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Latest News:

  • Retail sales decline slows in July as motor trades rebound, CBI finds
  • Heathrow expansion would move 15,200 aviation jobs to London by 2050, NEF says
  • Shein swings to $99m loss after US scraps duty-free parcel rule
  • Trump orders 301 investigation into EU over Google’s €890m fine
  • Burnham rules out early election as poll puts Labour on 209 seats
  • US regulator rejects Wise application for banking licence
  • Dragons’ Den star bags £900m as Vitabiotics falls to US buyer
  • City bank: Starmer and Reeves left Britain ‘no better off’
  • Burnham opens No10 North, but the SME payoff waits until 2032
  • Musk says AI will surpass human intelligence within five years
HP has dropped its bid to remove Jeremy Sandelson as manager of Mike Lynch's £500m estate, agreeing he stays if the family wins permission to appeal.

HP drops bid to remove manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate

HP has dropped its bid to remove Jeremy Sandelson as manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate, agreeing he stays if the family wins permission to appeal.

US tariffs on Japan, set at 12.5%, may make the UK a more attractive investment base, says Blick Rothenberg, as Japan's June exports rose 19.3 per cent.

Blick Rothenberg: US tariffs make UK more appealing to Japanese firms

US tariffs on Japan, set at 12.5%, may make the UK a more attractive investment base, says Blick Rothenberg, as Japan’s June exports rose 19.3 per cent.

Confidence in growth prospects among privately owned businesses in the East of England has fallen to 83 per cent from 86 per cent at the start of the year, according to the mid-year update to KPMG UK's Private Enterprise Barometer.

East of England growth confidence dips to 83%, KPMG finds

East of England business confidence has fallen to 83% from 86%, KPMG’s mid-year Private Enterprise Barometer finds, with 67% prioritising technology.

Retail sales volumes fell at a slower pace in the year to July, with the weighted balance rising to -26 per cent from -54 per cent in June, according to the CBI's monthly Distributive Trades Survey published on Monday.

Retail sales decline slows in July as motor trades rebound, CBI finds

Retail sales volumes fell at a slower pace in July, with the CBI balance at -26% from -54% in June, while wholesale sales stabilised after 25 months.

A third runway at Heathrow would move 15,200 aviation jobs that would otherwise accrue in the UK regions to the airport by 2050, according to New Economics Foundation analysis of Department for Transport modelling published last month.

Heathrow expansion would move 15,200 aviation jobs to London by 2050, NEF says

Heathrow third runway would move 15,200 aviation jobs from the regions to London by 2050, New Economics Foundation analysis of DfT forecasts finds.

Shein lost $99m (£74.1m) in the first three months of the year, against net income of $395m a year earlier, the fast-fashion group said in a filing lodged ahead of its planned stock market debut in Hong Kong.

Shein swings to $99m loss after US scraps duty-free parcel rule

Shein reported a $99m quarterly loss ahead of its Hong Kong listing, blaming the removal of the US de minimis exemption on parcels worth under $800.

The history of football clubs employing a fierce rivalry makes for a fascinating history as to why these clubs made major decisions inside the boardrooms, such as which players to buy, retain, or sell.

How to Start a Sports Prop Firm in 2026

Sports prop trading allows traders to place positions on sporting events through a funded account after completing an evaluation. Traders follow a set of rules covering areas such as profit targets, drawdown limits, and eligible markets before they can access firm capital.

Businesses that cut back on their offices during the pandemic are now scrambling to find larger premises as the return-to-office trend gathers pace – but prime space is in short supply.

Alpha Management Corporation: Building Practical Housing Solutions Across Greater Boston

Alpha Management Corporation is a family-owned real estate company that has spent decades helping shape the housing market across Greater Boston. Founded by Anwar Faisal, the company began with a simple goal: provide dependable property management built on integrity, innovation and reliable service.

