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Pensions tax relief may be in the firing line in the upcoming Autumn Budget, with growing concern among financial experts that HMRC is targeting popular salary sacrifice schemes as a way to raise revenue.
According to Blick Rothenberg, a leading audit and tax advisory firm, a new HMRC report points to the Treasury’s increasing focus on pension perks — including suggestions that salary sacrifice schemes could be significantly curtailed or even abolished.
Tomm Adams, a partner at the firm, said: “HMRC has just published a report suggesting that the Treasury has pensions in its crosshairs this Autumn. It explores ways to butcher salary sacrifice arrangements, or go even further by abolishing pension tax relief altogether.”
He added that the pensions industry was alarmed by what he described as a short-sighted approach that prioritises short-term tax receipts over long-term financial stability. “Those of us who care about the general population’s retirement prospects are appalled. This would sacrifice tomorrow’s security for today’s gain.”
Salary sacrifice arrangements have long been used by both employers and employees to boost pension contributions in a tax-efficient way. Under the scheme, an employee agrees to reduce their salary, with the equivalent amount instead being paid into their pension — which reduces both income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
“There’s a misconception that this is a personal income tax loophole,” Adams said. “In reality, it offers no more of a break than other methods of making pension contributions. The key difference lies in National Insurance — there’s a 15% employer NIC break, and up to 8% for employees.”
He suggested that in an ideal world, all pension contributions — not just those via salary sacrifice — should receive the same level of NIC relief. “But that would cost the Treasury significantly more, and it’s not on the table under this government,” he added.
Any move to reduce or remove salary sacrifice would have wide-reaching consequences, not just for workers, but also for employers who use the scheme to support staff retention and wellbeing. “Companies often share part of their NIC savings with employees by topping up pension contributions,” Adams said. “That’s particularly important for higher earners, who already receive reduced pension tax relief.”
He also warned that abolishing or weakening salary sacrifice would likely reduce pension contributions across the board — particularly from higher earners — at a time when the UK already falls short on retirement provision. “The state pension provides just 21.7% of the average final salary. Even with auto-enrolment, that only rises to 41.9% — well below the global average.”
Adams argued that the government should look elsewhere for more immediate sources of revenue, such as unfreezing fuel duties, which could add £3 billion annually to Treasury coffers. “Hopefully, this is just the poorly timed publication of an outdated internal report,” he said. “But if not, it would represent a dangerous move against long-term financial planning for millions of workers.”
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Pensions at risk as HMRC eyes salary sacrifice schemes in Autumn Budget

Thames Water has been handed a record-breaking £122.7 million fine by Ofwat following two damning investigations into the UK’s largest water utility.
The regulator found the company had breached key obligations relating to its wastewater operations and had unlawfully issued dividends despite poor environmental and customer performance.
Ofwat confirmed this morning that £104.5 million of the fine relates to serious failings in the company’s wastewater infrastructure — the largest financial penalty the regulator has ever imposed. A further £18.2 million has been levied for breaches connected to dividend payments, marking the first time Ofwat has penalised a water company over dividend decisions that failed to reflect its performance.
The regulator took aim at interim dividends totalling £37.5 million issued in October 2023 and a further £131.3 million paid out in March 2024. As a result of the enforcement action, Thames Water is now prohibited from issuing further dividends without Ofwat’s explicit approval.
David Black, chief executive of Ofwat, said: “Our investigation has uncovered a series of failures by the company to build, maintain and operate adequate infrastructure to meet its obligations. The company also failed to come up with an acceptable redress package that would have benefited the environment, so we have imposed a significant financial penalty.”
The move comes amid growing public and political pressure over the environmental performance of water companies, particularly regarding pollution and sewage spills. Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “The government has launched the toughest crackdown on water companies in history. Last week, we announced a record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into water companies. Today Ofwat announced the largest fine ever handed to a water company in history. The era of profiting from failure is over.”
The fine will be borne by the company and its shareholders, not customers.
Thames Water, which provides drinking water to 10 million people and wastewater services to 15 million across London and the Thames Valley, has been teetering on the edge of financial collapse for more than a year. Its current shareholders — including Omers, the Canadian pension fund, and sovereign wealth interests from China and Abu Dhabi — declared it “uninvestable” last year and wrote off their holdings.
In a last-ditch effort to stabilise the company, Thames’s board selected global investment firm KKR as its preferred bidder. KKR has offered a £4 billion cash injection in exchange for control, but the deal depends on complex negotiations with Ofwat over fines and future performance targets. Thames Water’s gross debt stands near £20 billion, and creditors are expected to take heavy writedowns under the current rescue plan.
Appearing before the Commons environment select committee earlier this month, Thames Water chairman Sir Adrian Montague and CEO Chris Weston said the company’s future now hinges on the outcome of talks with KKR and the regulator. Without a deal, they warned, penalties for continued failure — which could total more than £1 billion over five years — risk driving away investors entirely.
Ofwat’s current targets include improvements in pollution incidents, mains leakage, and customer service, all areas where Thames Water has consistently underperformed. Failure to renegotiate these targets could leave Thames unable to attract new funding or improve its credit rating from junk status, experts warn.
Should investment stall and the company remain unable to refinance, ministers and regulators may be forced to intervene directly, placing Thames Water into special administration — effectively returning the utility to public control.
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Thames Water hit with record £123 million fine by Ofwat after investigations uncover failures and illegal dividends

