Waitrose will trial lockable smart cabinets for champagne and premium spirits before the year is out, as John Lewis ramps up anti-theft technology to combat the UK’s retail crime epidemic.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
Blair family link as Suzanne Ashman takes the reins at £500m Sovereign AI fund
Venture capitalist Suzanne Ashman, wife of Euan Blair, has been appointed managing partner of the UK government’s £500m Sovereign AI fund to back homegrown British tech.
JPMorgan threatens to scrap Canary Wharf skyscraper if Labour swings left on bank taxes
Jamie Dimon warns JPMorgan will “reconsider” its 3 million sq ft Canary Wharf skyscraper if a more left-leaning UK government raises taxes on banks. What it means for the City and SMEs.
Ratcliffe’s Grenadier rolls into battle for MoD’s £900m Land Rover replacement
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Grenadier enters the £900m race to replace the British Army’s 5,000 ageing Land Rovers, taking on JLR, BAE Systems and Supacat for the MoD’s flagship 4×4 tender.
Gilts plunge to 28-year low as Starmer clings on, leaving SMEs braced for borrowing squeeze
UK 30-year gilt yields hit their highest level since 1998 as Sir Keir Starmer rebuffs resignation demands, sending sterling lower and threatening to push SME borrowing costs higher still.
Starmer moves to nationalise British Steel as commercial rescue collapses
Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed legislation to nationalise British Steel after talks with Chinese owner Jingye collapsed, securing 2,700 jobs at Scunthorpe.
UK borrowing costs spike to 18-year high as Starmer leadership crisis spooks markets
UK gilt yields surge to highest since 2008 as political uncertainty over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership and Iran-fuelled inflation fears push borrowing costs to 5.13%.
Poultry powerhouse 2Sisters lifts supermarket prices by £70m to absorb Labour’s National Insurance shock
Britain’s biggest chicken supplier 2Sisters has pushed through £70m of price rises to offset Labour’s National Insurance and minimum wage increases, as profits triple to £108m.
Greggs takes the sausage roll abroad with Tenerife debut
Greggs is opening its first shop outside the UK at Tenerife South Airport as the FTSE 250 bakery chain reports a 7.5% rise in sales to £800m in the first 19 weeks of 2026.
Used electric car sales accelerate to record quarter as motorists seek shelter from forecourt pain
Used pure-electric car sales surged 32% to a record 86,943 in Q1, the SMMT reports, as soaring petrol prices and wider model choice tempt British motorists to switch.
OpenAI mints hundreds of overnight millionaires as staff cash out $6.6bn in share sale
Around 600 OpenAI staff have shared a $6.6bn (£4.8bn) payout in a secondary share sale, with average proceeds of $11m and the largest sellers banking $30m apiece, as the ChatGPT maker eyes a 2027 IPO at a $1tn valuation.
Eon swallows Ovo in £600m deal that crowns Germany’s biggest energy giant as Britain’s largest supplier
Germany’s Eon has agreed to acquire Ovo’s retail arm in a deal valued at up to £600m, creating the UK’s largest energy supplier with 9.6 million customers and overtaking Octopus Energy.
Vauxhall turns to China’s Leapmotor in bid to keep British motoring affordable
Vauxhall will fit Chinese-made electric motors and batteries from Leapmotor in its new C-SUV from 2028, as Stellantis bets on a Beijing alliance to undercut surging Chinese EV rivals.
TG Jones faces bailiff threat as WH Smith successor buckles under unpaid tax bills
TG Jones, the rebranded former WH Smith high street chain, owes £15.8m to councils, suppliers and HMRC and could run out of cash by June, owner Modella warns.
MOD hands Musk’s Starlink £16m as Ukraine support drives satellite spend
The Ministry of Defence has spent £16.6m with Elon Musk’s Starlink over four years, funding satellite terminals for Ukrainian forces and British personnel — despite political friction with the SpaceX founder.
