6:24 am, January 9, 2026
Retailers suffer disappointing December amid cost-of-living woes
Retailers suffered a disappointing December as rising bills and food costs kept shoppers at home, figures show.
Total UK footfall was down 2.9% over the month year on year, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic.
Visits to the high street were down by 0.9%, but retail park footfall fell 2.5% and shopping centres suffered particularly badly with 5.1% fewer Christmas customers on the year before. The BRC said many customers held off for post-Christmas sales, with the week after Christmas the only one to see a significant uplift.
Ministers face calls to expand business rate relief beyond pubs as U-turn looms
High street businesses have called on the government to expand business rate relief plans beyond pubs following reports of an impending U-turn.
The Treasury is understood to be preparing a support package for the pub industry, due to be announced in the coming days, following an outcry over the impact of a major hike in rates.
But ministers now face pressure to expand that support to other businesses, with trade bodies saying ‘piecemeal responses’ will not ‘save our high streets’.
Volvo EX60 to provide class-leading 503-mile range
Volvo has revealed the EX60 electric SUV will provide a class-leading claimed range of 503 miles on a single charge.
The Volvo’s class-leading range is achieved thanks to a new 800-volt electrical architecture, while the cell-to-body technology allows the battery to be directly integrated into the structure of the car, which helps reduce weight and boost efficiency.
The 800-volt architecture also enables the EX60 to be compatible with ultra-rapid 400kW charging speeds, which the manufacturer claims can add up to 211 miles of range in just 10 minutes. However, details on the car’s battery size and performance figures have not been revealed at this stage.
The markets
The FTSE 100 struggled for direction on Thursday as gains in defence stocks and banks were offset by disappointing trading updates from Shell, Tesco, and Associated British Foods.
The FTSE 100 index closed down just 3.52 points at 10,044.69. The FTSE 250 index ended up 11.49 points, 0.1%, at 22,892.30, and the AIM All-Share index closed up 3.27 points, 0.4%, at 784.85.
The pound was quoted at 1.3431 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Thursday, down from 1.3472 dollars on Wednesday. The euro was lower at 1.1657 dollars from 1.1685 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at 156.93 yen, up from 156.74 yen.
Starmer ‘reiterates’ Greenland position with Danish PM and speaks again to Trump
Sir Keir Starmer ‘reiterated his position’ on Greenland in a call with Denmark’s leader and spoke again to Donald Trump amid continued threats from Washington to take over the territory.
Sir Keir has said Greenland’s future must be a matter for the people of the territory and Denmark alone, including in a phone call with Trump on Wednesday described by Downing Street sources as ‘positive’ and ‘friendly’. In a second conversation on Thursday, they discussed deterring Russia in the High North, which includes Greenland.
The prime minister said that though European allies had stepped up in recent months to defend Euro-Atlantic interests, ‘more could be done to protect the area’, according to a No 10 readout.
Tens of thousands without power as Storm Goretti wreaks havoc across UK
Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK with tens of thousands of Britons across the country facing widespread power cuts, travel disruption and school closures.
It comes after the wild, wintry weather brought 99mph winds while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for ‘dangerous, stormy’ winds in the South West.
More than 43,000 properties were without power in the South West at 5am on Friday, according to the National Grid’s website, while about 13,000 had no power in the West Midlands and 650 were without power in Wales.
Thursday on Car Dealer
Peter Vardy Group returns to profit as decision to ditch car dealerships starts to pay off
Peter Vardy Group has returned to profit after a drastic period of change for the firm.
Time is running out to book NADA Show 2026 – fly in style with our last-minute deal
With less than a month to go until NADA Show 2026, time is running out to book your trip to Las Vegas.
Motorway launches paid listings for consumers to ‘signal intent’ to sell to dealers
Motorway has launched paid-for listings on its auction platform – charging some consumers to sell their cars to dealers.
Dacia appoints new UK boss as outgoing chief heads to Renault Retail Group
Dacia UK has appointed a new brand director as its outgoing chief heads to Renault Retail Group UK.
Family-run car dealer Thurlow Nunn agrees deal to acquire all sites belong to Spirit Motor Group
Family-run car dealer Thurlow Nunn has wrapped up a deal to buy all sites belonging to rival firm Spirit Motor Group.
Weather
Cloudy and windy today with rain and hill snow in the south, while the north-east sees cloud and wintry showers, reports BBC Weather. Elsewhere stays drier, with brighter spells developing in the south-west later.
Tonight brings cloud and showers, snow in Scotland and on hills, easing winds in the south-east, turning drier inland.
