Three

Three arrests made in connection with St James Retail Park fire

Police officers have made three arrests in connection with a fire at a Dunelm store at the St James Retail Park in Northampton. The emergency services were called to the store off Towcester Road just after 3pm on 31 May 2025. Road closures were put in place and fire crews…

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Greggs sales surge to £2.01bn in FY24

Greggs has surpassed the £2bn mark as its sales increased 11.3% to £2.014bn, with LFL sales in company-managed shops up 5.5% year-on-year, in the 52 weeks ended 28 December 2024. The group’s underlying pre-tax profit also increased 13.2% to £189.8m, while its total pre-tax profit was up 8.3% to £203.9m.…

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Today’s news in brief-17/1/25

Retail sales in the UK fell by 0.3% in December, disappointing analysts who anticipated a 0.4% rise during the Christmas season. The decline, attributed to the poorest supermarket sales since 2013, was partly offset by a 4.4% rise in clothing sales. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that food…

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Tesco urges gov to deliver plan for UK agriculture

Tesco is calling on the government to provide a clear and comprehensive plan to support UK farmers transition to net zero as it announces new plans to set up two low carbon concept farms in its supply chain to trial low carbon farming methods and help suppliers accelerate innovation. Speaking…

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Quiz losses widen to £4.7m in H1

Quiz has reported an increase in pre-tax losses to £4.7m in the six months to 30 September 2024.  The fashion retailer said that its “disappointing” results in part reflect the impact of inflationary pressures on consumer confidence and spending, which has led to an 8% reduction in revenues during the…

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BoE holds interest rates at 4.75%

The Bank of England (BoE) has voted to hold interest rates at 4.75%, following a recent hike in both inflation and wage growth. At its meeting this week, the bank’s monetary policy committee voted by a majority of 6–3 to maintain the current rate. Three members voted to reduce interest rates…

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Gen Z market a ‘massive but time-sensitive opportunity’ for health and fitness brands, UNiDAYS finds

As we approach the new year, health and fitness brands have a compelling and urgent opportunity to engage the notoriously discerning Gen Z demographic. The latest Health and Fitness Report from UNiDAYS reveals that nearly one in five students are determined to get fit in January. Almost half (44%) intend…

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Shein to hold informal talks with investors ahead of possible London float

Shein is reportedly set to hold informal talks with potential investors in the coming weeks regarding its much anticipated London initial public offering (IPO), according to Reuters.Three sources with knowledge of the matter said the discussions will be held as the fast fashion giant awaits UK regulatory approval to launch…

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Hammerson sells stake in Bicester Village for £1.5bn

Property firm Hammerson has announced that it has sold off its stake in Bicester Village for £1.5bn to Silver Bidco, a company established by certain affiliates of L Catterton. The news comes after Hammerson announced it had entered into a binding agreement for the disposal of Bicester Village to Silver…

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UK economy stagnates for second consecutive month

The UK economy experienced no growth for the second consecutive month in July, underperforming analysts’ expectations of 0.2% growth for the month. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that services output is estimated to have increased by 0.1% in July 2024, following a decrease of…

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