A growing number of British professionals and entrepreneurs are preparing to leave the UK to escape what has been branded Labour’s “stealth tax bombshell”, according to independent financial advisory firm deVere Group.
The warning comes as new figures suggest nearly two million workers will be dragged into higher tax brackets by the end of the decade, due to the continued freeze on income tax thresholds. But deVere says those projections could fall short — because many of those affected are already plotting their exit.
“There’s a major assumption at play here — that people will simply accept being pushed into higher brackets without taking action,” said Nigel Green, deVere’s CEO. “That’s not what we’re seeing. On the contrary, the appetite to move abroad and legally restructure finances has soared since Reeves’ first Budget and the momentum is not slowing.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that fiscal drag — where inflationary wage growth pulls more people into higher tax bands — will generate £8.9 billion for the Treasury. But Green suggests that forecast overlooks a critical factor: mobility.
“Relocation is no longer the preserve of the ultra-wealthy. Remote working, global hiring and dual citizenship have significantly lowered the barriers,” he said. “We’re now seeing more middle-income professionals considering their options abroad, particularly in higher cost regions like the south-east.”
According to internal deVere data, client relocation consultations have risen by 36% in the south-east since January, with Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Dubai among the most popular destinations. These jurisdictions offer favourable regimes, including flat tax options or exemptions on foreign income.
“A skilled Londoner earning 50% above the median salary now faces £2,700 more in annual income tax than two years ago — a rise of nearly 25%,” Green said. “For families already squeezed by mortgage and childcare costs, it’s proving a tipping point.”
Green argues that the government is misjudging the resilience of its tax base. “That £8.9 billion figure depends on a static population and passive taxpayers. Neither of those assumptions holds true,” he said.
“People, entrepreneurs, capital — they all move. Tax policy doesn’t operate in a vacuum.”
The warning follows growing political pressure over the use of frozen thresholds as a way to raise revenue without increasing headline tax rates. Labour’s continuation of this policy, introduced by the Conservatives, has led to accusations of a stealth tax raid on working families.
“Governments betting on bracket creep as a stealthy source of cash may need to rethink the maths,” Green added. “The real story isn’t just how much more tax Brits will be forced to pay — it’s how many will quietly leave before they do. That £8.9bn figure? It’s already shrinking.”
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UK stealth tax hike risks exodus of high earners, deVere warns

