Amazon says it buys books in bulk to ‘improve products’ August 20, 2026 Amazon has said it buys books through commercial channels to develop its products after an investigation traced a bulk order of rare books to a facility where workers reportedly destroy and scan physical copies. “Amazon purchases books through commercial channels to help develop and improve the products and services our customers use,” an Amazon spokesperson [...]
Are cars really the problem? London cyclists, it’s time to look within our ranks August 20, 2026 Have vigilante cyclists shouting at cars been waging the wrong war? Mauricio Alencar says it's time for cyclists to look within their own ranks.
In defence of The Hundred, by co-chair of Welsh Fire August 20, 2026 Welsh Fire co-chair Mark Rhydderch-Roberts dissects The Hundred season, and urges doubters to give it a go. After a frenetic 27 days and a gripping and sold out Finals Day last Sunday at Lord’s, the 2026 Hundred tournament has concluded. Despite the best efforts of some to focus on a marginal decline in total attendances, [...]
Standard Life partners with Goldman Sachs and CVC to fuel pension risk transfer business August 20, 2026 Standard Life has struck a deal with a group of global finance giants including CVC and Goldman Sachs in a bid to accelerate its push into the booming pension risk transfer market. The FTSE 100 group has joined forces with a CVC-led consortium, which also includes insurer Prudential, to commit as much as £2bn over [...]
‘Alice in Wonderland’ workspace firm lands £129m Aberdeen-backed finance August 20, 2026 A luxury workspace provider whose offices feature novelty themes like Alice in Wonderland and Monopoly has landed a £129m refinancing package. Office Space in Town (OSiT) has bagged a new debt package which includes around £72m in backing by leading asset manager Aberdeen, City AM has learned. OSiT operates 225,000 sq ft of flexible office [...]
AI startup raises $20m to build ‘digital twins’ of office workers August 20, 2026 An AI startup that creates digital replicas of employees has raised $20m (£15m) as investors bet that technology used to model factories and machinery can be applied to office workers. Twin1 AI emerged from “stealth” on Thursday after securing seed funding in a round co-led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Tribeca Venture Partners and Aramco Ventures. [...]
Investors risk losing life savings with unregulated services, watchdog warns August 20, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog has warned everyday investors could lose their life savings if they pump cash into high-risk unregulated investment services. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said the recent failure of Woodville Consultants, a litigation funder which raised cashed through unregulated loan notes, had revealed the risks facing investors. Woodville collapsed in July [...]
Travelodge boss quits amid backlash over hotel sexual assault August 20, 2026 Travelodge boss Jo Boydell has quit as the budget hotel brand pursues an overhaul of its safety measures following a sexual assault at one of its sites. The group said on Thursday that Boydell will depart with immediate effect after 13 years in the role, thanking the chief executive for her “dedication” to the group. [...]
JD Sports shares crater after ‘King of Trainers’ warns on profit August 20, 2026 JD Sports has slashed its profit target as the growth plan led by chief executive Régis Schultz loses steam, sending its share price into a tailspin. The sports and fashion retailer saw sales performance improve in the UK, but a slowdown in the US and intense discounting by rivals is dragging on the firm’s profit, [...]
Billionaire Ackman slams US Open ticket prices as absurd August 20, 2026 Billionaire hedge fund investor Bill Ackman has slammed organisers for the US Open tennis Grand Slam organisers over the price of tickets. A day one ground pass will set fans back $363, or £268. This will not give fans access to the show courts, with tickets for those set at an even higher price. an [...]