Smarts Fish and Chip Shop at 47 Oxford Street is listed as ‘temporarily closed’ online, the latest in a series of business changes over recent years.

The popular takeaway first shut in 2018 after the owners put up a sign saying they were on holiday and then, mysteriously, did not seem to return, and the property was repossessed.

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It was then reopened and run as a successful family venture after a two year interval in 2020, taken over by Ana and Cristiano Barbosa.

The owners said customers were ‘chuffed to bits’ that the business was back as it was the only chippy around and enjoyed a good reputation in the area.

Smarts Fish and Chip takeaway in Oxford Street, Woodstock (Image: Google)

Now, however, Smarts is once again shut, and it’s being offered for sale to a new management team.

A listing online is offering the leasehold of the ‘fully equipped and fitted’ vacant fish and chip shop for sale at £28,000 plus VAT annual rent.

It is described as an ‘attractive double-fronted glazed frontage with excellent natural light’, as well as having a rear prep kitchen, potato prep area and basement storage.

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It also has an enclosed garden courtyard with a powered shed for ‘storage or ancillary use’.

The shop, which is around 1,230 sq ft, seats 32 covers in a dedicated customer seating area.

Previous owners explained the enduring popularity of fish and chips with locals and its prime spot for tourist footfall.

Sixthfin has published research showing that many UK chief financial officers still rely on manual tools during the financial close, while confidence in post-close figures remains weak.

The study, conducted by Odoxa among 303 CFOs at private UK companies with 250 employees or more, points to persistent problems in account analysis, reconciliation and reporting. It found that 67% of respondents rank improving the reliability of accounts as their top priority, while more than one in three are not highly confident in the reliability of their own figures.

That matters because the close remains a core control point for finance teams. Weak data reliability can expose companies to compliance failures, damage credibility with senior management and investors, and delay the detection of fraud.

Manual burden

The research suggests spreadsheets remain central to finance operations despite broader discussion of automation and artificial intelligence. In 2026, 67% of UK companies with more than 250 employees still use Excel for account analysis and reconciliation, including 62% of mid-sized businesses and 66% of larger organisations.

Only 15% analyse accounts without relying on Excel or collaboration tools such as Teams, SharePoint or email. Accruals, manual journal entries and close calendar management are also still largely handled through spreadsheets.

The findings underline how much of the close process remains labour-intensive. They show that 57% use spreadsheets for accruals, 54% for manual journal entries and 53% for managing the close calendar.

Pressure on teams

The monthly close is also a significant source of strain for finance departments. Almost all CFOs surveyed said it affects workload, and most said it also harms employee motivation.

The data show that 97% of respondents acknowledge the impact of the closure on workload, while 93% say it affects motivation. Sources of stress were spread across several areas, including deadlines, parallel projects, poor tool quality, limited time for analysis and concerns over data reliability.

Deadlines were cited by 96% of CFOs, tool quality by 93%, parallel projects by 88%, and both lack of time for analysis and data reliability by 86%. Fewer than half of finance departments described close management as very satisfactory.

The findings depict a finance function under recurring monthly pressure, with teams expected to complete reporting cycles while handling other workstreams. That can make it harder for departments to move from basic reconciliation to more analytical work.

AI expectations

CFOs nevertheless expect artificial intelligence to play a larger role in the future of the close. The survey found broad support for using AI to automate repetitive work, improve anomaly detection, identify fraud and support financial planning.

Eighty-four per cent (84%) of respondents identified the automation of repetitive tasks as an area where AI could help. Another 80% pointed to improved reliability and anomaly detection, 79% to financial planning and 77% to fraud identification.

Yet the research also suggests confidence in AI remains tentative. Respondents were more likely to say they were fairly confident than fully confident, indicating that support for adoption has not yet translated into firm trust in the tools or the data behind them.

This creates a practical challenge for finance leaders. To automate parts of the close, companies first need stronger control over the quality and consistency of the underlying figures.

Changing role

The study also points to a shift in expectations for accountants and finance staff. CFOs said future professionals will need stronger analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to adapt to new technologies and regulatory requirements.

Half of the respondents identified analytical and problem-solving skills as the most important area for future finance professionals. Another 28% highlighted adaptability to new technologies and regulations.

That points to a broader change in the make-up of finance teams. Staff are expected not only to process numbers, but also to assess outputs from automated systems, spot limitations and validate results before decisions are made. In practice, the function is moving as much towards oversight and judgement as it is towards transaction handling.

