High street stalwart Boots mulls more than 200 possible store closures May 28, 2019 Boots, Britain’s largest chain of chemists, looks set to become the latest victim of high street turmoil as its US owner eyes several hundred store closures. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the pharmacy retailer's US parent, is reportedly looking at bringing down the shutters on more than 200 Boots outlets across the UK over the next [...]
Medium-sized businesses power ahead of the pack on overseas revenue growth May 28, 2019 Mid-sized companies are boosting Britain’s revenue growth overseas, driving international turnover by 63 per cent in the last five years, according to research. Read more: Medium-sized businesses lead UK revenue growth overseas New data has revealed that the increase, from £96bn to £157bn, exceeds that of FTSE 350 companies that have seen a 15 per [...]
EU leaders tell UK the Brexit deal cannot be renegotiated May 28, 2019 EU leaders have ruled out any renegotiation of the Brexit deal as Theresa May once again called for MPs to compromise. Arriving for her final summit in Brussels on Tuesday, numerous leaders made it clear to May the proposal which has been rejected by the UK parliament three times was the only deal on offer. Outgoing [...]
Whitehall reports ‘good progress’ on saving British Steel with more than 80 potential buyers May 28, 2019 Civil servants are optimistic British Steel's furnaces will continue to fire beyond the next few weeks, and today revealed that scores of potential bidders have been in touch about buying the stricken industrial giant out of insolvency. Read more: British Steel's collapse turns up the heat on Whitehall The Official Receiver, who took control of the [...]
BBC calls on top presenters for Tory leadership race debates May 28, 2019 The BBC has confirmed it will host a series of TV debates and interviews as Tory leadership hopefuls battle it out to become the next Prime Minister. BBC News will put on a series of special programmes, including a debate between all the candidates in the leadership race in mid-June, moderated by Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis. [...]
EU leaders meet to mull over potential candidates for top jobs May 28, 2019 EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today to mull potential candidates for the organisation's top jobs, including the head of the commission, currently held by Jean-Claude Junker. The EU heads meet a day after results came in for the EU parliamentary elections, in which centrist mainstream parties lost ground to smaller parties including nationalists, liberals and greens. [...]
Freebike to launch electric bike-sharing scheme in the City May 28, 2019 Electric bike company Freebike is set to launch a dockless bike-sharing service in the Square Mile after securing a contract with the City of London Corporation. The pedal-assist electric bikes will allow workers to travel around the City using the Freebike app or by swiping a contactless card, with a pause facility enabling users to [...]
Vegan burger startup Beyond Meat hits triple its IPO price as it eyes up European expansion May 28, 2019 Vegan burger startup Beyond Meat’s share price jumped today as it said it's mulling a move to cater directly to European customers with a new production site opening in the Netherlands. However, concerns that this expansion might be too much too soon have left investors divided. Read more: DEBATE: At $1.5bn, is plant burger firm Beyond Meat [...]
Facebook-backer Index Ventures leads $4m series A for UK legal startup May 28, 2019 Seedlegals, which helps UK startups automate the fundraising process, has secured $4m (£3.2m) in funding from one of the world's most successful venture capital firms. San Francisco and London-based Index Ventures led the series A funding round, putting Seedlegals among the likes of Facebook, Just Eat and Slack in its portfolio. Additional participation was provided by Kima Ventures, [...]
Centrica launches new tariff for business customers to charge their electric cars May 28, 2019 British Gas owner Centrica has launched a new power tariff for business customers looking to charge their electric vehicles as the UK prepares for the switch to plug-in cars. More than three quarters of businesses plan to start shifting towards electric vehicles (EVs), Centrica said today as it launched an EV product aimed specifically at companies. Read [...]