University of Cambridge leaders have issued a stark warning that the UK risks falling behind in the race to commercialise world-class research unless it does more to support academic spin-out companies struggling to scale.
Speaking at a London showcase of Cambridge’s most promising spin-outs, university figures and venture capitalists said that while Britain remains a hub of scientific excellence, it lacks the investment firepower and infrastructure needed to turn breakthrough research into category-defining global businesses.
“The world isn’t waiting for UK and European science to commercialise,” said Gerard Grech (pictured), managing director of Founders, a Cambridge initiative to boost entrepreneurial growth. “Founders in Silicon Valley, Shenzhen and Bangalore are already building, and very, very quickly. The question is: can European universities match that pace without losing the depth that makes our research world-class?”
Grech said that many of the best commercial opportunities emerge when university science interacts with bold capital, adding: “This is where real innovation happens.”
Cambridge’s vice-chancellor, Deborah Prentice, highlighted the university’s strong track record in spin-out formation. Last year, Cambridge spin-outs raised more than $2 billion, and the institution now produces more spin-outs per capita than any other UK university.
“Cambridge is by many measures the highest-performing innovation ecosystem in Europe,” she said. “International investors, large companies and world-class scientists are recognising that we’re punching above our weight — but we need to go further.”
However, the ability to grow these ventures into globally competitive firms remains a major hurdle. Data from Dealroom cited during the event showed that while Cambridge has a healthy pipeline of start-ups with up to $10 million in venture capital, the number of firms that go on to raise $100 million or more remains significantly lower than in Silicon Valley.
“That is the problem. It is as simple as that,” said Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital. “You can build so much of a business with $10 million, $20 million, or $30 million. But you need hundreds of millions to build truly global, category-defining companies. And we just don’t have enough companies raising that kind of money.”
The showcase featured pitches from several early-stage, high-impact ventures looking to address complex medical problems. Prodromic, for example, is developing predictive diagnostics that could detect the early onset of brain diseases like dementia. Gastrobody Therapeutics is working on ingestible, stable antibodies for treating gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn’s, potentially eliminating the need for injections.
Such innovations demonstrate the commercial potential sitting within UK universities, but investors and academics alike warned that unless Britain finds a way to provide follow-on capital at scale, these businesses may never realise their full potential — or may end up relocating abroad.
The message from Cambridge was clear: if the UK wants to turn scientific leadership into economic leadership, it must urgently improve its ability to fund, grow and retain its most promising ventures.
With international capital accelerating elsewhere, and breakthrough research already happening on British soil, the missing piece is not invention — it’s investment at scale.
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Cambridge warns UK must scale up investment to turn spin-outs into global success stories

What can dishonesty mean in the context of a job application, and how should employers deal with it?
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) recently upheld the decision of the Employment Tribunal (ET) in the case of Easton v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Border Force), finding that an employee was fairly dismissed when he failed to include relevant and material employment history details in his application form. This constituted gross misconduct, and his dismissal was found to be within the “band of reasonable responses”.
Case background
Mr Easton worked for the Home Office from 2002 until 2016. He was dismissed on 13 June 2016 for gross misconduct involving inappropriate behaviour towards females and temper issues. This resulted in a subsequent three-month employment gap. He then started working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 4 September 2016.
Mr Easton later applied for a role in the Border Force (part of the Home Office). Under the “Employment History” section of the application form, he presented himself as working for the Home Office from “2002 – 2016” and the DWP from “2016 to current”. Mr Easton did not divulge his dismissal or the employment gap in the application form or at the interview stage. His employment gap and dismissal were concealed by misleadingly presenting his employment history. The application form contained a checkbox whereby Mr Easton confirmed that he understood that he may be subject to disciplinary action or rejected if he provided false information or withheld relevant details.
Mr Easton re-joined the Home Office as part of the Border Force. A disciplinary investigation commenced after Mr Easton’s dismissal came to light. Following the investigation, he was dismissed for gross misconduct due to his failure to disclose relevant and material information regarding his earlier dismissal and for concealing a period of unemployment. Mr Easton unsuccessfully appealed the decision and then brought an Employment Tribunal claim.
Employment Tribunal
The ET held that Mr Easton had not been unfairly dismissed. The dismissal was fair for the potentially fair reason of misconduct, as he failed to disclose relevant and material information on his application form. The employer had behaved within the band of reasonable responses that a reasonable employer in those circumstances would have reached, especially given the nature of the organisation, Mr Easton’s role and the misconduct. The ET also held that the procedure followed was “thorough” and “more than reasonable”.
Employment Appeal Tribunal
The EAT dismissed Mr Easton’s appeal. Using years only for his employment history obscured his previous dismissal and subsequent employment gap. The ET was entitled to find that his employer had reasonable grounds to believe that the decision to present information in such a way had been dishonest.
A reasonable job applicant faced with a blank box headed “Employment History” would have understood that the information had to be presented in a way that would reveal any employment gaps. The ET found that Mr Easton understood that dismissals and unemployment in the previous three years would be relevant and material information for a job application. Significantly, Mr Easton confirmed his understanding of its relevance during cross-examination.
The EAT held that the ET took the correct approach of reviewing the employer’s process and concluding that it was open to the employer to find that Mr Easton’s decision to withhold that information was deliberate and dishonest.
Lessons for employers

Ensure you conduct thorough pre-employment checks. Job application forms should explicitly request an applicant’s full employment history, including exact dates of roles, and request any employment gaps and reasons for leaving previous roles.

