Aug 14: GDP up 0.4%; Farage claims Clacton win; Singer teams up with Louis Vuitton

Economy gets World Cup and hot weather boost but fears grow over Iran war hit The World Cup and record hot weather in June helped Britain’s economy remain resilient in the second quarter despite Iran war cost pressures, but warnings are mounting over a year-end hit to growth. Official figures showed gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.4% between April and June, with better-than-forecast growth of 0.3% in June as hospitality and leisure firms received a boost from football fever and the prolonged hot weather. It marked a slowdown from 0.6% growth in the first three months of the year, but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said growth remained ‘relatively robust’ in the quarter, ending a buoyant first half of the year in spite of the Middle East conflict. Harvey Nichols bought from administration by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has bought Harvey Nichols after the struggling department store chain fell into administration. Bosses at Sports Direct owner Frasers said they will now oversee a turnaround at the historic chain, which could see it become a ‘smaller business’ in the short-term. Frasers will now oversee a ‘significant restructuring’ as it integrates Harvey Nichols into its wider group, with plans to review the retailer’s shop portfolio, organisation structure, operating model and costs. Louis Vuitton teams up with Singer for special-edition 911s Classic Porsche restorer Singer and luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton have teamed up on a pair of special-edition 911 sports cars. The first, finished in a combination of saffron, cobalt blue and yellow colours, is made directly with Louis Vuitton, while the second, which is based on an iconic Turbo cabriolet model, has been created with the help of Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of women’s collections. The builds are centred around a mechanical watch which can be removed from the vehicle and used as a desk clock. From there, many areas of the classic 911’s design have been reimagined, with elements such as the speedometer and rev counter redesigned to reflect Louis Vuitton’s usual style. The markets The FTSE 100 closed lower in London on Thursday, despite a resilient economic growth print, as weak miners and a number of index heavyweights trading ex-dividend weighed. The FTSE 100 Index closed down 60.48 points, 0.6%, at 10,772.67. The FTSE 250 ended up 22.83 points, 0.1%, at 24,837.71, while the AIM All-Share closed down 3.05 points, 0.4%, at 800.88. The pound traded at 1.3498 dollars on Thursday afternoon, down from 1.3507 dollars at the equities close on Wednesday. Against the euro, sterling softened to 1.1701 euros from 1.1704 euros. Nigel Farage claims by-election win but shuns count after ‘advice from police’ Nigel Farage has claimed victory in the Clacton by-election but said he would not go to the count because of what Reform UK said was a ‘credible threat’ against him. The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official declaration by telling supporters he had won ‘fairly convincingly’ and the result on the hottest day of the year was an ‘overwhelming endorsement’ of him. However he said he would not attend the official declaration of the result at Clacton Leisure Centre as Essex Police had told him about an ‘organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result’. Thousands of 999 calls across West Midlands after ‘apocalyptic’ fires The ‘apocalyptic scenes’ caused by huge blazes in the West Midlands have led to thousands of 999 calls on the UK’s hottest day of the year, a fire chief has said. Chief fire officer Simon Tuhill, of West Midlands Fire Service, said one huge blaze in Stourbridge, which forced some people to flee after it started tearing through homes, left ‘extensive’ devastation – adding that it was ‘one of the most significant’ incidents the region’s fire service has ever dealt with. Tuhill said he had been in touch with prime minister Andy Burnham, who released a statement shortly afterwards to pay tribute to the firefighters on the ground battling the wildfires. Thursday on Car Dealer Meet the dealer boss who failed exams but went on to build used car giant Today is A-Level results day which can only mean one thing – Yes, Jeremy Clarkson has posted his results on X. Honest John closes after 25 years as car reviews and data move to Drive.co.uk Motoring website Honest John has closed after 25 years, with its car reviews and other content being incorporated into Drive.co.uk. DVSA begins rollout of MOT photo checks to 2,500 garages in fraud crackdown MOT testers will now be required to photograph cars as part of efforts to crack down on fraudulent activity. Arnold Clark expands Leapmotor partnership with five new car showrooms Dealer group Arnold Clark has opened five new Leapmotor sites in Scotland – more than doubling its representation of the Chinese brand north of the border. Mitsubishi ramps up UK return as it signs up 24 new dealer partners Mitsubishi has ramped up its return to the UK with the appointment of 24 new dealer partners. Reza Fardad leaves Big Motoring World after strong criticism in Peter Waddell court ruling A Big Motoring World executive who found himself at the centre of the controversial Peter Waddell court case has left the used car supermarket group with immediate effect. Dealers can still make money from used cars if they stay ‘nimble’, says Swansway boss Used cars remain ‘the key to everything’ for dealers, who can still make money despite the challenges currently facing the market. CarGurus names 2026 Top Dealer Award winners as fewer than 10% of dealers make list CarGurus has named the winners of its 2026 Top Dealer Awards for the UK, with fewer than 10% of dealerships on the marketplace receiving recognition. Porsche leaves Volkswagen emissions pool to partner with Chinese EV brand XPeng Porsche is leaving Volkswagen Group’s European emissions pool and teaming up with Chinese EV maker XPeng as it looks to meet tougher CO2 targets. Used car dealer left playing ‘detective’ after being wrongly named in customer complaint An independent car dealer was forced to spend hours playing ‘detective’ after his business was wrongly targeted over a customer complaint involving a completely different dealership. Chinese newcomer Aion aims for top-selling Renault 5 with new UT supermini Chinese newcomer brand Aion has revealed its second model for the UK market. Weather England and Wales will be very hot and sunny today, although isolated thundery showers are possible in northern areas, reports BBC Weather. Heavy rain will affect the north-west. Tonight will be mostly dry with clear spells, but light showers will linger in the far north-west, with possible heavy thunderstorms developing in the south-east. Nominate yourself for a Used Car Award Join our breaking news WhatsApp group Sign up for daily email Car Dealer news bulletins Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast Read the latest digital issue of Car Dealer Magazine