6:38 am, January 13, 2026
Retailers suffer ‘drab’ Christmas as shoppers shun gifting for sales – figures
Retailers suffered a ‘drab’ Christmas as shoppers shunned gifting to hold out for the Boxing Day and January sales, figures suggest.
Total UK retail sales were up 1.2% year-on-year in December – well below last December’s growth of 3.2% and the 12-month average of 2.3%, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.
Non-food sales fell by 0.3% on last December, against growth of 4.4% last Christmas and below the 12-month average growth of 1.1%. Food sales were up 3.1%, but even this was on the back of ongoing inflation and below the 12-month average growth of 3.7%.
AI tools becoming ‘valuable companion for shoppers’
Around three in 10 (29%) people plan to use or will consider using AI assistants and tools when they shop this year, a survey suggested.
This rises to nearly four in 10 (37%) younger shoppers aged 18 to 34-years-old, according to research for American Express.
The ‘spending spotlight’ survey also found that the impact of AI (artificial intelligence) extended beyond purchases. A fifth (20%) of people said AI was helpful when looking for inspiration for new experiences, such as activities and events or travel ideas.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 will be priced at £47,995
Volkswagen has announced that the Golf GTI Edition 50 will be priced at £47,995 when it arrives in the UK.
This latest car packs a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 321bhp and 420Nm of torque, and the car sits 15mm lower than the standard GTI. Other upgrades include red pedals and seatbelts, ‘GTI 50’ badging on the roof spoiler, door mirrors, steering wheel and door sills, while 19-inch red-glazed alloy wheels complete the new look.
Customers will be able to order their car with an optional ‘Performance Package’, which adds semi-slick tyres, forged Warmenau 19-inch black alloy wheels, lowered suspension and a twin Akrapovic exhaust system. However, Volkswagen has not revealed how much this pack will cost at this stage.
The markets
The FTSE 100 on Monday pushed close to recent record levels, while gold rocketed to a new high, as investors weighed renewed concerns about the US Federal Reserve’s independence.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 16.10 points, 0.2%, at 10,140.70. The FTSE 250 index ended up marginally at 23,036.86, and the AIM All-Share was up 6.44 points, 0.8%, at 796.86.
The pound was quoted at 1.3468 US dollars at the time of the London equities close on Monday, up from 1.3407 US dollars on Friday. The euro was higher at 1.1677 US dollars from 1.1631 US dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at 158.12 yen, up slightly from 158.06 yen.
Starmer warns X that if it cannot control Grok, ‘we will’
Sir Keir Starmer has warned Elon Musk’s X that if it cannot control Grok ‘we will’ and said the social media site could lose the ‘right to self regulate’.
It comes as media watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether the social media platform has breached UK law over reports that its chatbot Grok was used to create and share sexualised images of children.
The technology secretary meanwhile told MPs that creating non-consensual intimate images will become a criminal offence this week and described sexualised images created by AI as ‘weapons of abuse’.
BBC to file motion to dismiss Trump lawsuit over Panorama edit – court documents
The BBC will take legal steps to have Donald Trump’s 10 billion dollar defamation lawsuit over a Panorama programme edit dismissed, court documents have shown.
Panorama faced criticism late last year over an episode broadcast in 2024, for giving the impression the US president had encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol building in 2021.
Trump is seeking up to 10 billion dollars (£7.5bn) in damages in response to the editing of the speech, with his lawyers claiming it was ‘false and defamatory’. The BBC will file a motion to dismiss, claiming the Florida court lacks ‘personal jurisdiction’ over them, the court venue is ‘improper’ and that Trump has ‘failed to state a claim’, documents filed late on Monday evening UK time revealed.
Monday on Car Dealer
Luxury car dealer jailed after scamming customers in £1.5m ‘campaign of dishonesty’
A luxury car dealer has been jailed for conning customers out of a staggering £1.5m in a ‘sustained and calculated’ campaign of fraud.
Podcast: ‘I have a very profound sense of right and wrong’: Tim Atkinson on why he’s fighting Auto Trader
Car dealer Tim Atkinson says his fight against Auto Trader is being fuelled by a ‘very profound sense of right and wrong’.
Major blaze rips through used car dealership as flames are seen billowing from roof
A used car dealership that fell victim to a huge fire over the weekend is open for business as normal today.
Motors and Cazoo COO Phill Jones announces departure after securing CEO post elsewhere
Motors and Cazoo chief operating officer, Phill Jones, is to depart the firm later in the year after accepting a CEO role elsewhere.
Weather
Most of the UK sees outbreaks of showery rain today, turning to snow over higher ground in Scotland, reports BBC Weather. Northern Ireland starts damp and overcast but brightens later.
Tonight, cloud and patchy rain linger in south-east England, while skies clear elsewhere. Patchy cloud and hill snow persist in the north-west and Scottish Highlands.
