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Retail spending in the UK slowed in September. Retail sales increased by 2.3% year on year, down from August. Non-food sales grew by just 0.7%, while grocery sales rose by 4.3%, driven by inflation.
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Seventeen climate-aligned clauses are now part of Mexican law. The Chancery Lane Project collaborated with Nader, Hayaux & Goebel and Hogan Lovells to introduce climate-conscious legal clauses in Mexico, advancing sustainable law frameworks across Latin America.
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Airbus partners with Siemens to reduce emissions significantly by 2030. Siemens will provide scalable decarbonisation technologies to help Airbus achieve substantial emissions reductions. Capgemini will support with governance and digital infrastructure for the UK and US decarbonisation programme.
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Ebury expands its UK footprint with a new Birmingham office. The fintech’s move reflects rising demand from Midlands-based exporters and small businesses seeking tailored international payment and risk management solutions.
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Small UK businesses are postponing innovation due to time constraints. Google’s new research reveals 59% of SMEs have shelved major ideas, despite AI’s potential to add £198 billion in productivity. Partnering with the UK government, Google aims to help small enterprises turn technology into tangible growth and competitiveness.
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UK finance chiefs fear the nation lags behind competitors. Rising costs are squeezing profit margins, eroding confidence in Labour’s growth strategy. Deloitte’s survey reveals 84% of CFOs foresee increased operating costs, impacting expansion plans and reducing business optimism.
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Co-op warns of potential shop closures without business rates reform. The Co-op has cautioned that 60,000 small shops and 150,000 jobs could be lost without reform to business rates in the upcoming Autumn Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is urged to announce maximum relief to protect high streets.
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Rachel Reeves urges business leaders to promote economic optimism. Pressure mounts on businesses to support a positive economic narrative amid concerns about Reform UK’s rising voter share and potential impact on government stability.
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This week’s UK M&A activity spanned engineering, wealth, insurance, and technology. From WSP’s £363 million purchase of Ricardo to Lloyds’s move for Schroders Personal Wealth, dealmaking reflected global appetite for regulated and technical sectors, where scale, integration, and specialist expertise continue to shape the direction of corporate consolidation.
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The UK government announces £50 million for mental health research. The funding aims to accelerate the development of treatments by involving those with lived experience in the innovation process, ultimately enhancing mental health outcomes across the NHS.