6:40 am, November 10, 2026
Retailers suffer subdued October as shoppers hold back ahead of Black Friday
Retailers suffered a subdued October as shoppers delayed spending ahead of Black Friday and Christmas, figures show.
Total UK retail sales increased by 1.5% year on year, although this was above the three-month average growth of 1.2%, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.
Halloween falling on a Saturday also helped drive spending on snacks, costumes and decorations.
EasyJet axing head office roles ahead of £5.7bn takeover
Airline easyJet has confirmed plans to cut head office jobs ahead of its £5.7bn private equity takeover.
The Luton-based carrier is understood to be consulting on proposals that could see up to about 50 head office roles axed out of a 2,300-strong team.
It comes after easyJet agreed in July to a takeover for 715p a share by US firm Apollo, which also owns firms such as Wagamama-owner, The Restaurant Group. Shareholders are voting on the deal on Wednesday and, if approved, it is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2027.
Yangwang’s Altior aims to crack the luxury car market
BYD’s Yangwang brand is making a move into the ultra-high-end car market with its new Altior.
At 5.6 metres long and just over two metres wide, the Altior is just a little shorter than a Rolls-Royce Phantom. It also has rear coach doors and umbrellas in the doors, just like the British car.
Underneath, the Altior uses four independently controlled motors and while Yangwang hasn’t stated outputs or performance times, it has confirmed a claimed range of up to 621 miles from a single charge. BYD’s Flash charging has also been included, which could potentially see the Altior go from 10 to 70% charge in just five minutes at one of the firm’s ultra-rapid chargers.
The markets
Stocks in London closed higher on Monday as the oil price fell and US tech stocks rallied, although Nvidia fell as a scandal enveloped its chief executive Jensen Huang.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 108.93 points, 1.0%, at 10,782.87. The FTSE 250 ended 202.02 points higher, 0.8%, at 24,706.34, and the AIM all-share added 7.66 points, 1.0%, at 761.39.
The pound was quoted at 1.3415 dollars late Monday afternoon, up from 1.3362 dollars at the same time on Friday. Against the euro, sterling ebbed to 1.1974 euro from 1.1989 euro.
Brand accused of further violence as he begins 10-and-a-half year jail sentence
Russell Brand has been accused of further violence towards women as he prepared to spend the first night of his 10-and-a-half year sentence for rape and sexual assault behind bars.
The shamed comedian showed no emotion as he was handed a custodial sentence on Monday afternoon, but told his wife, Laura Gallacher, ‘we’ll be okay’ before he was taken downstairs by dock officers at Southwark Crown Court.
Hours after his sentencing, Jemima Goldsmith – who reportedly dated Brand for around a year in 2014 – shared a post on X in which she claimed she had to call the police on the TV personality to get him removed during a ‘violent incident’.
Britain’s best and worst motorway services ranked by thousands of motorists
A new service station on the M1 in south Yorkshire has been rated Britain’s best motorway service with a near 100% score.
Welcome Break Rotherham received a 99% satisfaction rate, with more than eight in 10 visitors saying they would recommend the services, according to the poll of 37,000 motorists by Transport Focus. Some 123 motorway service stations were included.
Watford Gap Northbound ranked last place for overall satisfaction.
Monday on Car Dealer
Tom Hartley Cars sees profits rocket 84% to almost £4m as turnover approaches £50m
Luxury car dealer Tom Hartley Cars has seen its profits rocket by almost 84% after bouncing back from a difficult year of trading.
Used electric car sales surge 23% as UK second-hand market records strongest Q3 since 2021
Used electric car sales jumped by almost a quarter in the third quarter of 2026 as the UK’s second-hand market recorded its strongest Q3 performance in five years.
Used electric car prices rise for sixth month running as demand outstrips supply
Used electric car prices have risen for the sixth consecutive month as growing demand continues to outstrip supply, according to new figures from Autotrader.
Jaguar Land Rover raids BYD offices as battle over ‘copycat’ Defender escalates
Jaguar Land Rover has raided two offices belonging to BYD as part of a row between the two carmakers over an alleged ‘copycat’ version of the Defender.
DVLA could be axed as Andy Burnham considers merging agency with the DVSA – reports
The DVLA could be scrapped within the next decade as part of drastic new plans being considered by the government.
Police launch probe after ‘wilful’ fire at Scottish used car dealership
Police in Scotland have launched an investigation after four vehicles were damaged in a suspected arson attack on a used car dealership.
Warrington used car dealer appears at court accused of misleading customers
A Warrington used car dealer has appeared in court accused of misleading customers.
Research shows expensive car sales leads need to be worked for longer
Research into sales leads – generated by expensive ad platforms for car dealers – has revealed how quickly a customer typically responds.
Weather
Today will be cloudy and breezy across Wales and southern England, with rain spreading in, reports BBC Weather. Northern areas will be brighter and drier, although northern Scotland may see some rain.
Tonight, rain will continue across central and southern areas, while Scotland and Northern Ireland see clearer skies, fog and local frost.