#cost-pressures

#cost-pressures

Walmart has a plan to stay profitable as President Donald Trump's tariffs push up costs. It's called advertising. In the second quarter, Walmart's ad revenue jumped 46% year over year, a number padded by the addition of Vizio, the smart TV maker it picked up last year. Strip that out, and the U.S. business still looks strong: Walmart Connect, its retail media network, grew 31%.

Confidence among UK small business owners remains strong in 2025 despite rising costs and economic uncertainty. Nearly half reported stronger business performance this year compared to the last.

Greggs reported a 6.9% rise in total sales to £1.3 billion in the first half of the year, with like-for-like sales increasing by 2.6%. However, sales momentum sharply declined in June due to record-breaking heat, leading to reduced foot traffic and weaker demand for core products.