6:29 am, March 11, 2025
Valentine’s Day bright spot in otherwise gloomy February for retailers
Impulsive spending for Valentine’s Day brought relief for retailers amid otherwise cautious consumer behaviour in February, figures show.
Total UK retail sales increased by 1.1% year-on-year in February, against growth of 1.1% last February but above the 12-month average growth of 0.8%, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
Food sales were up 2.3% on a year ago, but this was against growth of 5.6% last February and below the 12-month average growth of 2.8%. Non-food sales were flat, against a decline of 2.7% a year ago and a 12-month average decline of 0.9%.
UK ‘would take cool-headed approach’ if Trump put tariffs on British steel
The UK will take a ‘cool-headed approach’ if Donald Trump pushes ahead with tariffs on imports of British steel, Downing Street has said after talks between Sir Keir Starmer and the US president.
Trump plans to put a 25% import tax on British steel from Wednesday as part of a series of measures to protect US firms.
The issue is understood to have been discussed in a call between the prime minister and Trump on Monday. Steelmakers have warned the tariffs will have ‘huge ramifications’ for the industry in the UK.
‘Easily avoidable’ MOT failures increase by 133,000 in four years – study
It has been revealed that ‘easily avoidable’ MOT failures have risen by 133,000 in four years.
New data from Go Compare found that in the last financial year, a total of 2.59 million vehicle MOT failures could have been resolved beforehand, compared to 2.4 million between 2019 and 2020.
The insurance company says that 1.4 million failures were due to headlamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. A further 710,000 vehicles had problems with their tyres and 461,000 failures were from poor visibility with windscreens and wipers.
The markets
A sell-off across US markets has continued as investor sentiment soured amid growing fears that the world’s largest economy is facing a recession.
The mood spilled over into London’s FTSE 100 on Monday which dropped 79.66 points, or 0.92%, to close at 8,600.22. In Frankfurt, Germany’s Dax index suffered another sharp decline on Monday, closing 1.69% lower. In Paris, the Cac 40 fell 0.9%. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 had plunged 2.3% by the time European markets closed, and Dow Jones was down 1.2%.
The pound was weakening against key currencies, falling about 0.3% against the US dollar, at 1.289, and down about 0.2% against the euro, at 1.19.
Labour promises ‘seismic reforms’ as it introduces major planning Bill
The government has promised to ‘unleash seismic reforms’ to the planning system as it publishes major new legislation on Tuesday.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is expected to include wide-ranging reforms, including streamlining the planning process, changing the way developers meet environmental obligations, and giving communities near new electricity pylons money off their energy bills.
Along with recent changes to national planning policy, Labour hopes the legislation will help deliver on its promise to build 1.5 million homes and make decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects by the next election.
Search called off for missing crew member after North Sea oil tanker crash
The search for a missing crew member from a cargo ship that crashed into an oil tanker in the North Sea has been called off, the coastguard said.
In a statement, HM Coastguard said efforts to find the person from the Solong container ship had ended after ‘an extensive search’, following the ship’s collision with the Stena Immaculate tanker on Monday morning.
The coastguard confirmed that both boats remain on fire, with experts and environmental groups raising concerns about the incident’s impact on wildlife. It is unclear how much fuel may have been released as a result of the incident, but that Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks when it was struck.
Monday on Car Dealer
Car Dealer Live: The full line up, the sessions, the research on stage this Thursday
Car Dealer Live is just days away with attendees set to be inspired by a series of thought-provoking sessions. Taking place on Thursday (March 13) at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, attendees will enjoy a day full of exclusive research and fascinating interviews. Tickets to Car Dealer – sponsored by Auto Trader – are available for car dealers and suppliers on the event website.
New head of sales at Fiat as Italian brand shakes-up UK leadership team
Fiat UK has appointed Victoria Hatfield as marketing lead and Neil Heilbron as head of sales to drive dealer network growth. Heilbron will expand Fiat’s 90-site network, while Hatfield transitions from Vauxhall. Both report to UK CEO Giuseppe Cava.
Used car dealership fined after ignoring enforcement notice in order to keep trading illegally
DSG Car Sales Ltd in Southampton illegally traded despite a council enforcement notice. After breaching planning conditions, permission was revoked. The firm ignored orders to stop, leading to a court case and an £8,177 penalty after pleading guilty.
Weather
Today, early cloud in the south clears to sunny spells before variable cloud returns, reports BBC Weather. Scattered showers in the north and east, wintry on hills. Highs of 10 degrees.
Tonight, variable cloud persists with scattered showers, bringing sleet or snow, mainly on higher ground but possibly reaching lower levels by dawn.
