6:44 am, August 12, 2025
Retail sales boost of 2.5% ‘barely touching the sides’ of costs, sector warns
July retail sales were up 2.5% on a year ago but growth is ‘barely touching the sides’ of covering the last budget’s £7bn in new costs on the sector, bosses have warned.
The uptick in the UK’s total retail sales was against growth of 0.5% last July and the 12-month average growth of 1.9%, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG data.
Food sales increased by 3.9% on last July due to warm weather and a packed sporting schedule, although food inflation rose to 4%. Non-food sales increased by 1.4% against a decline of 1.8% last July.
British toy shop chain The Entertainer hands ownership to its 1,900 staff
One of the UK’s biggest toy chains is set to become employee-owned after the founders said they were handing over control to the group’s 1,900 staff.
The Entertainer, whose parent firm also owns Early Learning Centre toys, will share profits among workers under the new structure.
Gary Grant opened the first shop in Buckinghamshire with his wife Catherine 44 years ago. The group now runs some 160 shops and 1,000 concessions across the UK in retailers like Tesco and Marks & Spencer.
New DS No4 arrives in UK priced from £32,200
DS has announced pricing and specifications for its latest No4 model.
Arriving hot on the heels of the larger No8, the No4 will be available with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.
Prices start at £32,200 for the regular hybrid model, rising to £39,000 for the plug-in hybrid and £39,995 for the full EV.
The markets
The FTSE 100 outperformed European peers on Monday as investors weighed geopolitical developments ahead of a busy week of economic data.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 33.98 points, 0.4%, at 9,129.71. The FTSE 250 ended 69.06 points lower, 0.3%, at 21,889.49, while the AIM All-Share finished down 4.25 points, 0.6%, at 758.21.
The pound eased to 1.3402 dollars late on Monday afternoon in London, compared to 1.3450 dollars at the equities close on Friday.
Starmer set to speak to Trump alongside European leaders ahead of Putin meeting
Sir Keir Starmer is set to join a call with European leaders and Donald Trump on Wednesday, ahead of the US president’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
The prime minister warned on Monday that peace ‘must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it’, amid concerns of Kyiv’s exclusion from talks between Trump and his Russian counterpart.
The two leaders are set to meet this Friday to discuss the future of the Kremlin’s invasion, without the presence of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump has confirmed.
Parts of UK forecast to hit 34C during fourth summer heatwave
Parts of the UK are forecast to reach highs of 34C during the fourth heatwave of the summer.
Southern areas including Berkshire, Oxfordshire and outskirts of London such as Heathrow may reach 34C on Tuesday.
Wednesday could bring 33C to 34C heat to eastern England including Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and East Anglia, and Thursday may see 29C to 30C in London and East Anglia. Monday’s highest temperature was 31.9C at Heathrow.
Monday on Car Dealer
The huge warranty claims blighting EVs as most unreliable electric cars revealed
Some of the most expensive electric car warranty claims have been revealed – with some cars facing whopping bills of more than £6,000 to fix.
Beware of fraudsters offering motor finance compensation, FCA warns
Customers are being warned about fraudsters posing as car finance lenders with bogus offers of compensation.
Ford of Britain-owned dealer group TrustFord sees profits return to black in solid 2024
Ford’s UK dealer group turned around its fortunes last year, posting steady rises in revenue and pre-tax profit.
Popular used car dealership behind YouTube channel Shifting Metal to CLOSE
Popular used car dealer and YouTube star Joe Betty has announced he is shutting down his car dealership.
Jaguar Land Rover sees profits fall by nearly 50% after US trade tariffs take effect
The British brand reported a 49.4% plunge in underlying pre-tax profits to £351m in its first quarter to the end of June.
Weather
Much of the UK will be hot and sunny today, with some variable cloud and isolated light showers in northern England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, reports BBC Weather.
Tonight, most areas stay clear, but low cloud, mist, and fog will form near the Irish Sea, southwest Wales, and England. Showers in northern Scotland.
