Fuel for blast furnaces and iron ore supplies arrive at British Steel April 27, 2025 Steelworkers at Scunthorpe have been given a more certain future with the arrival of new raw materials to operate British Steel’s blast furnaces, ministers have announced. 55,000 tonnes of blast furnace coke have arrived in the UK to fuel the Scunthorpe plant in North Lincolnshire, and a shipment of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron [...]
Controversial tower opposed by Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Felicity Kendal rejected April 25, 2025 Plans for a 29-storey mixed-use tower at the southern end of Battersea Bridge have been unanimously rejected by Wandsworth Council. The 110-home Glassmill scheme was voted down at meeting of the authority’s planning committee on Thursday night. The decision follows months of local opposition to the project, with more than 2,000 objections from members of [...]
UK retail sales surge at the fastest rate in four years April 25, 2025 Retail sales unexpectedly rose in March as shoppers were boosted by good weather, according to new data. Retail sales volumes rose by 0.4 per cent in March 2025, following 0.7 per cent rise in February, according to the Office for National Statistics. Quarterly sales volumes rose by 1.6 per cent quarter on quarter and 1.7 [...]
Evoke: Revenue ticks up as group expects momentum to build through 2025 April 25, 2025 Betting and gaming company Evoke has reported a slight uptick in revenue and said it expects a return to stronger growth from the second quarter onwards. Revenue was £437m in the first quarter of 2025, in line with guidance and up one per cent year on year. UK revenue dipped one per cent, with three per [...]
Consumer confidence drops as inflation fears mount April 25, 2025 Brits’ confidence about their own finances, as well as those of the Treasury, has dipped as geopolitical uncertainty mounts. GfK’s long-running confidence index dropped by four points to -23 in April, driven by an eight-point drop in how Brits see the economy and a four-point drop in how Brits see their own finances. The findings [...]
As retail crime soars, is better tech the answer? April 24, 2025 Retail crime has soared by a fifth year-on-year, with retailers now questioning how to deal with extremely high shrinkage amid already-thin margins. Shoplifting offences rose by 20 per cent to 516,971 offences in December, up from 429,873 offences last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. The effect is a whole lot of shrink. [...]
London house prices fall fuels sales surge April 24, 2025 Sales of prime central London housing jumped up during the first three months of 2025 as prices fell amid the ongoing global uncertainty. Residential sales activity in the first quarter rose 12 per cent compared to 2024, according to new research from global property advisor JLL. “There are clear signs of renewed confidence across prime [...]
Domino’s: Pizza chain reports order growth and expects ‘minimal’ tariff impact April 24, 2025 Domino’s has reported order growth ahead of the market and said it does not expect Trump tariffs to impact the business. Its share price dipped by just over one per cent in early trades. Total sales rose 2.1 per cent to £393.3m in the first quarter of 2025, from £385.2m in 2024, while total orders [...]
Asos: Losses narrow as e-commerce giant drives turnaround April 24, 2025 Struggling ecommerce giant Asos has reported reduced losses as its turnaround plan begins to take shape. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) moved into positive territory at £42.5m in the 26 weeks to March 2, from a loss of £16.3m last year. Its share price dipped by nearly two per cent in [...]
Unilever turnover dips as turnaround fails to gain pace April 24, 2025 Unilever has reported a dip in turnover despite a year-long turnaround plan aimed at revitalising the business. Turnover at the consumer goods giant fell 0.9 per cent year year to €14.8bn (£12.65bn) in the first quarter of 2025. This was driven by slumps in personal and home care products, which fell by 4.4 per cent [...]