Every major real estate project starts as an idea. Before new homes are built or financing is secured, someone has to bring together the legal pieces that make the project possible. That kind of work rarely makes headlines, but it shapes communities every day.

Gita Sankano: Turning Complex Real Estate Law Into Community Impact

Every major real estate project starts as an idea. Before new homes are built or financing is secured, someone has to bring together the legal pieces that make the project possible. That kind of work rarely makes headlines, but it shapes communities every day.

  1. HP drops bid to remove manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate
  2. Blick Rothenberg: US tariffs make UK more appealing to Japanese firms
  3. East of England growth confidence dips to 83%, KPMG finds
  4. Retail sales decline slows in July as motor trades rebound, CBI finds
  5. Heathrow expansion would move 15,200 aviation jobs to London by 2050, NEF says
  6. Shein swings to $99m loss after US scraps duty-free parcel rule
  7. How to Start a Sports Prop Firm in 2026
  8. Alpha Management Corporation: Building Practical Housing Solutions Across Greater Boston
  9. Gita Sankano: Turning Complex Real Estate Law Into Community Impact

Latest News…

Retail sales volumes fell at a slower pace in the year to July, with the weighted balance rising to -26 per cent from -54 per cent in June, according to the CBI's monthly Distributive Trades Survey published on Monday.

Retail sales decline slows in July as motor trades rebound, CBI finds

Retail sales volumes fell at a slower pace in July, with the CBI balance at -26% from -54% in June, while wholesale sales stabilised after 25 months.

A third runway at Heathrow would move 15,200 aviation jobs that would otherwise accrue in the UK regions to the airport by 2050, according to New Economics Foundation analysis of Department for Transport modelling published last month.

Heathrow expansion would move 15,200 aviation jobs to London by 2050, NEF says

Heathrow third runway would move 15,200 aviation jobs from the regions to London by 2050, New Economics Foundation analysis of DfT forecasts finds.

Shein lost $99m (£74.1m) in the first three months of the year, against net income of $395m a year earlier, the fast-fashion group said in a filing lodged ahead of its planned stock market debut in Hong Kong.

Shein swings to $99m loss after US scraps duty-free parcel rule

Shein reported a $99m quarterly loss ahead of its Hong Kong listing, blaming the removal of the US de minimis exemption on parcels worth under $800.

President Trump has reopened his long-running feud with Paris, warning that he will slap a 100 per cent tariff on French wine and champagne unless President Macron abandons France's digital services tax, the 3 per cent levy that falls most heavily on America's biggest technology firms.

Trump orders 301 investigation into EU over Google’s €890m fine

Trump says the US will open a Section 301 investigation into the EU and is considering a tariff after Brussels fined Google €890m under the DMA.

Labour would be the largest party in the House of Commons but fall 117 seats short of an overall majority if a general election were held now, according to a seat projection published by UK Polling Report, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out going to the country before 2029.

Burnham rules out early election as poll puts Labour on 209 seats

A new UK Polling Report seat projection puts Labour largest on 209 seats, 117 short of a majority, as Andy Burnham rules out an early election before 2029.

Wise has been refused a US banking licence, the payments company said, months after switching its primary stock market listing from London to New York in May.

US regulator rejects Wise application for banking licence

Wise’s US banking licence application has been rejected by the OCC over issues with its original filing. The fintech says it will submit a new application.

The Lalvani family is on the brink of cashing in more than half a century of patient brand-building, with US private equity giant Bain Capital understood to be days away from sealing a near-£1 billion swoop on Vitabiotics, the UK's largest multivitamin maker.

Dragons’ Den star bags £900m as Vitabiotics falls to US buyer

Vitabiotics, Britain’s biggest vitamin maker, is sold to US firm Bain Capital for £900m, ending 50 years of family ownership. What it signals for SMEs.

A record number of UK businesses are facing significant financial distress, underlining the precarious state of the economy as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to unveil her first budget on 30 October.

