No longer ‘unloved’: retailers investing more in physical stores, UK data shows

UK retailers are investing more in bricks and mortar, with shopping centres and food stores leading a revival, according to research.Retailers and property investors are reallocating capital back into physical stores, according to the property group Knight Frank.The switch represents a fillip for high streets and shopping centres after a difficult decade, which culminated in the shutdown of most stores during pandemic lockdowns and an accompanying surge in online shopping.The growth in online retail has fallen back and flatlined at between 26% and 28% of overall retail sales since a peak of 35% in mid-2020.Retail has outperformed all other types of commercial property this year, with 9

Shoppers shun UK high streets despite lure of Boxing Day sales

Fewer shoppers have headed to UK high streets in search of Boxing Day bargains, with central London suffering a significant decline in visitors as many decided to shun the traditional start of the sales.Footfall at the country’s high streets and shopping centres fell on Friday morning, running slightly behind last year, according to figures from the monitoring company MRI Software. Across all UK retail destinations footfall slipped by 0.3%.Following on from a decline in Boxing Day activity in 2024, there were 2

Apple seeks to appeal against £1.5bn ruling it overcharged UK customers

Apple is seeking to overturn a landmark £1.5bn court ruling on behalf of millions of UK customers, which found the company overcharged them for years in its App Store.The iPhone maker has applied to the court of appeal to challenge a verdict that campaigners heralded as the start of a “tidal shift against big tech”.It is one of a cluster of cases heading towards trial in 2026 as consumers realise the mounting cost of paying up to 30% commission – what campaigners call the “Apple tax” – on apps and in-app purchases, which more people rely on for activities from fitness to dating.The appeal, if allowed, involves one of several class action suits against Apple and Google in which consumers, small businesses and entrepreneurs are demanding over £6bn in combined compensation

‘Undermines free speech’: Labour MP hits back at US government over visa ban on UK campaigners

A senior Labour MP has accused the Trump administration of undermining free speech after Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, announced sanctions against two British anti-disinformation campaigners.Chi Onwurah, the chair of parliament’s technology select committee, criticised the US government hours after it announced “visa-related” sanctions against five Europeans, including Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford.Ahmed leads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), while Melford is chief executive of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), both of which have clashed directly with Elon Musk, the owner of X and a former adviser to the US president.Onwurah said on Wednesday: “Banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek.“We desperately need a wide ranging debate on whether and how social media should be regulated in the interests of the people

England beat Australia by four wickets in chaotic Boxing Day Test – as it happened

That’s all you need from me for now. Stay tuned for all the analysis and reaction from Ali, Geoff, Barney, and the rest of the crew.I’ll hand you over to the first cut of the match report, filed as England fans celebrated in the Melbourne evening sunlight. See you in Sydney.Australia have questions of their own to answer, chiefly the status of Cameron Green

England hold nerve to break Ashes drought in Australia with Boxing Day Test victory

Stop press. Hold the back page. Drag out the dusty bunting and book three more nights in Noosa. England’s men have won a Test in Australia for the first time in nearly 15 years, chasing down 175 runs in Melbourne to win by four wickets and ensure this Ashes series defeat will not end as an Ashes whitewash.Granted it was not a live victory, England simply dragging the scoreline back to 3-1 and doing so courtesy of a two-day heist on a pitch that made batting a lottery