Ensure you review and verify employment history. An application form should not be seen as a tick-box exercise. Employers should verify employment history and investigate any concerns before making recruitment decisions.

Correct procedure is key. A fair and thorough investigation, disciplinary and appeal process, is essential. Employers should bear this in mind before deciding to dismiss, given that the investigation will be relevant when determining whether such a decision falls within the band of reasonable responses. Employers should also ensure their procedures and decisions are consistent.

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Job applications: the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

Oxford Brain Diagnostics (OBD) is preparing to launch its groundbreaking technology for the early diagnosis of dementia across the UK and US healthcare markets, following a wave of key regulatory approvals that mark a major milestone in the company’s growth.
Backed by growth capital investor BGF, the Oxford-based medtech firm will begin commercial deployment of its patented Cortical Disarray Measurement (CDM) software — a novel tool that can objectively measure neurodegeneration using standard MRI scans. By enabling earlier and more accurate assessments of brain health, the technology is poised to transform how conditions like Alzheimer’s are diagnosed and monitored.
The roll-out follows successful FDA 510(k) clearance and UKCA self-certification, which together provide the regulatory green light for entry into two of the world’s most significant healthcare markets. The company now aims to expand into hospitals, clinics and clinical research organisations that urgently need non-invasive, precision diagnostic tools.
“Neurodegenerative diseases represent a growing public health challenge,” said Dr Steven Chance, CEO and co-founder of OBD. “The support from BGF and our other partners has been instrumental in taking CDM from the lab to the clinic. We’re now in a position to bring hope to millions seeking clarity on their brain health.”
OBD was co-founded in 2019 by Dr Chance, a former Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Oxford University, and Professor Mark Jenkinson, an expert in neuroimaging. The CDM platform builds on decades of scientific research into the structural changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions.
The company gained early validation in 2020 when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted CDM Breakthrough Device Designation, recognising the tool’s potential in identifying early-stage Alzheimer’s in adults.
OBD’s commercial progress has been powered by a multi-million pound funding round in 2023, led by BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active growth capital investor. Continued support also came from existing backers, including the Oxford Technology & Innovations Fund (OTIF).
“OBD’s progress over the past two years has been remarkable,” said Maggy Lau, investor at BGF. “The technology is truly differentiated, and its recent regulatory achievements show just how close it is to making a major impact. We’re proud to back a company tackling one of the most urgent and important challenges in healthcare today.”
The company has already begun forging strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical firms, helping to support clinical trials and drug development by offering a reliable and scalable method for evaluating patients. As new Alzheimer’s treatments emerge, demand for accurate diagnostic tools is expected to surge — a gap OBD is now well placed to fill.
While CDM’s initial focus is on Alzheimer’s, its broader applications are already being explored. Early studies show potential in diagnosing and tracking other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.
With global dementia cases expected to double every 20 years, the need for early and accurate diagnostics has never been more pressing. OBD’s breakthrough signals a shift in how brain health can be evaluated, tracked and ultimately treated, moving beyond symptoms to deliver data-driven, proactive care.
As the UK and US roll-outs begin, OBD’s platform could soon become a central tool in both clinical settings and pharmaceutical pipelines, offering a new lens through which neurodegeneration can be understood — and tackled.
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Oxford Brain Diagnostics to roll out revolutionary dementia technology following UK and US regulatory approvals

