Reeves carries out a potential tax raid in the November budget, the company’s co-founder and chairman has warned. Fred Done, who founded the business in 1967 with his brother, hailed tax rises as the “biggest threat” to the industry he has seen in his [...]
Square Mile bespoke tailor Tom James takes legal action against ex-employee October 16, 2025 Tailoring giant Tom James launched legal action in London against a former employee, seeking to enforce restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations. Tom James Company, the UK entity of its US giant, located on Old Jewry, has launched legal action against a former sales professional, Max Potter. The company alleged in its claim, seen by City [...]
eBay: UK profit surges after selling fees removed October 15, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of eBay has surged despite its decision to waive selling fees impacting its revenue during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The division of the US giant has posted a pre-tax profit of £36.5m for 2024, up from the £2.7m it achieved in 2023. New accounts filed with [...]
‘Exceptional’ M&S chair Archie Norman cleared for three more years in role October 14, 2025 Marks and Spencer’s board has unanimously extended Archie Norman’s tenure as chair in light of his “exceptional” performance over the last nine years. While it is uncommon for chairs to stay longer than nine years, the board of M&S agreed that Norman’s “deep knowledge of the business, drive and unique experience” were invaluable to the [...]
Versace: UK sales slashed again as profit almost wiped out October 14, 2025 Sales at the UK arm of fashion house Versace have been slashed by a fifth for a second consecutive year as the downturn in luxury spending continues. The division has reported a turnover of £15.2m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The latest total is [...]
Specsavers: Sales and profit rise as bumper pay day scrapped October 14, 2025 Specsavers has scrapped the bumper dividend it has been handing to its billionaire owners despite its sales and profit growing during its latest financial year. The chain has paid out £15m in each its last two financial years to founders Dame Mary Perkins and her husband Doug. Over that time, Specsavers’ turnover has increased from [...]
Meat and coffee prices drive grocery price inflation October 14, 2025 Grocery price inflation in the UK passed five per cent in September to its highest level since July after the cost of fresh meat and coffee jumped. Like-for-like grocery price inflation rose to 5.2 per cent over the four weeks to 5 October versus the same period last year, according to the latest figures from Worldpanel [...]
THG reports strongest quarter of growth since 2021 October 14, 2025 THG, the London-listed firm behind fitness supplement brand Myprotein, has reported a better-than-expected uptick in sales following operating model changes. Third-quarter revenue rose 6.3 per cent, the retailer told markets this morning, driven by 10 per cent in nutrition, alongside “continued momentum” in beauty. This represents the highest organic quarterly growth since the fourth quarter of [...]
