6:37 am, December 22, 2025
Retail sales dip unexpectedly in November as Black Friday fizzles
Retail sales dipped unexpectedly last month as cautious shoppers prevailed and Black Friday discounts failed to boost spending in the run-up to Christmas, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the total volume of retail sales is estimated to have fallen by 0.1% in November. This follows a 0.9% drop in October, and was a surprise decline as most analysts had been expecting a 0.4% increase for the month.
The ONS also said the effect of Black Friday – with discounts typically stretching well beyond the specific end-of-November date – appeared to be slightly weaker this year than usual.
WH Smith bids to recover overpaid bonuses to bosses as accounting issues probed
WH Smith has said it plans to recover overpaid bonuses from former bosses following an accounting blunder within its US business that is being investigated by the UK’s financial watchdog.
Reporting its delayed annual results, interim boss Andrew Harrison said he was ‘acutely aware that we have much to do to rebuild confidence’ in WH Smith.
The business was found to have overstated profits for its North American business by as much as £50m due to issues with its audit process. Carl Cowling resigned as WH Smith’s chief executive last month after a report by Deloitte confirmed the accounting problems.
Alpine hints at electric A110 sports coupe successor in new film
Alpine has released a film that hints to its future plans, including the new A110 electric sports coupe.
The film was presented by Philipped Krief, CEO of Alpine, who said: ‘In the first six months of 2026 we will share some really exciting news.’
The new car will sit on a platform called the ‘Alpine Performance Platform’ and will have an anticipated electric range of around 350 miles. Meanwhile, an all-wheel drive model is also on the cards for production.
The markets
Stock prices in London closed mostly higher on Friday, in light of lower-than-expected US inflation the day before.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 59.65 points, 0.6%, at 9,897.42. The FTSE 250 ended down 12.88 points, 0.1%, at 22,312.71, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.03 points, 0.1%, at 757.39.
The pound was quoted at 1.3373 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Friday, lower compared with 1.3387 dollars on Thursday. The euro stood at 1.1715 dollars, lower against 1.1730 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading higher at 157.46 yen compared with 155.46 yen
Doctors return to work as hospitals work to recover from strike disruption
Hospitals in England are working to recover from disruption caused by strikes in the run-up to Christmas.
Resident doctors return to work at 7am on Monday after a five-day walkout.
The industrial action came amid surging flu cases, with the number of people in hospital with the virus remaining at a record level for this time of year. Health experts have warned that the impact of the strike will be felt into the new year ‘and beyond’.
Getaway passengers compete with commuters on busy day for Christmas traffic
Drivers on the Christmas getaway will be competing with commuters for road space on Monday, which is set to be one of the busiest days for traffic in the Christmas period.
There will be about 24 million cars on UK roads, the AA predicts – just slightly lower than the peak for the festive season on Friday.
The RAC estimates the number of leisure journeys will drop on Monday and Tuesday compared to the weekend, but festive journeys combined with commuter and business traffic could lead to delays.
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Weather
Cloud and lingering rain affect Scotland and Northern Ireland today but will clear northwards, reports BBC Weather. Elsewhere it stays mostly dry with brighter spells in the south.
Tonight brings increasing cloud for most, though some clear breaks remain, with light rain developing in western and northern areas.
