Business

Selfridges boss calls for extension

Published

2 hours ago

13 September 2026

The chief executive of Selfridges Group has called for Sunday trading hours in England and Wales to be extended, saying its Oxford Street flagship would benefit significantly from opening for an extra two or three hours.

André Maeder told The Sunday Times that Sunday was the day on which most consumers had time to shop. Under the Sunday Trading Act 1994, large shops in England and Wales may open for only six continuous hours between 10am and 6pm.

“In Germany, where I worked for Kaufhaus des Westens, or Switzerland, where I come from, you cannot open on a Sunday, so I’m happy with the solution here,” Maeder said. “But I really think even two hours more would really help, because this is the day that everybody has time [to shop].”

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The Selfridges flagship opens for browsing at 11.30am on a Sunday but cannot sell goods until 12pm. Maeder said he would prefer it to trade from 11am to 7pm. “We open the store at 11.30am, but you can’t buy…it’s a little bit crazy,” he said.

His comments were echoed by Ewan Venters, executive chairman of Paul Smith and a former chief executive of Fortnum & Mason.

“At Christmas time at Fortnum’s, we would literally let people fill trolleys of food,” Venters said. “And we’d even scan the items in the few minutes before 12pm, then wait for 12pm to push pay. It is all antiquated.”

The act was brought into effect under John Major’s government after years of opposition to Sunday buying and selling. George Osborne, the former chancellor, later tried to loosen the restrictions by passing control to local authorities, but the plan was blocked by parliament. London retailers have since renewed calls for the rules to be relaxed.

Venters said the original compromise “was born out of a point of view that if you are starting to ask people to work on a Sunday, you should also respect that, as a Christian country, people should be allowed time to go to church and be with their family. But of course life has changed a lot.”

Maeder said Sunday shifts were “quite loved” by Selfridges staff. “We’re pushing nobody to work on a Sunday,” he said.

The rules were also presented as protection for smaller shops against large supermarkets, although the big grocers now operate thousands of their own convenience stores, which trade without Sunday restrictions. Venters said Scotland does not restrict Sunday trading and suggested a “common model” could apply across the UK.

Costs and ownership

Both businesses are attempting a reinvention. Luxury stores including Selfridges have been affected by the removal of VAT-free shopping for tourists under Rishi Sunak, a policy the Mulberry chief executive has also urged ministers to reverse. Both have also been hit by higher employment taxes and energy costs.

“We are suffering like everybody else from this crazy decision,” Maeder said of the end of the VAT relief. “It’s not only luxury. This is harming retail, hotels, taxi drivers, airports, everybody.”

Maeder said footfall had risen at Selfridges for four years in a row. His strategy is to turn the store into an “experiential” destination with more pop-ups, brand collaborations and hospitality, aimed at Londoners rather than tourists now shopping in Paris or Milan.

Selfridges was owned by the Weston family until 2022, when it was bought by Thailand’s Central Group and Austria’s Signa Holding. Signa was plunged into financial crisis in 2023 as rising interest rates increased pressure on its debts, and its stake passed to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which runs the store with Central Group.

Wholesale in retreat

Paul Smith has cut ties with hundreds of less profitable wholesale locations and is seeking to grow direct-to-consumer sales. Venters said many independent stockists had closed after the pandemic, while others had been absorbed by consolidators such as Frasers Group, which bought Harvey Nichols in August.

“In a nutshell, we’ve got a business that in wholesale is one third of what it once was, making significantly less margin, because as the consolidation happens, the bigger guys then expect bigger discounts,” he said.

The United States is becoming a more important market, Venters said. “I think the Americans are getting back to offices faster than the Europeans are.”

About the author

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

Business

New attack on Strait of Hormuz raises risk of a prolonged Asian energy shock

Published

4 minutes ago

13 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Driving ASEAN's Supply Chain Transformation

A new maritime attack in the Strait of Hormuz has intensified fears that the disruption to global energy supplies could become more severe. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a vessel was hit by a projectile, while Saudi Arabia has already temporarily shut its East-West oil pipeline, which normally carries around 4–5 million barrels per day.

Key points

New vessel attack reported in Strait of Hormuz, with shipping disruption continuing.
Saudi Arabia’s alternative East-West pipeline carrying 4–5m barrels/day has been temporarily shut.
Houthi control of Perim Island raises additional risks for the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea trade route.

1 hour ago

13 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Trump says US can afford to put $1.2T toward $5K dividend for adults

President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his pledge to send $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans win the midterm elections, declaring that the country can “easily” afford the payments and insisting, “I always keep my pledge.”

Trump made the remarks at the Amgen Irish Open in Doonbeg, Ireland, where he said the U.S. is bringing in enough money to cover the payments.

“If the Republicans win, as they said, it’s $5,000 [for] all adults in the country,” Trump said. “And we can easily handle that because we’re taking in so much money. We’ve never done better.”

TRUMP DEFENDS $5,000 DIVIDEND PROPOSAL, PRAISES ‘BEAUTIFUL’ TARIFFS ON ‘INGRAHAM ANGLE’

President Donald Trump applauds during the Amgen Irish Open 2026, at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, County Clare, Ireland, Sept.13, 2026. (Reuters/Cathal McNaughton / Reuters Photos)

“The Democrats can’t make that pledge because it’ll all go to hell right away,” he added.

Trump said the payments would go to “everybody” and argued that Republicans remaining in power would allow the economy to continue on its current course.

“The Democrats get in, you’ll go into a depression. If we get in, we will continue this incredible situation,” Trump said. “We have trillions of dollars coming into the country, and the 5,000 is going to everybody. I made that pledge. I always keep my pledge.”

Donald Trump gestures with his hands while speaking

President Donald Trump gestures during the Amgen Irish Open 2026, at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, County Clare, Ireland, Sept. 13, 2026. (Reuters/Cathal McNaughton / Reuters Photos)

Trump announced the proposal Wednesday during the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, making the payments contingent on the GOP retaining control of both chambers of Congress in November.

“Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said at the time.

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Paying $5,000 to roughly 240 million adult citizens would cost about $1.2 trillion.

Vice President JD Vance pointed to tariff revenue after Trump’s announcement as one source of money for the proposal. He also suggested wealthy Americans could be excluded, which would lower the total cost.

FILE – Vice President JD Vance highlighted tariff revenue following the president’s proposal. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We’re taking an extraordinary amount of revenue because the president of the United States is standing up to both foreign companies but also foreign countries who have been taking advantage of America’s workers,” Vance told Fox News at the time.

TRUMP FACES RECKONING AS GOP FIGURES LABEL $5K PROMISE A ‘SOCIALIST VOTE-BUYING SCHEME’

Treasury data previously reviewed by Fox News Digital showed the government collected $34.2 billion in customs duties in a single month and about $208.5 billion since January. Those figures represent gross collections and do not account for refunds tied to tariffs later struck down by the Supreme Court.

The White House has not released specific eligibility rules or a detailed plan for funding the payments.

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The proposal would also require congressional approval before checks could be issued. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that Congress would have to authorize the spending.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.