UK shops and travel companies lose money because of war in Middle East

Apr 23, 2026, 12:19

Introduction

Several big UK companies like Sainsbury''s, WH Smith, Primark, Tui, and Crest Nicholson say the war in the Middle East is hurting their business. They say people are spending less money. This news came out last week.

Main Body

The war started in late February. US-Israeli and Iranian forces are fighting. Companies are telling people about the problems. On Thursday, Sainsbury''s said the war will hurt its customers and its business. It said profits may go down this year. The boss, Simon Roberts, said food prices will go up because energy costs are higher. He asked the government to help with energy costs for food companies. But he said shoppers are not changing their habits yet. Tesco, another big shop, said the war makes it hard to know future profits. Both shops have enough products. But they talk to the government about a bad situation where the war stops carbon dioxide for food makers. WH Smith also said it will make less money this year. It stopped paying money to its shareholders. It said fewer people are flying because of the war. People are not confident. Earlier, Primark''s parent company said sales were weak in April because of the war. Shoe Zone, with 259 shops, said costs for shipping and transport are higher. This will hurt its profits. Outside shops, travel company Tui told shareholders the war cost it about 40 million euros last month. It had to bring back thousands of holidaymakers and workers. Housebuilder Crest Nicholson said it will sell fewer homes this year. Costs are higher and buyers are not confident. It said its earnings will be between £5 million and £15 million. That is less than before. Its shares went down a lot.

Conclusion

Many UK businesses – shops, travel companies, and housebuilders – say the war in the Middle East is making them lose money. People are less confident. Costs for energy, transport, and production are going up. Some companies do not see big changes in shoppers yet. But many have changed their profit plans and ask the government for help.

Vocabulary Learning

confident
feeling sure about something
Example:People are not confident because of the war.
earnings
the money a company makes from its business
Example:Crest Nicholson said its earnings will be between £5 million and £15 million.
profits
the money a company makes after paying costs
Example:The company said its profits may go down this year.
shareholders
people who own parts of a company
Example:WH Smith stopped paying money to its shareholders.
transport
moving goods or people from one place to another
Example:Shoe Zone said costs for shipping and transport are higher.

Sentence Learning

The war started in late February.
This sentence uses the simple past tense 'started' to describe a completed action in the past. The phrase 'in late February' tells when it happened.本句使用簡單過去式動詞'started'來描述過去完成的動作。介詞短語'in late February'說明發生的時間。
People are spending less money.
This sentence uses the present continuous tense 'are spending' to describe an ongoing action happening now. 'Less money' is the object.本句使用現在進行式'are spending'來描述正在進行的動作。'Less money'是賓語，表示花費較少的錢。
Sainsbury's said the war will hurt its customers and its business.
This is a reported speech sentence. The main verb 'said' is in past tense, and the reported clause uses 'will' to talk about future impact. 'Its customers and its business' are the objects of 'hurt'.本句是轉述句。主句動詞'said'為過去式，轉述子句使用'will'表示未來影響。'Its customers and its business'是動詞'hurt'的賓語。
It stopped paying money to its shareholders.
This sentence uses the past tense 'stopped' followed by a gerund 'paying' to indicate an action that ceased. 'To its shareholders' is a prepositional phrase indicating the recipient.本句使用過去式'stopped'後接動名詞'paying'，表示停止某動作。'To its shareholders'是介詞短語，表示接收對象。
Costs for energy, transport, and production are going up.
This sentence uses the present continuous tense 'are going up' to describe a rising trend. The subject 'Costs' is modified by the prepositional phrase 'for energy, transport, and production'.本句使用現在進行式'are going up'來描述上升的趨勢。主語'Costs'由介詞短語'for energy, transport, and production'修飾。