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Business analysis and news

analysisBusiness

Guinness is seeing Wetherspoons thrive — so why isn’t its own company?

Analysis: Guinness maker Diageo has been on a downward curve for three years. Now a new CEO faces a big turnaround task, writes Karl Matchett

Business

Gaucho restaurants CEO issues stark warning to Reeves over tax hikes

Money

Rachel Reeves gives green light for tax crackdown on savings accounts

JD Sports will update shareholders on Wednesday (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Business

JD Sports shareholders hoping for progress amid US consumer weakness

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
Business

Stocks up as Powell leaves door ajar for rate cut

A union leader has warned that thousands of firefighter jobs could go (Alamy/PA)
Business

Thousands of firefighter jobs could go through cuts, says union

JD Sports will update shareholders on Wednesday (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Business

JD Sports shareholders hoping for progress amid US consumer weakness

Stock markets latest

<p>Executive pay at Britain's largest listed companies has reached a new record high</p>
News

Some of the highest-paid bosses in the UK revealed

<p>There were 13 companies on the index of the UK’s top 100 listed firms paying their chief executives £10 million or more </p>
Business

Top executive pay in UK hits record high – 122 times of average worker

Business

Boost for London Stock Exchange as £35bn company U-turns on move to US

<p>President Donald Trump speaks to reporters ahead of boarding Marine One to depart for a weekend of golf in New Jersey</p>
LiveUS politics

Trump tariffs: Weak jobs data, new levies see markets tumble

E2E Tech

<p>Shalini Khemka, CBE, Founder & CEO, E2E</p>
SPONSORED

The E2E Tech 100 Track 2025 revealed

<p> Shalini Khemka, CBE. Founder & CEO, E2E</p>
SPONSORED

The E2E Tech 100 Track 2025

Latest business news

Sales of weight loss jab Wegovy have soared in the UK (James Manning/PA)
Health

Wegovy sales soar 27-fold after rival Mounjaro’s price hike

Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard at the Digital Media Centre, in Barnsley (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Business

Steel workers face ‘huge uncertainty’ after Government takeover – union

(Alamy/PA)
Business

Revolution Beauty brings back founders to ‘reset’ troubled beauty brand

A baby being fed puree (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Business

Manufacturers given 18 months to cut sugar and salt in baby food products

Consumer confidence has reached its highest point this year despite inflation figures and rising unemployment, GfK’s survey said (Ben Birchall/PA)
Business

Consumer confidence reaches highest point of year despite ‘clouds on horizon’

The legislation restricts the location of HFSS products within supermarkets in England (Alamy/PA)
Business

Supermarket junk food restrictions led to significant cut in purchases – study

<p>Speciality Steel has plants in Rotherham and Stocksbridge</p>
Business

UK’s third largest steelworks collapses putting 1,450 jobs at risk

Some of the country’s biggest chains have signed a letter to the Chancellor sent by trade body British Retail Consortium (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Business

Major retailers warn Reeves tax rises in autumn could push up prices

E2E Tech

Partner Content
SPONSORED

E2E Tech 100: The problem with one-size-fits-all banking

<p>Jamie Samaha, Reward CEO</p>
SPONSORED

E2E Tech 100: How Reward is revolutionising customer loyalty with AI

<p>Ana Kirova, Feeld</p>
SPONSORED

“We built what we couldn’t find”: Feeld’s CEO on redefining dating

Explore news for you

More business news

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (Jane Barlow/PA)
Business

Chancellor will have to raise taxes despite lower borrowing, say economists

Tanaiste Simon Harris and Taoiseach Micheal Martin speaking to the media at a press conference (Niall Carson/PA)
Business

Irish leaders welcome clarity on EU-US trade deal and pharma tariffs cap of 15%

The FTSE 100 closed above 9,300 for the first time on Thursday, outperforming European peers and taking heart from better-than-hoped borrowing and economic activity data (Ian Nicholson/PA)
Business

FTSE ends above 9,300 for first time amid brighter PMI print

A 28-year-old man has been jailed for nine years and a month for the “callous” killing of a Tesco worker trying to prevent his friend from performing wheelies in a store wheelchair (Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy/PA)
Business