City bank: Starmer and Reeves left Britain ‘no better off’

Panmure Liberum says Starmer and Reeves left the UK economy no better off than in 2024, warning SMEs of higher energy costs and new barriers to hiring.

Andy Burnham chose Manchester for the defining image of his new premiership this week, opening a temporary "No10 North" and telling staff it might be "the best day of my life".

Burnham opens No10 North, but the SME payoff waits until 2032

Burnham opens No10 North in Manchester, but the civil service campus isn’t operational until 2032. What his devolution push means for UK SMEs now

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Business

HP has dropped its bid to remove Jeremy Sandelson as manager of Mike Lynch's £500m estate, agreeing he stays if the family wins permission to appeal.

HP drops bid to remove manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate

HP has dropped its bid to remove Jeremy Sandelson as manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate, agreeing he stays if the family wins permission to appeal.

US tariffs on Japan, set at 12.5%, may make the UK a more attractive investment base, says Blick Rothenberg, as Japan's June exports rose 19.3 per cent.

Blick Rothenberg: US tariffs make UK more appealing to Japanese firms

US tariffs on Japan, set at 12.5%, may make the UK a more attractive investment base, says Blick Rothenberg, as Japan’s June exports rose 19.3 per cent.

Confidence in growth prospects among privately owned businesses in the East of England has fallen to 83 per cent from 86 per cent at the start of the year, according to the mid-year update to KPMG UK's Private Enterprise Barometer.

East of England growth confidence dips to 83%, KPMG finds

East of England business confidence has fallen to 83% from 86%, KPMG’s mid-year Private Enterprise Barometer finds, with 67% prioritising technology.

Homeowners receive a financial boost as Barclays, HSBC, and TSB cut mortgage rates on over 100 deals, providing relief after weeks of rising costs.

Oil at $100 drives mortgage rates back to a month-old high

UK mortgage rates have climbed to a one-month high as $100 oil dents rate-cut hopes. What the squeeze means for SME owners and how to lock in now.

A shop unit that sat empty after one of Britain's best-known high street names collapsed has a new tenant, and it says a good deal about where physical retail is heading.

Kardashian’s Skims fills empty Ted Baker flagship on Regent Street

Kim Kardashian’s Skims opens its first UK store on Regent Street, taking the old Ted Baker flagship on a 10-year lease. What it signals for UK retail.

From a nine-generation family farm to a challenger radio station, the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards shortlist tells a different story about British SMEs, and one of them will win £500,000 of ITV airtime

Record entries and 200 shortlisted: Britain’s small businesses defy the gloom at the UK’s flagship business awards

From a nine-generation family farm to a challenger radio station, the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards shortlist tells a different story about British SMEs, and one of them will win £500,000 of ITV airtime

James May rejects the wealth tax urged by Gary Lineker's millionaires. Here's what a £24bn levy on the super-rich could mean for UK small businesses.

James May rejects wealth tax as millionaires beg Burnham to tax them

James May rejects the wealth tax urged by Gary Lineker’s millionaires. Here’s what a £24bn levy on the super-rich could mean for UK small businesses.

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Profiled…

The founders of UK fintech GoCardless are set for a significant financial windfall after the payments company agreed to be acquired by Dutch rival Mollie in a deal valued at €1.05bn (£920m).

Monzo founder Blomfield joins Anthropic as AI talent war escalates

Monzo founder Tom Blomfield has joined Anthropic’s compute team, the latest coup in the AI talent war. What his move signals for UK founders and SMEs.

Dame jayne anne gadhia

Banker who bought Northern Rock named to lead audit watchdog

Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, ex-Virgin Money chief, is the government’s pick to chair the FRC. What the audit watchdog’s new leadership means for UK firms.

Marketing & Social Media

For decades, television advertising has been the preserve of brands with deep pockets and a media agency on retainer.

