Stepping away from a successful career in technology to pursue a long-held creative ambition is no small leap, yet that is precisely what Sarah Haran did. Today, she heads the British luxury accessories brand that bears her name, celebrated for workmanship, colour and a modular design concept that gives customers “one bag, endless looks”. From her studio to the atelier in Istanbul where each piece is crafted by hand from Italian leather, Haran has created...
Pub operators and hospitality leaders have warned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ expected tax raid on gaming machines could inflict serious damage on an industry already battling soaring costs, staff shortages and fragile consumer confidence. With speculation mounting that the Chancellor will sharply increase Machine Gaming Duty (MGD) in the November 26 Budget, trade bodies say the move risks pulling away one of the last remaining revenue supports for thousands of community pubs. Fruit machines have...
Female entrepreneurs across the UK are working longer hours, taking on second jobs and facing renewed financial strain as economic pressures mount, according to a major new study from Tide and everywoman. The Female Business Owners Index 2025 reveals that 39 per cent of women founders say this year has been harder than 2024, with falling consumer spending, inflation and political uncertainty continuing to squeeze margins and stall growth. Despite the tough trading environment, the...
UK businesses are preparing for renewed uncertainty as the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) returns to the House of Lords today, with new research suggesting confidence in a swift resolution is almost non-existent. A survey by compliance firm VinciWorks has found that just 3 per cent of senior HR, compliance and business leaders believe the Lords will retreat from their opposition to key provisions in the legislation, including day-one employment rights and proposed changes to trade...
A British man jailed in the United States for hacking the Twitter accounts of high-profile figures including Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos has been ordered to hand over £4.1 million in cryptocurrency linked to his crimes. Joseph James O’Connor, 26, was sentenced in the US last year after admitting to his role in a sophisticated cyberattack that saw him gain access to dozens of celebrity and corporate Twitter accounts. He used the compromised profiles to...
Businesses and financial experts have sharply criticised a potential clampdown on salary sacrifice pension benefits in the upcoming Budget, warning that the move would amount to a stealth rise in Employer National Insurance and leave companies with even fewer ways to manage rising employment costs. Rumours are circulating that the Chancellor could introduce a dramatic cap on the amount employees can sacrifice into their pensions, with some suggesting the annual allowance could be cut to...
When I first started taking clients out for dinner, you could sit under the copper dome of Le Gavroche, order a bottle of claret you’d never dare drink at home, and—after a couple of courses, a soufflé, and a few discreet nods from the maître d’—leave only mildly lighter in wallet and spirit. Today, on the same site, you can do much the same thing at Matt Abé’s new venture Bonheur. Only now, the bill...
More than 60 leading operators of serviced offices, business centres and co-working spaces have warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves that recent changes to the business rates system could force thousands of companies to the brink and place jobs across the UK at risk. In a letter seen by Business Matters, the group, which collectively hosts over 27,000 businesses nationwide, expressed “urgent and deeply serious concern” over what they described as a quiet but dramatic shift in...
A 15-year-old British entrepreneur has been crowned the Grand Winner of Alibaba.com’s CoCreate Pitch, securing a $200,000 prize for his innovative small business, CoolTowel, at the platform’s flagship B2B event in London. Held on 14 November, CoCreate Europe brought together thousands of SMEs from across the continent, with 30 finalists shortlisted to pitch their product innovations to a panel of global business leaders. Each finalist was tasked with delivering a 90-second pitch to win the...
Stonegate Group, owner of the Slug & Lettuce and Be At One chains, has opened preliminary talks with advisers about a disposal of part of its estate, according to industry sources. The move comes as the company struggles with more than £3 billion of debt built up largely through its £3 billion takeover of rival Ei in 2019. The pubs under review — 1,034 sites internally known as Stonegate’s “platinum” collection — are regarded as...
