Stories

Nationwide Building Society has launched comprehensive accessibility guides across all 605 branches, created with AccessAble and available via its branch finder, covering step-free entry, hearing loops, lowered counters and BSL interpreters, as research shows 82% of disabled people cite missing accessibility information as the primary barrier to evaluating venues, and disabled households represent £446 billion in annual spending power.

Hamleys, the iconic 1760-founded toy store, will open two new pop-up stores in London — one at Liverpool Street Station (500+ sq ft, opening early May 2026) and another at Heathrow Terminal 2 (1000 sq ft, opening mid-June 2026).

Iguanas Holdings Limited, operating 44 Las Iguanas UK restaurants and owned by The Big Table Group, told the High Court it will run out of money without court-approved restructuring to wipe out ~£37m in debts, secure a £3m cash injection from Big Table, impose rent reductions on landlords, and face a creditor vote on May 28 followed by a sanction hearing on June 5.

CNN founder Ted Turner, who launched the first 24-hour dedicated rolling news channel in 1980, has died at age 87, with CNN CEO Mark Thompson calling him the 'presiding spirit' of the network.

A OnePoll.com survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by AXA UK found that lack of funding (60%), lack of experience, and fear of failure are the top barriers stopping aspiring entrepreneurs, while tax and accounting issues (28%) are the biggest operational challenge; AXA UK is running its Startup Angel competition offering £25,000 plus mentoring and will host a kitchen table event at Broadgate Circle, London on Thursday 7th May 2026 with mentors Raphael Sofoluke and Izzy Obeng.

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, operator of the four-star Houstoun House Hotel in West Lothian, will offer guests booking two or more nights up to £25 towards fuel costs and an additional £25 food-and-drink voucher, as UK petrol prices have risen by approximately £14 and diesel by over £26 per fill-up since the start of 2026.

Russian oil company Rosneft filed a lawsuit on March 30, 2026 at the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (Case No. OVG 1 A 1/26) against the German government's February 27, 2026 order placing its German subsidiaries (RDG and RNRM) under permanent trusteeship under the Foreign Trade and Payments Act, rather than the Energy Security Act.

Trainline reported operating profits up 43% to £122m and revenue up 2% to £453m for 2025-26, but expects flat or declining sales of £440-455m in 2026-27 due to Middle East geopolitical tensions reducing inbound air traffic into Europe, UK rail fare freezes, and the planned Great British Railways ticketing website.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said on Wednesday the airline is preparing refueling stopovers due to potential jet fuel shortages caused by halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which provides about half of the EU's jet fuel imports, as Goldman Sachs research warns European commercial stocks could fall below 23 days of supply by late May or early June.

Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Iceland have urged the Competition and Markets Authority to reclassify Aldi and Lidl as 'large grocery retailers' under the Controlled Land Order, arguing their combined market share has grown from less than 3% to about 20%, with the CMA expected to make a preliminary decision in July 2026.

Ecojet Airlines, a Scottish start-up founded by Dale Vince in 2023, has entered liquidation after failing to raise £20 million in funding, with joint liquidators Paul Dounis and Mark Harper appointed by the Edinburgh Sheriff Court and all planned routes — including its intended Edinburgh-Southampton launch in early 2024 — grounded.

Lidl launches new Lidl Plus Points loyalty system where customers earn 1 point per £1 spent (worth 1p per point), requiring £70 spending for a free bakery item and £300 for £3 off, replacing the previous system which offered a free bakery item at £10 spending and 10% off after £250, prompting backlash from shoppers like Kevin Patrick who called it a 'slap in the face' and Diane Chatterton-Gray who plans to move her shopping to Sainsbury's and M&S.

Lanarkshire accountancy firm Accountants Plus, founded in 2001 by Bryan Wood, opened an 18,000 sq ft three-storey HQ on Airbles Road in Motherwell, with annual fee income growing from £750k in 2019 to £3m in 2026, projecting £4m in 2027, employing 35+ staff and serving 1,000+ clients across Scotland.

BBC finance expert Laura Pomfret urged Universal Credit, PIP and Carer's Allowance claimants to check their accounts for the 3.8% increase that took effect from April 6, 2026, with new rates including Universal Credit standard allowance of £424.90/month for single claimants aged 25+, PIP enhanced daily living at £114.60/week, and Carer's Allowance at £86.45/week, alongside the removal of the two-child benefit cap for new and existing parents worth over £3,400 per child per year.

Land Rover drivers face nearly £60 in fuel duty and VAT on a single 70-litre diesel fill-up after UK diesel prices surged 36.5% from 140.72p to 192.14p per litre between February 9 and April 13, 2026, driven by US and Israeli strikes on Iran that commenced in late February, according to Land Rover Monthly analysis of PetrolPrices.co.uk data.

Pret A Manger opened its first UK drive-thru in Warrington, Cheshire, off junction 21 of the M6 on Tuesday, in partnership with Motor Fuel Group, featuring seating for 48, EV charging points and the full Pret breakfast and lunch menu.

Spanish banking giant Banco Santander is reportedly planning to phase out the TSB brand after its £2.65billion acquisition of the lender, which was completed last week with regulatory approval from the Prudential Regulation Authority and European Central Bank, giving Santander an additional five million customers and £45billion in assets, and the bank aims to strip out at least £400million in costs — equivalent to more than half of TSB's current cost base — with potential additional savings of £100million after 2028.

McDonald's permanently added the Spicy McCrispy, Cheese and Bacon McCrispy burgers, and Spicy Mayo dip to all 1,560+ UK and Ireland restaurants on April 28, 2026, expanding its McCrispy range to three core options available year-round.

Franco Manca will close 16 branches (nine in London) and The Real Greek will shut nine restaurants, resulting in 376 combined job losses, after Fulham Shore sold 19 of The Real Greek's 28 branches to The Karali Group and secured creditor approval for Franco Manca's CVA restructuring.

The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a review of claims management companies over concerns about aggressive marketing, misleading advertising and unfair exit fees, as CMCs target victims of the car finance scandal (2007-2024) charging up to 33% of payouts, while the FCA has already removed or amended 800 adverts and helped 28,000 consumers exit contracts free of charge.