Small firms can buy ITV, Sky and Channel 4 airtime in minutes as Universal Ads launches in the UK

The owner of Facebook and Instagram will cut another 10,000 jobs, months after laying off 11,000 staff, as the technology group prepares for years of economic disruption.

Meta launches high court challenge against Ofcom over online safety act fines

Mark Zuckerberg

Meta to axe 8,000 jobs in May as Zuckerberg bets the house on AI

Get Funded

Shein lost $99m (£74.1m) in the first three months of the year, against net income of $395m a year earlier, the fast-fashion group said in a filing lodged ahead of its planned stock market debut in Hong Kong.

Shein swings to $99m loss after US scraps duty-free parcel rule

Shein reported a $99m quarterly loss ahead of its Hong Kong listing, blaming the removal of the US de minimis exemption on parcels worth under $800.

Wise has been refused a US banking licence, the payments company said, months after switching its primary stock market listing from London to New York in May.

US regulator rejects Wise application for banking licence

Wise’s US banking licence application has been rejected by the OCC over issues with its original filing. The fintech says it will submit a new application.

The Lalvani family is on the brink of cashing in more than half a century of patient brand-building, with US private equity giant Bain Capital understood to be days away from sealing a near-£1 billion swoop on Vitabiotics, the UK's largest multivitamin maker.

Dragons’ Den star bags £900m as Vitabiotics falls to US buyer

Vitabiotics, Britain’s biggest vitamin maker, is sold to US firm Bain Capital for £900m, ending 50 years of family ownership. What it signals for SMEs.

A Cambridge start-up has pulled off something British hardware firms are rarely credited with: persuading investors to write a large cheque for a physical device in an age obsessed with software.

Hardware is back: £14m backs a five-minute NHS lung test

A Cambridge firm’s five-minute lung test has raised £14m to roll out across the NHS, and its founder says hardware is now the smartest bet for UK startups.

Elon Musk has told the world to prepare for machines that out-think it, predicting that artificial intelligence "may exceed the sum of human intelligence in about and around five years".

Musk says AI will surpass human intelligence within five years

Elon Musk says AI may surpass human intelligence within five years. What the trillionaire’s forecast means for UK SMEs weighing whether to adopt now.

Mulberry has told Andy Burnham that scrapping the tourist tax would put more work through British factories, in the clearest sign yet that luxury manufacturers intend to test the new Prime Minister's promise of growth beyond the M25.

Scrap the tourist tax and we’ll make more in Britain, says Mulberry

Mulberry boss Andrea Baldo urges Burnham to scrap the tourist tax as losses narrow to £8.9m. Why VAT-free shopping now matters to UK makers and SMEs.

An eight-minute hop from Heathrow to central London and a quarter of an hour from Manchester Airport to Leeds.

Heathrow to central London in 8 minutes as Virgin signs air taxi deal

An eight-minute hop from Heathrow to central London and a quarter of an hour from Manchester Airport to Leeds.

Britain's aerospace supply chain took £2.6 billion of fresh work out of a single day at Farnborough this week, even as the headline value of the day's deals fell by more than a third.

More jets, less money: Farnborough day two value falls 34 per cent

Farnborough day two brought 82 firm aircraft orders and £2.6bn for UK aerospace, yet deal value fell 34 per cent. What suppliers should read into it.

The head of one of Britain’s best-known law firms has warned that Rachel Reeves’s reported plan to raise taxes on limited liability partnerships (LLPs) could drive professionals and entrepreneurs out of the UK, undermining London’s status as a global business hub.

British Business Bank triples profit as SME finance hits record £9.4bn

British Business Bank profit triples to £426m as SME finance hits £9.4bn. What the state-backed lender’s record year means for UK small firms.

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Legal

Alvin, Simon and Theodore are heading back to work, and the deal behind their return is a quiet masterclass in how a family business should treat its most valuable asset.

