Currys: Shares dip despite interest rates helping sales at retailer May 21, 2025 Electrical retailer Currys has reported a jump in profit after sales jumped thanks in part to a boost from lower interest costs. In a trading update on Wednesday, the firm said it expects pre-tax profit to come in at £162m, up 37 per cent year-on-year. Previous guidance had indicated profit for the period ending May [...]
M&S raises dividend after profit surge – despite cyber hit May 21, 2025 Marks and Spencer has boosted its dividend after reporting profit at a 15-year high, despite the significant impact of its ongoing attack. M&S told investors it would raise its yearly dividend by 20 per cent to 3.6p this year. The dividend boost came after the high street darling told markets that profit before tax and [...]
Zoe advert featuring Steven Bartlett banned for being ‘misleading’ May 21, 2025 An advert featuring Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett for nutrition brand Zoe has been banned after being ruled to be misleading. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found against the Facebook advert for Zoe’s Daily30+ supplement which the brand claimed contained “just real food” and “no ultra-processed” ingredients. The watchdog said the advert, which included [...]
Tesco and Sainsbury’s supplier hit in latest cyber attack May 20, 2025 A key logistics supplier to several of the UK’s major supermarkets, including Tesco and Sainsbury’s, has confirmed it is being held to ransom by hackers following a cyber attack that disrupted operations this week, following a string of assaults on UK retail in the last month. Peter Green Chilled, which also supplies Aldi, said it [...]
Are cyber attacks about to become the norm for British retailers? May 20, 2025 In the last month, cyber attacks have gone from a destructive but uncommon issue to the top of most Brit’s news feeds. Marks and Spencer’s, Co-op, Harrods – plus the international Dior and Coinbase – have all been the target of attacks in the last months, with more unsuccessful or smaller attacks likely to have [...]
Card Factory CEO takes home bumper pay rise May 20, 2025 The chief executive of Card Factory has seen his pay packet jump to more than £1.5m after the company’s sales surged. The West Yorkshire-headquartered retailer has handed Darcy Willson-Rymer the pay rise for its latest financial year, taking home £942,559 in the prior 12 months. The main change to the CEO’s salary was the £531,567 [...]
SSP: Upper Crust owner’s shares surge after profit soars May 20, 2025 Owner of Upper Crust bakery chain SSP Group grew across a number of business lines in its half-year report as revenue soared, despite some headwinds in Europe. The FTSE 250 firm recorded £45m in operating profit – up 20 per cent growth from the first six months of 2024. Shares soared nearly four per cent [...]
Pret A Manger: Why prices rises are ‘inevitable’ after surviving ‘near-death crisis’ May 19, 2025 The boss of Pret A Manger in the UK has revealed the tough economic reality the country is currently facing means it is “inevitable” that some prices will have to be increased. Clare Clough admitted recent years have been “challenging” for the high street staple but that the brand’s number one priority is to find [...]
Government urged to prioritise high streets or risk losing seats to Reform May 19, 2025 A retail lobby group has warned that job losses in the sector could overwhelmingly affect areas at risk of turning from Labour to Reform. The Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA), made up big names like ASDA, Primark, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, found that retail is a major driver of local employment in areas where Reform made significant [...]
Cricketing star Ben Stokes takes stake in alcohol-free Cleanco May 18, 2025 Cricketing star Ben Stokes OBE has taken a stake in reality tv star Spencer Matthews’ alcohol-free spirits brand Cleanco. Stokes partnership with the firm comes as part of a $5m fundraising round for the brand as it hopes for its first year of cash-flow positivty. Cleanco is also gearing up for global expansion with ambitions [...]