A £4.5bn fundraising move from Barclays lifted bank shares to drive the London market forward today.

A resilient performance by its travel stores helped news, books and stationery retailer WH Smith report sales figures in line with expectations today.

Retail giant Marks & Spencer is expected to slash bonuses for around 75,000 of its UK staff today despite posting its highest annual profits for a decade.

London’s blue-chips shed more than 1% today after soaring oil prices and losses for heavyweight sectors undermined trading.

London’s blue chip shares retreated into the red today as stocks were hit by bad housing market news on both sides of the Atlantic.

Housebuilders bore the brunt of a market sell-off today amid gloomy trading for the FTSE 100 Index.

Stuart Rose’s pledge to remain at Marks & Spencer for another three years has put an end to persistent rumours surrounding his tenure at the helm of the retail chain.

Marks & Spencer added to the retail blues in the UK this week after its Christmas sales disappointment, but it was not all doom and gloom in a mixed week for the sector.

Fashion chain Next will fall under the spotlight tomorrow as the first major name to update on what is likely to have been the toughest Christmas in years on the high street.

UK retail group WH Smith said today it was braced for a competitive Christmas after it reported lower sales over the last ten weeks of trading.

Fears of a “brain drain” at supermarket giant Tesco were reinforced today after news of the group’s third key executive departure in two weeks.

Updates and results from Curry’s owner DSG International and property website Rightmove will bring the impact of recent interest rate hikes back into focus this week.

Marks & Spencer is expected to report a sharp slowdown in sales growth today as bad weather and interest rate rises take their toll.

The Qatari investment group involved in a raid on Sainsbury's shares has said it holds a stake of 17.4% in the British supermarket chain.

The battle for retailing giant Alliance Boots looked over today after private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts floored its rival with an £11bn (€16.2bn) bid.

Alliance Boots, the retail and wholesale drug group being eyed for takeover by private equity bidders, announced a raft of changes today that will see hundreds of jobs cut and its pharmacies rebranded in a £65m (€95.6m) million makeover.

Shares in retailer Next soared to a record high today after the firm became the latest British high street name to be linked to a private equity takeover.

HMV shares were 12% lower in the UK today as analysts reacted to the latest profits warning and expressed initial disappointment at the content of the review.

Beleaguered music and books retailer HMV will today outline details of a recovery plan in the UK as the group struggles amid increasing competition from supermarkets and online retailers.

Marks & Spencer’s admission of interest in a potential bid for Sainsbury’s could press the retailer’s private equity suitors into tabling a firm offer for the company, a leading retail analyst said today.