6:35 am, September 5, 2025
Currys enjoys rising sales as shoppers turn to air conditioning over hot summer
Currys has enjoyed higher sales over recent months as shoppers embraced AI computing and stocked up on air conditioning for the hot summer.
Shares soared by about a fifth after the company updated investors on its recent performance and launched a new share buyback programme.
The electricals retailer, which has more than 700 shops, said revenues rose by 3% in the UK and Ireland over the 17 weeks to August 30, compared with the same period a year ago.
Amazon reveals UK revenues jump as it pays £1bn tax bill
Amazon has said its tax bill rose to £1bn last year after revenues lifted to more than £29bn.
The online marketplace, which is one of the country’s biggest employers, said its taxes increased from £932m in 2023.
The direct taxes the company must pay includes corporation tax, business rates, and digital services tax. These came to about £1bn in the UK for 2024, according to a blog post by the business.
Porsche’s inductive charging aims for plug-free EV top-ups
Porsche is set to become the first car manufacturer to bring wireless electric vehicle charging to market with its upcoming Cayenne model.
The 11kW system with a one-box base plate will allow vehicles to simply drive over a parking space with a specially-mounted floor plate, after which the car will automatically start charging without the need for any cables to be connected.
With that output of 11kW, it means that the wireless charging system could fully charge an average EV in around five hours.
The markets
The FTSE 100 forged ahead on Thursday as the bond market calmed further and investors looked ahead to Friday’s US non-farm payrolls figures as hopes build for a rate cut.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 38.88 points, or 0.4%, at 9,216.87. The FTSE 250 ended 161.61 points higher, or 0.8%, at 21,474.68 but the AIM All-Share finished down 6.47 points, or 0.8%, at 762.00.
The pound eased to 1.3432 dollars late on Thursday afternoon in London, compared to 1.3448 at the equities close on Wednesday.
Rayner’s job in jeopardy as ministerial rules breach verdict looms
Angela Rayner’s political future appeared increasingly uncertain ahead of the expected Friday verdict on whether she broke ministerial standards rules over her tax affairs.
It comes as lawyers she blamed for her stamp duty underpayment denied having given her tax advice.
Sir Keir Starmer repeatedly declined to say whether he would sack his deputy, who is also the Housing Secretary, if his independent ethics watchdog rules against her.
Nadine Dorries defects to Reform UK on eve of party conference
Former high-profile Conservative Nadine Dorries has defected to Reform UK on the eve of its party conference.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the ex-culture secretary said ‘the Tory Party is dead’ and called for its members to ‘look to the future’.
Dorries, 68, is the highest profile Tory to join Reform after defections from former party chairman Sir Jake Berry, former Wales secretary David Jones and Dame Andrea Jenkyns.
Thursday on Car Dealer
Notorious hackers claim responsibility for cyber attack which has ground JLR to a halt
A group of hackers who previously targeted Marks and Spencer have claimed responsibility for the cyber attack which has ground JLR to a halt.
Vertu on track to meet profit expectations as car dealer welcomes Electric Car Grant
Dealer group Vertu says it expects its full-year profits to be in line with market expectations as the firm welcomed the government’s attempts to boost EV sales.
New car registrations slump by 2% in August as sales slow down for summer
New car registrations slumped by 2% in August, as dealers battled the traditional summer slowdown.
Car dealer Hendy appoints new CFO following shock departure of Jonathan Moritz
Hendy Group has confirmed the appointment of Martin Reay as its new chief financial officer, following the exit of the long-serving Jonathan Moritz.
Family-run Holdcroft hails one of its ‘best annual achievements’ despite falling profits
Bosses at family-run car dealer Holdcroft say they are ‘proud’ of the group’s performance, despite a dip in profits for the second year running.
Former Lloyds Banking Group man joins UK Carline as new head of sales and fleet operations
Car leasing company UK Carline has appointed a new head of sales and fleet operations as the firm looks to ‘accelerate its market leadership’.
Auto Trader changing email lead notifications to ‘protect customer data’
Auto Trader has told dealers that it will be removing customer contact details from email notifications.
Weather
A dry, sunny start for the east and south, with patchy cloud and isolated showers elsewhere, reports BBC Weather. Cloud becomes more widespread this afternoon with scattered showers.
Tonight brings clearer skies to much of the east and south, while the north-west stays cloudier, breezier, and sees occasional light rain.