Jeremy Clarkson, once feared by car manufacturers for his savage TV reviews, is now being hailed by British farmers for helping drive a surge in demand for homegrown food.
According to Waitrose, the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm is fuelling a spike in sales of British-grown produce, as viewers rally behind UK agriculture.
Launched on Prime Video, the show’s fourth season premiered on Friday and has already made its mark at the tills. Waitrose reported significant sales increases across a range of local items: thick-cut British sirloin steak is up 193% year-on-year, Jersey Royal new potatoes up 89%, and red Leicester cheese up 50%. Even Cox and Gala apples are enjoying a revival, with sales up 52% and 30% respectively. Early season British asparagus is also proving popular, up 25%.
“Farming shows are doing more than just entertaining us,” said Jake Pickering, head of agriculture at Waitrose. “They’re making the public stop and think about British farming, the people behind it and the challenges they face.”
Clarkson’s Farm has resonated with viewers by showing the reality of modern farming—from bureaucratic battles with environmental regulations to the unpredictable economics of crop production. While Clarkson’s tone is often combative, his stories have had a humanising effect on the public perception of UK farmers.
The impact isn’t limited to viewers at home. The “farm-to-fork” movement is picking up pace in restaurants and online too. Chefs and food influencers such as Julius Roberts and Seb Graus regularly promote seasonal, British-sourced recipes to audiences of over a million followers, helping to boost awareness and demand for local produce.
Clarkson’s on-screen frustration with flea beetle-infested oilseed rape, hedgerow restrictions, soil management rules, and the “badger police” has provided viewers with a more grounded, if at times exasperated, take on farm life.
“People think farming is about caring for the land,” Clarkson told The Sunday Times in 2023. “But it’s mainly about filling in forms… or dealing with the soil police and the badger police.”
This mix of humour, hardship and real-world red tape has struck a chord. Ian Farrant, a fourth-generation beef farmer from Herefordshire, praised the programme’s honesty.
“Before Clarkson’s Farm, you only saw two extremes of farming on TV — the quaint smallholder with rare breeds, or the factory farm exposé,” he said. “Clarkson’s Farm shows the reality for most of us: small, family-run businesses trying to stay afloat.”
Retailers are noticing a broader shift. Emilie Wolfman, a trends expert at Waitrose, says customers are becoming more deliberate in their choices.
“We’re seeing a genuine shift in how people shop and more people wanting to connect to where their food comes from,” she said.
Restaurants are also tapping into the sentiment. Stevie Parle’s new restaurant, Town, in Covent Garden, is dedicated to using sustainable British ingredients, with dishes like potato bread with wild-farmed beef dripping on the menu.
Meanwhile, the farm-to-fork ethos is being reinforced by campaigns across social media and in retail, helping to bring the narrative of British farming into urban kitchens.
For an industry grappling with labour shortages, policy uncertainty and price volatility, Clarkson’s influence has provided a welcome morale boost. The fact that a reality TV series — anchored by a former Top Gear host — has driven real economic uplift in the agriculture sector speaks to the power of storytelling in shaping public attitudes.
And Clarkson himself? Characteristically wry, but quietly pleased.
“That makes me all warm and fuzzy,” he said, when told about the sales impact. “Long may it continue.”
From car critic to countryside advocate, Clarkson’s latest legacy may be his most unexpected yet: rekindling Britain’s connection to its farmers, one field at a time.
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The Clarkson Effect: how Clarkson’s Farm is driving a boom in British produce

British taxpayers have injected more than £400 million into Sheffield Forgemasters, the historic steelmaker and defence contractor, just three and a half years after the company was brought into public ownership — burning through a decade’s worth of planned investment in record time.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed this weekend that a total of £403 million in state aid has now been funnelled into the lossmaking company since Boris Johnson’s government nationalised it in August 2021. The sum was originally intended to be spread over ten years to 2031, but has been fully allocated in little more than a third of that time — averaging £300,000 a day, or £169,000 a year for each of the company’s 640 employees.
Despite the mounting costs, the MoD has staunchly defended the investment, calling Forgemasters a “shining light of UK industry” and pointing to the firm’s critical role in national defence, particularly in supporting the UK and Australia’s SSN-AUKUS nuclear submarine programme.
Forgemasters, based in Sheffield, produces high-grade cast steel components used in nuclear-powered submarines, including parts for nuclear-grade defence systems that no other UK company can supply. The firm was acquired by the government in 2021 after a long period of financial turmoil and a failed attempt by a Chinese state-owned firm to purchase it in 2015 — a deal ultimately blocked over national security concerns.
At the time of nationalisation, Johnson’s government argued the buyout was “the best value for money for the taxpayer due to the unique capabilities and circumstances” of the firm.
However, Forgemasters has continued to operate at a loss, posting pre-tax losses of £4 million to £5 million annually since entering public ownership. Revenues have remained flat, and the company has not returned to profitability despite the heavy government backing.
The level of state aid has surged under the new Labour administration, with £160 million invested since July 2024 alone.
Forgemasters traces its origins back to the 1750s, but the company’s modern incarnation emerged during the Thatcher era, when it was spun out of British Steel during privatisation. It has been no stranger to controversy. In 1990, it was embroiled in the so-called “supergun affair”, linked to weapons exports to Iraq. In the 2000s, it supplied rolled steel to Russian metals giant Severstal, owned by sanctioned oligarch Alexei Mordashov.
After years of decline, the company narrowly avoided bankruptcy in 2020, after a £30 million loan from Wells Fargo nearly brought the business to collapse. The government stepped in the following year with a full nationalisation package.
The MoD insists that the government’s financial support is about safeguarding vital sovereign defence capability — especially amid rising geopolitical tensions and the development of the SSN-AUKUS submarine fleet, described as the most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy.
“The company manufactures specialist steel parts used in critical defence programmes,” the MoD said in a statement. “This government will support Sheffield Forgemasters to improve its capacity to meet defence needs and continue to review company performance.”
Nonetheless, the extraordinary burn rate of taxpayer funds — well ahead of schedule — raises questions over the government’s oversight, financial strategy, and long-term plan for one of Britain’s most strategically important, yet financially troubled, industrial firms.
While few question the importance of Forgemasters’ work for national defence, the mounting costs will likely fuel debate over how — and how much — the taxpayer should be expected to subsidise Britain’s industrial base in the name of strategic resilience.
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Taxpayer support for Sheffield Forgemasters hits £400m just 3.5 years after nationalisation