Sixthfin focuses on risk detection and process optimisation for finance, controlling and audit teams. It said the research reflects a gap between the discussion of digital transformation and the operational reality inside many finance departments.

“The transformation of Finance functions is under way, but the closing process remains a major point of friction. It is now vital that CFOs structure and secure the analysis and reconciliation phases, so that they can rely on the quality of their financial data. In a context of increasing automation, the robustness of controls remains the ultimate safeguard for the reliability of accounts, effective risk management and credible decision-making,” said Jean-Marc Allouët, Chief Executive Officer of Sixthfin.

JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Millions of UK sports fans are overpaying for broadband and TV bundles after their contracts end, according to research commissioned by comparison site Uswitch. The price gap can exceed £400 a year.

Its analysis found that premium bundles combining broadband, TV channels and live sport can rise to more than £180 a month once a 24-month term expires. By contrast, similar access bought separately through standalone broadband and monthly sports streaming services costs about £88 a month for Sky Sports and TNT Sports together.

The findings suggest widespread confusion among households that take bundled services. More than a third of bundle customers believe they must stay with their current broadband provider to keep sports access. Among those whose existing package already includes sport, that rises to 53%.

Uswitch estimated that the average out-of-contract customer on a sport-inclusive bundle could be paying about £35 a month more than necessary for the same coverage. Across the products it examined, that works out at roughly £422 a year.

Contract shock

The study compared advertised offers and standard rates across major providers including Virgin Media, Sky, BT and EE. The biggest monthly gaps appeared in Virgin Media bundles, where a sport package cost £151 a month out of contract against a cheaper standalone equivalent, while a sport-and-cinema package reached £185.

Sky packages also showed a sharp jump after introductory terms ended. A Full Fibre 300 bundle with Sky Sports rose from £61 a month on an initial deal to about £119 on standard pricing. Adding Sky Cinema lifted the monthly bill to about £136.

BT and EE showed smaller, though still notable, differences between combined packages and separate purchases. Sport-focused customers on those services could still pay between £7 and £21 a month more than for a comparable mix of broadband and apps.

The research also suggested that many households sign up for extra services around major fixtures and then fail to cancel them. One in five UK adults said they had upgraded a package to watch a specific sporting event, and 21% of that group said they never cancelled the add-on after the event ended.

Only 9% of bundle customers said they regularly check what is included in their package. Another 13% said fear of losing TV or sports access was one reason they had not switched or downgraded.

Changing habits

The economics of sports viewing have shifted as broadcasters and telecoms groups increasingly offer access through standalone apps as well as fixed-term TV bundles. Uswitch said average standalone fibre broadband at speeds between 400Mbps and 550Mbps now costs £21.87 a month across the eight providers it tracked.

Adding a NOW Sports monthly pass at £34.99 and TNT Sports through HBO Max at £30.99 brings the total to £87.85, or roughly £88 a month. For viewers following only one competition or broadcaster, the monthly cost can fall to about £55.

That flexibility is becoming more important as households scrutinise discretionary spending. While some customers who watch several sports throughout the year may still find value in a bundle, the study suggests many stay put because they assume access to sport depends on keeping broadband and TV with the same supplier.

Opinium surveyed 2,000 UK adults for the research. Based on the polling and national population estimates, Uswitch calculated that about 7 million adults are bundle customers who believe they must stay with their provider to keep sports channels or sports streaming services.

The broader market shift is also visible in broadband pricing. Some full-fibre services now start at £16 a month for about 500Mbps, helped by competition from regional providers and wider network availability, according to Uswitch.

Ernest Doku, broadband expert at Uswitch, said: “When a broadband or TV bundle ends, prices can soar, with some premium packages climbing past £180 a month. Many fans wrongly believe they must stay with their current provider to keep watching live sport, but switching to standalone broadband and rolling monthly sports apps can often deliver the same content for a fraction of the cost.

“That said, bundling can still be the cheapest option for heavy TV viewers who watch multiple sports year-round. With providers competing hard for new customers, switching to a new customer deal is a great way to capture savings without having to unbundle your services.

“Full-fibre prices have fallen to as little as £16 a month for a 500 Mbps plan, driven down by competition from regional providers. And with 80% of UK homes now having access, most households can find significantly better value than was available just a few years ago.

“With a huge Summer of Sport ahead, now is the perfect time to check your contract status. Reviewing what you actually use and comparing the latest deals could save you hundreds of pounds a year.”