Tesco raises price of meal deal by 25p

<p>WH Smith has warned its yearly profits will be lower than previously expected</p>
Business

WH Smith shares tumble after £30 million accounting error

Waitrose said it had listened to complaints about a section of its Christmas ad (Andrew Lockie/Alamy/PA)
Business

Waitrose boss James Bailey to leave supermarket chain in September

A 28-year-old man has been jailed for nine years and a month for the “callous” killing of a Tesco worker trying to prevent his friend from performing wheelies in a store wheelchair (Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy/PA)
Business

Tesco raises price of meal deal by 25p

<p>WH Smith has warned its yearly profits will be lower than previously expected</p>
Business

WH Smith shares tumble after £30 million accounting error

Waitrose said it had listened to complaints about a section of its Christmas ad (Andrew Lockie/Alamy/PA)
Business

Waitrose boss James Bailey to leave supermarket chain in September

Travelodge has revealed weaker revenues and profits (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
Business

Travelodge weighed down by weaker London demand and surging costs

Business

Travelodge weighed down by weaker London demand and surging costs

Travelodge has revealed weaker revenues and profits (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
The UK’s services sector has led a rebound for business activity (PA)
Business

UK business activity rises to one-year high as services sector leads rebound

OCS Group workers at Edinburgh Airport are to take strike action next month (Jane Barlow/PA)
Business

Airport workers to strike in dispute over ‘poverty pay offer’

Elon Musk’s Tesla has applied for a licence to supply electricity to British homes, prompting thousands of objections from the public (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)
Business

Thousands object to Tesla bid to supply energy to UK homes

The Government has revived the Pension Commission (PA)
Business

TUC in call for gender equality over pensions

The Government has revived the Pension Commission (PA)
Business

TUC in call for gender equality over pensions

Construction has begun on a ‘landmark’ Scottish windfarm that will power 335,000 homes (CWP Energy/PA)
Business

Construction begins on ‘landmark’ windfarm that will power 335,000 homes

<p>Rachel Reeves is believed to be planning a raid on high-value home sales</p>
UK Politics

Reeves’ mansion tax ‘makes no sense and could lose Treasury money’

Global recruitment chain Hays said conditions in the jobs market remain ‘challenging’ (Hays/PA)
Business

Hays profits tumble as recruiter flags sharp drop in permanent hiring

The FTSE 100 index closed up 1.1% at 9,288.14 (PA)
Business

FTSE 100 at new peak despite fading rate cut hope

Russian president Vladimir Putin (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
Business

Minister unveils UK crackdown on Kyrgyz finance to ‘keep pressure on’ Putin

Mean and median income figures are often very different (Lucy North/PA)
Business

Fact check: Wage claim confuses mean and median incomes from different years

Regulated train fares in England may increase by 5.8% next year, based on a measure of inflation announced on Wednesday (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
Business

Train passengers face potential 5.8% fares hike

Passengers preparing to fly from UK airports should assume the 100ml liquids rule remains in place unless they have been told otherwise by their airport, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said (Alamy/PA)
Business

Why has inflation risen and what does it mean for households?

Prices accelerated for a range of household groceries last month, helping push up the cost of living (Alamy/PA)
Business

Where inflation jumped in July – and where it eased

Angling Direct saw sales rise over the past six months (Alamy/PA)
Business

Revenues jump at Angling Direct after strong online sales

Airbus staff are scheduled to walk out for 10 days (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

Airbus workers to stage strikes amid pay dispute

Business

Airbus workers to stage strikes amid pay dispute

Airbus staff are scheduled to walk out for 10 days (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Train fare rises are a controversial issue (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
Business

Key questions answered on potential rail fares rise

Here are 10 examples of potential rail fare rises in England (Ben Birchall/PA)
Business

How much more will my train ticket cost?

