Historically sunny spring to set UK retailers up for a bumper quarter Retail The UK’s sunniest spring on record has encouraged Brits into brick and mortar stores in a much-needed boost for Britain’s struggling retailers. Britain experienced its sunniest April ever in 2025, while Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each recorded their second sunniest. The effect has been to loosen wallets and “encourage shoppers to head out to [...]
Zara boss calls for crackdown on fast-fashion tax loophole Retail The head of Zara’s parent company has called for a US-style crackdown on shipments of small goods in Europe to “level the playing field” between Chinese and European firms. Chinese giants Shein and Temu have heavily disrupted the global fashion market in the last few years, putting pressure on older companies. Part of their meteoric [...]
Mortgages rates set to fall after Bank of England interest rate cut Property Analysts have predicted that the Bank of England’s decision to reduce interest rates on Thursday will encourage major banks to cut mortgage rates. Lower rates will be a major affordability boost for the UK’s housing market, which continues to price out young buyers unable to rely on financial gifts or savings. “If homebuyers can borrow more, they [...]
British Airways owner IAG to buy 53 new aircraft as earnings beat estimates May 9, 2025 British Airways and Aer Lingus owner, IAG, has announced the order of 53 new aircraft for its fleet, alongside better-than-expected first-quarter results. IAG announced the order of 53 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft for its long-haul fleet, comprising 32 Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways and 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft for Aer Lingus, Iberia and LEVEL. [...]
Rightmove: Lower mortgages and browsing Brits boost property portal May 9, 2025 Property platform Rightmove has benefitted from a more optimistic housing market as mortgage rates fall, with buyer demand and property listings both up. The FTSE100 company, which is home to over 80 per cent of all consumer time spent on UK property portals, said new property listings rose nine per cent in the first four [...]
M&S will ‘need to go on a charm offensive’ to win customers back May 8, 2025 Analysts have warned that Marks and Spencer (M&S) faces an uphill battle to win back customers when it has dealt with its ongoing cyber attack. The high street darling told markets it had suffered a “cyber incident” at the end of April. Around £1bn has been wiped off its market value since 1 April, and [...]
Co-op breach a ‘stark reminder of why cash remains essential’ May 8, 2025 The disruption to card payments at Co-op stores last week is a warning to Brits on over reliance on digital payments, according to a leading consultancy firm. The Co-op shut down parts of its IT systems last week and suspended contactless payments at nearly 10 per cent of stores after detecting a potential breach. “The [...]
How did Next become an online shopping behemoth? May 8, 2025 A better-than-expected set of first-quarter results from Next this morning has highlighted its growing reputation as an online fashion platform. Online sales, which account for around 30 per cent on overall sales, grew by 8.9 per cent in the UK and 29.6 per cent internationally. Internet-based sales have been a bigger driver of revenue over [...]
Derwent: Return to office mandates boost London landlord May 8, 2025 Ongoing high demand for central London offices, combined with low supply of best-in-class space, has boosted real estate investment trust (REIT) Derwent in the first quarter of the year. Derwent said leasing activity in the year to date totalled £2.7m, with a further £3.7m of rent under offer. Open market lettings ticked up by 2.7 [...]
House prices rise in April: ‘The market is baring its teeth’ May 8, 2025 House prices in the UK ticked up in April as the market unexpectedly bounced back from the end of stamp duty relief. According to Halifax, house prices increased by 0.3 per cent in April vs a fall of 0.5 per cent in March, making the average property now £297,781. Prices have been remarkably stable over [...]
