The former African gold miner taking on the billionaire Issa brothers Markets Roadside Real Estate has been along a weird and wonderful journey since it was first floated on the stock market. The company began life as Sovereign Mines of Africa, hunting gold deposits in the farthest corners of the African continent. But in 2016 the firm had a change of heart and decided to sell its [...]
Leon founder: Labour ‘killing’ restaurant industry Hospitality The founder of fast food chain Leon has accused the government of “killing” the restaurant industry by saddling the industry with a crushing tax burden. John Vincent, who founded Leon and recently bought it back, said on Tuesday “everyone knows restaurants are done” because of the government’s treatment of hospitality. The government has faced intense [...]
Asda boss says ‘plenty to do’ in turnaround after sales drop Retail The boss of Asda has said he has “plenty to do” to complete his turnaround of the firm after sales and earnings slumped. The supermarket giant, the UK’s third largest, took £21bn of sales excluding fuel in 2025, down by 3.3 per cent, while adjusted earnings tumbled by a third to £764m. Asda’s executive chair [...]
Asda boss: Government ‘more and more difficult’ to deal with March 4, 2026 The boss of supermarket chain Asda has said the government has become “more and more difficult” to deal with, claiming the pressures on business posed by policy have ballooned since he began his career. Allan Leighton, Asda’s chair, said businesses are increasingly facing obstacles to growth which are “not of their own making”. At Tuesday’s [...]
Stuart Rose steps down as EG Group chair ahead of US IPO January 19, 2026 Stuart Rose has stepped down as chair of EG Group ahead of the forecourt firm’s flotation in New York later this year. The retail industry veteran and Conservative peer has been replaced with immediate effect by Roland Smith, the current chairman of American fast-food chain Jack’s, in the clearest sign yet the company is seeking [...]
Asda: Will 2026 be the year supermarket giant bounces back? December 26, 2025 This time last year, analysts warned that Asda needed to “dig down into its soul” if it was to turn around its fortunes. After a rollercoaster 2024 in which it struggled with debt, strikes and falling sales, the Leeds-headquartered supermarket giant was hoping the new year would begin to reveal green shoots of recovery. Under [...]
Asda billionaire quits role at Vinted rival November 25, 2025 Billionaire Mohsin Issa, who co-owns supermarket giant Asda, has stepped down as a director of a second-hand fashion startup he backed. The businessman is a major investor in online platform Loopi alongside Victoria Price through Boulder Investco – a fund which supports startups in the UK. Launched in the UK in January, Loopi was co-founded [...]
Asda: KKR and TDR commit £23m to credit card firm Jaja after warning November 11, 2025 The private equity backers of Jaja Finance have contributed another £23m in equity funding after the Asda credit card firm warned on its ability to continue as a going concern, Morning Wire can reveal. A group of existing shareholders participated in the funding in October, Jaja said, and have also vowed to commit a further [...]
Issa brothers finally repay EG Group loan used to buy private jet October 14, 2025 The Issa brothers have finally repaid the huge loan they borrowed from their own forecourt and retail empire to buy a private jet, Morning Wire can reveal. The billionaire duo had owed as much as $41m (£31m) to EG Group via an Isle of Man-based company they controlled called Clear Sky 2, which was used [...]
Billionaire Issa brothers’ zero-emission truck start-up saved October 13, 2025 A Scottish zero-emission vehicles company backed by the billionaire Issa brothers has been saved in a pre-pack administration deal. Opus Restructuring was appointed to oversee the process at Glasgow-based Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS) after the business faced a winding up petition earlier this month. It also faced a winding up petition in October 2024. The [...]