HS2’s Lawley Middleway Bridge (PA)
Business

Costain revenues slide due to completed road projects and HS2 delays

<p>Operating costs have increased since April</p>
Business

Hospitality bosses push for lower taxes after ‘shocking’ data revealed

<p>Operating costs have increased since April</p>
Business

Hospitality bosses push for lower taxes after ‘shocking’ data revealed

People underestimated how much income universities bring in (Jacob King/PA)
Business

Young graduates most likely to be wrong about student loan repayments – poll

Defence stocks slid amid hopes of peace in the Ukraine-Russia war (Alamy/PA)
Business

FTSE posts new closing high as falls in defence stocks are offset by retail gains

Analysts forecast that airfares could surge by 17.1% between June and July (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

Higher airfares and hotel prices predicted to push up UK inflation in July

Some firms said their energy bills had more than doubled in the past three months alone (Alamy/PA)
Business

ONS delays retail sales data to address quality issues

The level of firms facing insolvency have remained elevated since reaching a 30-year annual high in 2023 (Joe Giddens/PA)
Business

More businesses forced to close in July as cost pressures mount

The reported new levy would be paid by owner-occupiers on houses worth more than £500,000 when they sell their home (Yui Mok/PA)
Business

Treasury ‘looking at’ new property taxes to replace stamp duty

A shopper walking through the salad aisle in a supermarket in south London (PA)
Business

Grocery price inflation falls slightly to 5% in August

A potential 5.5% rise in England’s train fares next year has been described by public transport groups as ‘outrageous’ (Ben Birchall/PA)
Business

Rail campaigners say potential 5.5% fares rise would be ‘ripping off’ passengers

More than half of people thought the economy would get worse (PA)
Business

‘Alarming’ drop in UK consumer confidence over last year – Which?

Coleen Rooney-backed sports health business Applied Nutrition has kicked off its stock market debut with a valuation of around £350 million. (Applied Nutrition/PA)
Business

Applied Nutrition beats guidance amid strong sales momentum

Office giant IWG has reported a continued shift towards hybrid working, with many firms moving from city centres (IWG/PA)
Business

Small towns drive growth for office firm IWG as workers abandon daily commute

Business

Small towns drive growth for office firm IWG as workers abandon daily commute

Office giant IWG has reported a continued shift towards hybrid working, with many firms moving from city centres (IWG/PA)
Britain’s unemployment rate has hit a near four-year high (Alamy/PA)
Business

UK economy bigger than previously estimated by end of 2023 – ONS

Donald Trump will meet Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders (Ben Curtis/AP)
Business

FTSE 100 edges up ahead of Trump-Zelensky talks

<p>The Ministry of Justice’s headquarters on Petty France</p>
Business

Landsec sells landmark office block to Arora Group for £245m

SohoHousepremium
Business

Ashton Kutcher-backed group to buy Soho House for £2bn

SohoHousepremium
Business

Ashton Kutcher-backed group to buy Soho House for £2bn

<p>There is evidence that overworking employees can make them less productive</p>
Business

How companies could save money by sending employees home on time

Experts said the data came ‘hot on the heels of the recent rate cut decision made by the Bank of England’ (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

UK consumer sentiment recovers to strongest level since October

<p>The Lionesses celebrated on stage in front of Buckingham Palace after an open-top bus parade (James Manning/PA)</p>
Business

Patriotic punters in women’s Euros final costs Ladbrokes owner

Entain said it lost out on winnings paid out during the women’s Euros (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Business

Patriotic punters cost Ladbrokes owner with winning bets on Lionesses

<p>Surinder Arora, ranked 14th on the UK’s Asian Rich List</p>
Business Comment

The Asian rich list is a powerful rebuke to anti-immigrant rhetoric

Undated handout photo issued by Vivergo Fuels of their site near Hull.
Business

Bioethanol plant deems lack of Government support an ‘act of economic self-harm’

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)
Business

FTSE eases on weak US data as Ukraine peace summit looms

<p>Between April and June, Pandora's total global revenues climbed by 3 per cent on a like-for-like basis, reaching 7.1 billion Danish kroner (£820 million)</p>
Business

Jewellery retailer to raise prices amid falling sales

The retailer said store openings helped to drive revenues and profits higher over the past year (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Business

Mountain Warehouse to open new stores after revenues jump

UK inflation is set to have edged higher last month as summer spending pushed up flight and hotel costs (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
Business

UK inflation to rise as summer spending pushes up hotels and airfares

<p>Supermarket chain Iceland is to offer customers a £1 reward if they spot shoplifters in the act</p>
Business