Chipmunks return: why waiting a decade for the right deal paid off

Alvin and the Chipmunks return in a digital-first reboot with a 2028 film. What the family-owned franchise teaches UK SMEs about IP and licensing.

Prince Harry and his fellow claimants could be facing one of the largest costs bills ever seen in British privacy litigation, a former Costs Judge has warned, after the High Court dismissed their claims against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, in full.

Prince Harry and fellow claimants face ‘eye-watering’ legal bill after Daily Mail court defeat, warns former Costs Judge

A former Costs Judge warns Prince Harry and his fellow claimants could face an eye-watering legal bill after losing their privacy case against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers.

A Northamptonshire couple who run a fairytale-style glamping retreat are taking soft drinks giant Britvic to court, claiming the J2O maker used a photograph of their cabin without permission to promote a national competition.

Glamping couple take Britvic to court over Magic Mushroom Cabin photo

A Northamptonshire glamping couple are suing J2O maker Britvic over the unauthorised use of a photo of their Magic Mushroom Cabin, in a case every SME should watch.

Chinese bubble tea chain Molly Tea must pay Louis Vuitton £1.1m after a court ruled its logo copied the luxury house's four-petal flower trademark, sparking a fierce online backlash.

Backlash in China as bubble tea chain Molly Tea ordered to pay Louis Vuitton £1.1m over logo

Chinese bubble tea chain Molly Tea must pay Louis Vuitton £1.1m after a court ruled its logo copied the luxury house’s four-petal flower trademark, sparking a fierce online backlash.

HMRC has confirmed it will not appeal the tribunal decision that football referees engaged by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) are self-employed rather than employees, drawing a line under one of the longest-running employment status disputes the tax authority has pursued.

HMRC concedes defeat on referees as decade-long IR35 fight ends

HMRC will not appeal the PGMOL ruling that football referees are self-employed. Dave Chaplin says the decade-long case lays bare flaws in the CEST tool and mutuality of obligation.

The UK's 100 largest businesses are made up of more than 37,000 individual entities registered with Companies House, new analysis has found, laying bare just how hard it has become to see the full shape of Britain's biggest firms through the corporate registry alone.

The UK’s 100 biggest businesses hide behind 37,000 company registrations

Beauhurst analysis reveals the UK’s 100 largest businesses are built from more than 37,000 Companies House entities, with one registered over 3,800 times, obscuring the true picture.

New research from Allentra USA and Mathys & Squire reveals a consistent pattern of intellectual property exposure among growth-stage UK businesses planning, or already trading in, the United States.

Three in four UK firms heading for America have no US trademark protection, research finds

New research reveals 76% of UK companies expanding into the US have no USPTO trademark protection, leaving brands and patents dangerously exposed.

HM Revenue & Customs has fired a fresh warning shot at Britain’s flexible workforce, urging an estimated 700,000 umbrella workers, and the agencies and end-clients that engage them, to steer well clear of a rapidly growing scheme that claims, falsely, that personal IOUs can be used to settle a tax bill.

HMRC warns 700,000 umbrella workers over ‘bills of exchange’ tax avoidance scam

Promoters in the recruitment and temporary labour sector are pushing a bogus payment ‘trick’ that HMRC says has no legal foundation — and SMEs further down the supply chain risk being dragged in.

The chief executive of US fintech Bolt has mounted a robust defence of his decision to sack the company's entire human resources department, telling a Fortune audience that the team "created problems that didn't exist" and that those issues "disappeared" the moment he showed them the door.

Bolt boss defends sacking entire HR team, claiming staff ‘invented problems that didn’t exist’

Bolt chief executive Ryan Breslow has defended axing the fintech’s entire HR department, claiming the team “created problems that didn’t exist” as the firm slashes headcount and pivots to an AI-first model.

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Made in Britain

An Argyll-based manufacturing firm is targeting 20 per cent year-on-year growth in the global awards sector after investing nearly half a million pounds in new production technology.

