Asahi cyberattack halts domestic operations amid ongoing investigation September 30, 2025 Japan’s largest brewer, Asahi Group Holdings, remains unable to resume production at its domestic factories following a cyberattack on Monday, with the firm unable to provide a timeline for when normal operations might resume. “Asahi Group Holdings is currently experiencing a system failure caused by a cyberattack, affecting operations in Japan,” it said in a [...]
Pandora: UK profit slumps as sales slip after record high September 30, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of luxury jewellery brand Pandora has fallen significantly as its sales slipped back from a record high. The London-headquartered division has posted a pre-tax profit of £14.9m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The latest total comes after Pandora achieved a pre-tax profit of £61.1m in 2023. [...]
Asos shares sink after sales fall behind expectations September 30, 2025 Shares in e-commerce fashion firm Asos have tumbled after the company reported sales short of expectations and vowed to extend its cost-cutting programme in a bid to secure “even stronger profitability foundations”. The London-based business said it “had planned to shift gears” from rebuilding its commercial model towards “re-engaging with customers.” “Instead, more opportunity to [...]
Will we mourn the loss of WH Smith from the high street? September 29, 2025 So long then, WH Smith, a firm which has graced our high streets for more than a century – even though it never intended to. Founded as a small newspaper kiosk in Mayfair in 1792, the business grew massively in the mid-19th century, spurred by the rapid expansion of the railways, which allowed consumers up [...]
Profit at Jamie Laing’s Candy Kittens slashed after major change September 29, 2025 Profit at Candy Kittens, the cat-shaped confectionary brand owned by Radio One DJ and Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing, has been slashed after it made a major change in 2024. The business, which specialises in vegetarian and vegan sweets, decided to switch focus to distribute more to grocers in the UK at the end of 2023 and signed [...]
Labour say manifesto stands ‘today’ as Reeves ducks VAT hike September 29, 2025 The Chancellor would not rule out fresh rises to VAT ahead of her speech to Labour Party Conference later today, when pressed on the issue by LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning. Asked whether Brits could face increases to the retail levy, Reeves said: “You’ll know we made those commitments in our manifesto, and those commitments [...]
Violence against retail workers ‘unacceptable and untenable’ September 29, 2025 More than a quarter of retail workers say that they have experienced physically aggressive or violent behaviour in their current jobs as the UK continues to battle a years-long fight against high-street crime. More than one in five retail workers in London have to deal with an angry customer ‘every day’, according to research by [...]
Harrods’ customer details stolen in IT breach September 27, 2025 Harrods has warned some customers that their personal data may have been taken in an IT systems breach. The luxury Knightsbridge department store said information, such as names and contact details, of its e-commerce customers was taken after one of its third-party provider systems was compromised. In a statement, Harrods said: “We have been notified [...]
The growing cost of cyber attacks: Why cyber insurance matters September 26, 2025 This year, headlines have been dominated by cyber attacks against prominent business names, causing disruptions and financial losses. But many of these businesses lacked a major tool: cyber insurance coverage. Marks & Spencer dominated the news in April and May after it was hit by a cyber attack, which forced the retail giant to suspend [...]
Co-op digests £80m profit hit from cyber attack September 25, 2025 The Co-operative Group has revealed an £80m hit to half-year profit after a damaging cyber attack earlier this year. The retail and funerals specialist said that it had slumped to a loss in the first half of 2025 after being targeted by a “malicious” cyber attack. Shoppers were faced with empty shelves and issues with [...]