Zuber Issa, the billionaire entrepreneur who co-led the £6.8 billion acquisition of Asda in 2021, is investing millions in a new venture — the revival of Duckhams, a storied British motor oil brand once favoured by Formula 1 legends including Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna.
Issa’s investment, made independently of his brother Mohsin, is set to value Duckhams at approximately £50 million and will help propel the brand into new international markets while expanding its presence in the UK. The company, based in Bolton and employing around 100 people, is preparing for a five-year global expansion plan targeting 50 markets, up from the current 24.
“It’s great to see it back,” said Professor David Bailey, automotive industry expert at Birmingham University. “It is a brand very much intertwined with British motoring heritage and sport. It was sadly killed off as a brand under BP ownership.”
Founded in 1899 by chemist Alexander Duckham in Millwall, east London, Duckhams was once the lubricant of choice for British automotive icons including Austin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Rover. In 1951, the company launched Duckhams Q, Europe’s first multi-grade motor oil. It later gained global recognition through its sponsorship of Formula 1 teams, including James Hunt’s Hesketh Racing.
After being acquired by BP in 1969, the brand was heavily promoted throughout the 1970s and 1980s. However, by 2000, BP began consolidating its motor oil products under the Castrol name, and Duckhams disappeared from most markets.
The brand was quietly revived in 2016 by Jabir Sheth, another petrol forecourts entrepreneur, who acquired the Duckhams IP from BP. In doing so, he also inherited a 51% stake in a joint venture in Thailand, the only country where the Duckhams name had continued to be used.
“There were handwritten formula books dating back more than 100 years,” said Firoz Patel, executive director at Duckhams, recalling the discovery of the brand’s original archives following the relaunch.
Since its initial return to market in 2017, Duckhams has rebuilt a presence in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Denmark, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
With Issa’s backing, Duckhams now plans to expand through a franchising model, working with local partners to blend and distribute oils, reducing overheads while leveraging regional expertise. The company will also target the classic car market, a space where it retains strong brand loyalty.
The strategy will be supported by increased advertising and retail distribution, with Duckhams oils set to be stocked in EG On The Move, Issa’s petrol forecourts chain. While Zuber Issa sold his stake in Asda to TDR Capital in 2024, he remains a major player in UK retail and fuel distribution.
“The investment will be used to increase brand awareness,” Patel explained. “And the focus on classic cars will help the brand reconnect with its heritage, while new distribution routes will drive growth.”
Professor Bailey said that Duckhams still holds brand equity in Commonwealth countries like Malaysia and Singapore, which gives it a competitive edge internationally.
“Its classics oil will appeal, of course, to owners of historic cars, but the firm will also need to appeal to the mass market to be successful, which will be more challenging,” he noted.
“Historically, the brand was highly innovative and linked to motorsports. Building on that will be key to relaunching the brand internationally.”
As Issa turns his attention from grocery aisles to engine bays, the revival of Duckhams could be one of the most unexpected British brand comebacks in recent years — marrying historic legacy with modern entrepreneurial ambition.
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Asda billionaire Zuber Issa backs revival of iconic British oil brand Duckhams