Custom acrylic manufacturer Midton targets 20% annual growth after £429,000 tech investment at Argyll foundry

Argyll-based Midton is expanding its acrylic awards manufacturing capacity following a £429,000 investment in new biomass-powered technology.

The Made in Britain organisation has raised concerns over Reform UK’s alleged use of a logo resembling its own, stressing political neutrality and lack of authorisation.

‘Made in Britain’ body challenges Reform UK over alleged unauthorised logo use

The Made in Britain organisation has raised concerns over Reform UK’s alleged use of a logo resembling its own, stressing political neutrality and lack of authorisation.

As the Labour Party Conference kicks off this weekend, Made in Britain, a trade association that unites domestic manufacturers through the official Made in Britain Trademark, has issued a cross-party call for MPs to actively support local manufacturers.

Made in Britain applications surge following Trump tariffs as businesses embrace UK-made goods

The UK’s leading manufacturing trade organisation, Made in Britain, has reported a 20% surge in membership applications in the wake of President Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on imported goods, as interest in “buying British” grows among businesses and consumers alike.

Made in Britain, the not-for-profit organisation behind the official trademark for UK manufacturing, has forged a new partnership with Lincoln-based digital marketing agency Carrington.

Made in Britain teams up with Carrington to drive UK manufacturing growth

Made in Britain, the official trademark for UK manufacturers, has appointed digital marketing agency Carrington to boost visibility for 2,100+ members, championing British-made products and sustainable growth.

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Newswire

Bitcoin has endured its worst week since the implosion of the FTX exchange in 2022, with the world's most heavily traded cryptocurrency rattled by a leading bitcoin treasury company's decision to trim its holdings.

Bitcoin suffers worst week since FTX collapse as strategy breaks its ‘never sell’ vow

Amy Ingham
  • Bitcoin falls below $70,000, wiping out post-election gains
  • UK bans Coinbase adverts that suggested crypto could ease cost-of-living pressures
  • Looking Ahead to 2026: How CryptoMiningFirm’s Multi-Currency Cloud Mining Achieves Daily Returns of 5,000 XRP
  • From iPhone 17 to computing power wealth: CryptoMiningFirm cloud mining allows users to earn $8,150 per day!

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This months magazine

Business Matters 4th anniversary cover - February 2026

Opinion

Cabinet on sun loungers? Andy Burnham’s Love Island premiership

A wish list for Andy Burnham: stop funding failure, fund prevention

Hot tip, guv? Trump, Truth Social and insider trading on subscription

Technology

Elon Musk has told the world to prepare for machines that out-think it, predicting that artificial intelligence "may exceed the sum of human intelligence in about and around five years".

Musk says AI will surpass human intelligence within five years

The publisher of Harry Potter is about to bank a multimillion-pound cheque from an artificial intelligence company, and the reason should give every UK business owner pause for thought.

Harry Potter publisher lands £14m in Anthropic AI payout

British businesses, universities and researchers can now bid for a share of more than £62 million in government funding to develop homegrown satellite communications and space technologies, in a push ministers say is needed to stop the UK becoming dangerously dependent on others for capabilities it cannot do without.

Ministers hand UK space firms £62m to cut reliance on foreign tech

Business

The history of football clubs employing a fierce rivalry makes for a fascinating history as to why these clubs made major decisions inside the boardrooms, such as which players to buy, retain, or sell.

How to Start a Sports Prop Firm in 2026

Sports prop trading allows traders to place positions on sporting events through a funded account after completing an evaluation. Traders follow a set of rules covering areas such as profit targets, drawdown limits, and eligible markets before they can access firm capital.

Business Champion Awards

Business Champion Awards | Finalists at Awards Awards 2023 | Cherry Martin

Business Champion Awards is a finalist in the Awards Awards 2023

Two years of rewarding SMEs across the country and The Business Champion Awards are finalists themselves

The Capital Business Media Group

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