6:52 am, February 20, 2026
Retailers looking to cut staff hours due to high employment costs, bosses warn
Soaring employment costs mean retailers are looking to reduce staff hours or even cut jobs, industry bosses have warned.
New research from the British Retail Consortium showed that 61% of retail CFOs (chief financial officers) and finance directors plan to ‘reduce number of hours and overtime’ for staff.
Many bosses said they are also looking at cutting head office or shop-floor jobs in order to deal with rising costs. Retail employment costs rose by £5bn last year following increases to employer National Insurance Contributions and the National Living Wage in April.
Ofcom reveals which UK broadband providers attracted the most complaints
EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone were Britain’s most complained about broadband providers, according to latest Ofcom figures.
The watchdog said its latest data, covering the quarter from July to September last year, showed the total number of complaints from consumers was flat against the previous period.
But it said broadband complaints were particularly focused towards EE – which saw similar complaint numbers to the prior quarter – and TalkTalk and Vodafone, which saw an increase. BT-owned Plusnet was the broadband provider which received the fewest complaints.
Skoda celebrates 10 years of Kodiaq with Edition X
Skoda is commemorating a decade of its Kodiaq SUV with a limited-run Edition X model.
The new Edition X brings a high level of standard equipment to showcase just what the Kodiaq can do, with features such as 19-inch anthracite alloy wheels and a full exterior styling pack with black D-pillar accents, a dark chrome front grille and chrome roof rails included.
The Edition X is only available with a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine, bringing 148bhp through a seven-speed automatic gearbox, and comes with seven seats. It’ll go on sale on April 16, with prices starting at £40,590.
The markets
Stock prices in London closed lower on Thursday as the FTSE 100 broke its winning streak amid a sharp fall for British Gas owner Centrica, though oil majors climbed as Brent surged on uncertainty in Iran.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 59.14 points, or 0.6%, at 10,627.04, the FTSE 250 ended down 112.95 points, or 0.5%, at 23,573.49, and the AIM all-share closed down 0.60 points, or 0.1%, at 811.14.
The pound slumped to 1.3455 dollars on Thursday afternoon from 1.3548 at the equities close on Wednesday.
Police continue searches after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released from custody
Detectives will continue their searches of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home in Berkshire following his release from custody after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He was held on Thursday morning following allegations made against him after the release of files related to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. He remained in custody for around 11 hours before he was released under investigation by Thames Valley Police.
Thames Valley Police said searches at a property in Norfolk – Andrew’s home on the Sandringham Estate – have now concluded.
Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if Iran does not make deal
Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the US and Iran signalling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme fizzle out.
US president Donald Trump said he believes 10 to 15 days is ‘enough time’ for Iran to reach a deal.
But the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider US and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile programme and sever ties to armed groups.
Thursday on Car Dealer
FCA agrees to climbdown over car finance redress scheme with carmakers set for exemption
The FCA has agreed to a major climbdown regarding its car finance redress scheme, with carmakers set to be made exempt.
Polestar boss hails ‘renaissance of the dealers’ as brand unveils biggest product push yet
Polestar boss Michael Lohscheller has praised the ‘renaissance of the dealers’ as the Swedish brand prepares to launch its biggest product offensive to date.
Auction stations: Car Dealer Podcast heads stateside as we visit world’s biggest car auction
The Car Dealer Podcast has continued its US road trip with a visit to the world’s largest car auction in Manheim, Pennsylvania.
Mitsubishi in ‘advanced negotiations’ with retailers as brand targets 60 dealer partners
Mitsubishi is in ‘advanced negotiations’ with potential dealer partners as the Japanese brand prepares to return to the UK.
Dealer group Snows invests in Chichester Toyota as site gets extensive refurbishment
Dealer group Snows is welcoming customers to stylish new surroundings following an extensive refurbishment of one of its West Sussex Toyota sites.
Weather
Rain will move east this morning, heavy at times, reports BBC Weather. The afternoon brings variable cloud, bright spells and scattered showers, with most areas clearing by evening.
Tonight stays mostly cloudy, with widespread showers in the north and rain in the west, as a band of rain gradually spreads north and west.
