Bookies route £60m to fight problem gambling July 2, 2019 Five of the UK’s biggest bookies have committed to a tenfold increase in their contributions towards fighting gambling addiction. Bet 365, Flutter, GVC, Sky Betting and Gaming and William Hill said they signed a pledge this morning. It commits them to spend one per cent of their UK gross gambling yield promoting safer gambling. Read [...]
Office owner seeks restructure of £45m debt pile July 2, 2019 The owner of footwear store Office today confirmed it is in discussions to restructure £45m of debt at the retailer. South African outfit Truworths, which bought the UK high street giant for £250m in 2015, said it must pay a “significant portion” of the debt in a lump sum payment by December 2020. Read more: [...]
Footwear chain Office explores restructuring plans July 1, 2019 Office is exploring options for a restructuring plan that could see the footwear chain shutter a number of its UK stores. The retailer has appointed advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal to plan a potential company voluntary arrangement (CVA), Sky News reported. Read more: Landlords pick a fight with the CVA Sources told the broadcaster that [...]
Crimes in parliament soar by almost 50 per cent in last two years July 1, 2019 Crimes committed within the parliamentary estate in Westminster have soared by almost 50 per cent in the last two years, according to new data revealed today. Among the most commonly committed offences were assault, robbery, blackmail and drug possession, figures Sky News acquired from the Metropolitan Police showed. Read more: Jeremy Hunt reveals no-deal Brexit [...]
Tories draw up new Brexit battle lines June 30, 2019 The Conservative party’s final two contenders for prime minister bulked up their plans for a showdown with Brussels over the weekend, while the frontrunner – Boris Johnson – also sought to talk up his pro-business credentials. Confronted about an incident last year in which Johnson said “f*** business” during a Brexit debate, the former London [...]
Insurance giants in talks to buyout £10.5bn British Steel Pension Scheme June 29, 2019 The board of the £10.5bn British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) are in talks with a number of insurance giants to sell it. Trustees of the BSPS have begun discussions to offload the scheme two years after receiving £550m to rescue the steel firm, according to Sky News. Read more: FCA crack down on defined benefit [...]
Should 160,000 Tories choose our next Prime Minister? Yes, actually June 28, 2019 Discussing the Tory leadership election on Sky News earlier this week, host Adam Boulton asked me why the party members seemed so relaxed about Boris Johnson’s controversial private life. “Isn’t this the party of family values?” Boulton asked. It’s a fair point. Three quarters of the party’s 160,000 members believe that “young people today don’t [...]
Jeremy Hunt tells Boris Johnson to stop getting Brexit facts wrong in blistering letter response June 27, 2019 Jeremy Hunt has accused Boris Johnson of getting important facts wrong in a searing attack on his Conservative leadership rival. The foreign secretary has sent a letter to Johnson accusing him of not being straight with people over Brexit, and reiterated his challenge of a head-to-head debate before ballot members in the leadership contest go [...]
UK fashion brand Karen Millen hoists for sale sign June 27, 2019 British fashion brand Karen Millen is set to be sold by its Icelandic owners. Sky News reported that advisers to Kaupthing, one of the Icelandic banks that collapsed during the financial crisis, are set to begin formal talks with potential bidders for Karen Millen in the next few days. The sale process is being led [...]
Boots posts drop in UK quarterly sales amid tough trading conditions June 27, 2019 The parent owner of Boots, Britain’s largest chain of chemists, has posted a drop in UK quarterly sales amid challenging high street conditions. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) posted a 1.6 per cent drop in sales during the three months to the end of May, spurred on by a one per cent decline in its troubled [...]