‘It’s not a fair fight’: HMV boss issues Rachel Reeves Autumn Budget tax demand September 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been urged to reform business rates in the Autumn Budget by the boss of HMV. Phil Halliday, in an up-coming episode of Morning Wire‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, said the current system should be altered to make it fairer for UK retailers. The managing director added that businesses such as HMV are [...]
Bodycare: Full list of stores to close as 450 jobs lost September 5, 2025 High street health and beauty retailer Bodycare has collapsed into administration with the loss of 32 stores and around 450 jobs being made redundant. Nick Holloway, Chris Pole and Mike Leeds from Interpath have been appointed joint administrators to G.R. & M.M. Blackledge plc, which trades as Bodycare. Founded in 1970 on a market stall [...]
Currys kicks off year with strong sales despite high street pressures September 4, 2025 Currys has reported a robust start to its new financial year, with sales growth across the UK, Ireland and Nordics, and a £50m share buyback programme as the electricals retailer looks to reward shareholders. In a trading update for the 17 weeks to 30 August, the FTSE 250 firm said UK & Ireland like-for-like revenue [...]
Zopa Bank expands payments grip with retail finance acquisition September 2, 2025 Digital bank Zopa has expanded its payments reach with a fresh takeover. The fintech has snapped up Rvvup – a platform designed to streamline businesses’ acceptance, collection and management of payments. Zopa said the acquisition will treble the size of its embedded finance business in two years, which covers the integration of financial products into [...]
Sweaty Betty cuts jobs as brand returns to profit September 1, 2025 Fashion brand Sweaty Betty cut almost 100 jobs as it returned to profit for the first time since 2021. The London-headquartered business cut its workforce from 990 to 903 employees as it recovered from a pre-tax loss of £13.4m to a profit of £1.5m in 2024. New accounts filed with Companies House have also revealed [...]
Steven Bartlett-backed matcha drink Perfect Ted rockets in value September 1, 2025 PerfectTed, the matcha energy drink brand backed by Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett, has rocketed in value, it has been revealed. The company, which was founded in 2021 by Marisa Poster and brothers Teddie and Levi Levenfiche, appeared on BBC One show Dragons’ Den in 2023 and won the backing of Steven Bartlett as well as [...]
Cazoo owner makes first profit since 2019 September 1, 2025 The owner of Cazoo has made its first pre-tax profit since 2019 after recusing the collapsed brand last year, it has been confirmed. Motors.co.uk has posted a pre-tax profit of £621,000 for 2024, up from the loss of £9.3m it made in the prior 12 months. It is the first time the business has posted [...]
Levi Strauss bets on Beyonce as over 200 UK jobs lost September 1, 2025 The UK arm of Levi Strauss cut more than 200 jobs as its turnover jumped to almost £100m during its latest financial year. The Northampton-headquartered division reduced its headcount from 1,857 to 1,630 in the 12 months to 30 November, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. Over the same 12 months, Levi Strauss’ [...]
Arne: Brothers enjoy huge pay day as profit surges September 1, 2025 The brothers behind clothing brand Arne have raked in the cash after sales and profit at their company surged in 2024 ahead of the brand opening its first store. The Warrington-headquartered business has posted a turnover of £84.1m and pre-tax profit of £11.9m for 2024 The figures compare to the turnover of £37.4m and pre-tax [...]
British Retail Consortium appoints its first female chair August 28, 2025 The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has appointed Jo Whitfield as its new chair, the first woman in its history to hold the role. Whitfield will replace outgoing chair Andy Higginson, who has been in the position since September 2023. “I’m honoured to be joining the BRC as its first female Chair, and to be supporting [chief executive] [...]