Supermarket giant says it will pay customers to report shoplifters

Business

Supermarket giant says it will pay customers to report shoplifters

<p>Supermarket chain Iceland is to offer customers a £1 reward if they spot shoplifters in the act</p>
<p>Online fast fashion retailer Shein is a step closer to launching its shares on the London stock market </p>
Business

Shein profits surge following record sales in UK

<p>This strategic move is expected to yield ‘significant costs synergies and efficiencies’</p>
Business

Two of the UK’s biggest bakeries to combine to make bread giant

Analysists have blamed economic uncertainty for ‘lacklustre’ retail sales in July (Aaron Chown/PA)
Business

Economic uncertainty blamed for ‘lacklustre’ retail performance last month

In London, insurance stocks were the flavour of the day (Yui Mok/PA)
Business

Stocks mixed despite GDP surprise amid hot US producer price inflation

In London, insurance stocks were the flavour of the day (Yui Mok/PA)
Business

Stocks mixed despite GDP surprise amid hot US producer price inflation

Grosvenor owner Rank Group has said it expects to be boosted by reforms for the casino sector (Jane Barlow/PA)
Business

Casino owner Rank Group set for profit boost from gambling reforms

Insurance giant Aviva has said its profits surged by a fifth over the first half of 2025 (Aviva/PA)
Business

Aviva share price highest since 2007 after profit jumps by a fifth

Diploma supplies technical equipment including filters, specialised wiring and fasteners (Diploma/PA)
Business

Diploma finance chief quits after ‘lapse of judgment’ at company event

A liquefied natural gas ship arrives at the Isle of Grain terminal (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

British Gas owner takes stake in Europe’s biggest LNG terminal in £1.5bn deal

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there was ‘more to do’ as figures revealed unemployment remained at a four-year high (Oliver McVeigh/PA)
Business

Reeves concedes Government has ‘more to do’ as unemployment at four-year high

Gatwick airport’s outgoing boss said he is ‘optimistic’ the airport’s expansion plan will be approved (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

Gatwick ‘optimistic’ minister will approve expansion plan

Mike Ashley’s Frasers has called for Mahmud Kamani to be investigated and suspended from Boohoo (Ian West/PA)
Business

Boohoo founder should be investigated over debt collection, says Mike Ashley

<p>UK economic growth slowed to 0.3 per cent between April and June, according to the ONS</p>
Business

UK economic growth slows amid pressure on business and Trump trade war

Gatwick airport’s outgoing boss said he is ‘optimistic’ the airport’s expansion plan will be approved (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

Gatwick ‘optimistic’ minister will approve expansion plan

Mike Ashley’s Frasers has called for Mahmud Kamani to be investigated and suspended from Boohoo (Ian West/PA)
Business

Boohoo founder should be investigated over debt collection, says Mike Ashley

<p>UK economic growth slowed to 0.3 per cent between April and June, according to the ONS</p>
Business

UK economic growth slows amid pressure on business and Trump trade war

<p>‘By customer group, small businesses were responsible for a 60 per cent share of the total UK tax gap. Wealthy individuals accounted for just five per cent’</p>
Voices

Have we really become a nation of HMRC snoopers?

Rachel Reeves said investment in infrastructure projects and reform of the planning system form part of the Government’s plans (Matthew Horwood/PA)
Business

Reeves pledges to tackle productivity challenge at autumn budget

Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison said revenue has grown faster than expenditure (PA)
Business

Scotland’s deficit grew by £5.1bn, Government estimate shows

The London Stock Exchange website (PA)
Business

FTSE 100 pushes higher as US rate cut bets build

Train company bosses have been warned by the Government they could be breaking the law if they allow unqualified staff to prosecute alleged fare dodgers (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Business

Rail bosses given ‘criminal offence’ warning over fare dodger prosecutions

Balfour Beatty reported stronger profits as UK construction work grew (Newscast/PA)
Business

Balfour Beatty profits lift as it eyes boost from UK construction projects

A trade union has announced a strike at Gatwick airport from next week which it claims will put all departing flights at risk of disruption (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

Gatwick baggage screeners to strike from next week

Home News

The Victorian flower making a comeback with British shoppers

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