Alex Daniel

Chill Brands has been embroiled in controversy since it suspended Mr Sommerton in April (Nicholas T Ansell/PA)
Business News
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Vape maker Chill Brands launches fresh probe amid ‘defrauding’ claims

Chill Brands alleges senior executives transferred company domain name 400,000 US dollars (£314,000) to themselves while CEO was suspended.
10 Jun 2024
Like many water firms, Welsh Water has been mired in controversy in recent years amid poor performance on sewage spills (Rui Vieira/PA)
Business News

Welsh Water boss claims ‘good progress’ despite 20% surge in pollution incidents

The firm, which serves three million people in Wales, Herefordshire and parts of Deeside, recorded 107 pollution incidents in the last financial year.
7 Jun 2024
Independent shops and small businesses in Birmingham (PA)
Politics

Majority of small business owners could still be swayed on election vote – poll

An industry group survey found business taxes remain a top concern for owners ahead of the July 4 poll.
7 Jun 2024
Bellway said its house prices had remained firm during the period (Mike Egerton/PA)
Business News

Bellway sees uptick in sales as falling inflation boosts demand for new houses

The Newcastle-based housebuilder said its order book has swelled 21% since the start of the year amid improved trading conditions.
7 Jun 2024
Rishi Sunak quoted an Office for National Statistics official (PA)
Business News

Statistics watchdog probed official’s claim that economy is going ‘gangbusters’

Sir Robert Chote, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, looked into the comments later quoted by Rishi Sunak in May.
6 Jun 2024
There should be enough electricity this winter, National Grid’ ESO said (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business News

Less risk of Britain losing power next winter than last, says grid operator

National Grid’s Electricity System Operator said the average surplus supply would be higher this winter.
6 Jun 2024
The blue-chip index rose 25 points to 8257 on Wednesday, a 0.18% rise (Nicholas T Ansell/PA)
Business News

FTSE 100 rebounds with positive session after two days of losses

The blue-chip index rose after new data showed growth in the UK’s services sector slowed last month.
5 Jun 2024
Chris O’Shea, Centrica’s chief executive, saw his pay rise from £4.5 million in 2022 (Andrew MIlligan/PA)
Business News

British Gas owner avoids shareholder revolt over chief’s £8.2m pay packet

The Centrica boss Chris O’Shea’s pay deal was called ‘fundamentally wrong’ by campaigners, and comes after years of high energy bills across the UK.
5 Jun 2024
Chris O’Shea, Centrica’s chief executive, got a nearly £4 million pay rise this year (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Business News

British Gas owner avoids shareholder rebellion over chief’s £4m pay rise

Centrica boss Chris O’Shea said in January there was ‘no point’ trying to justify his salary before it nearly doubled to £8.2 million.
5 Jun 2024
A set of Royal Mint commemorative coins featuring James Bond-themed designs (Royal Mint/PA)
UK

Royal Mint to expand commemorative coins business into US with £100m deal

The Treasury-owned coin maker has seen its US customer base more than double in last two years.
4 Jun 2024
London-listed firms saw a collapse in takeover interest in 2023 (Victoria Jones/PA)
Business News

Foreign takeovers of UK firms hit four-year low in early 2024

The figures preceded a flurry of interest in UK-listed companies in recent months, including Royal Mail and Anglo American.
4 Jun 2024
Hoteliers have also been hit by Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis (Travelodge/PA)
Business News

Minimum wage rise and wet weather hits UK hotel industry

Embattled sector squeezed further after impact of Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis
4 Jun 2024
London’s premier stock exchange finished the day 12.6 points lower (Kirsty O’Conner/PA)
Business News

FTSE 100 slips after early rally as GSK shares drag on index

The FTSE was initially boosted by gains for retailers and property giants, with JD Sports and Ocado among the top risers.
3 Jun 2024
Firms pointed to a continued recovery in the wider economy and improving export orders as reasons for positivity (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Business News

UK manufacturing sector bounces back into growth as optimism hits two-year high

Production grew at the quickest rate since April 2022 amid surges in business confidence and new work.
3 Jun 2024
A monitoring service showed a surge in reports saying Google News was not working (Alamy/PA)
Tech

Google News suffers temporary outage across desktop and mobile apps

The tech giant says parts of its search engine were still experiencing ‘disruption’ after problems started early on Friday.
31 May 2024
Nationwide research showed that the upcoming General Election is unlikely to hit house prices (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Business News

House prices make modest rebound in May as confidence improves, says Nationwide

The rise comes after slight increases in mortgage rates since the start of the year slowed the housing market through March and April.
31 May 2024
The Treasury has been selling down its stake in NatWest in recent years (Matt Crossick/PA)
Business News

Treasury sells £1.24bn of NatWest stake as plans for public sale postponed

The Government had planned a public share sale this summer but that has been pushed back because of the upcoming General Election.
31 May 2024
Frasers Group owner Mike Ashley (Lucy North/PA)
Business News

Frasers Group hikes Hugo Boss stake after luxury brand warns on demand

Mike Ashley’s retail conglomerate now owns about 13.9% of Hugo Boss, worth £305 million.
31 May 2024
<p>The number of homes for sale in the capital has rebounded after last year</p>
Property News

Can you guess how many billions worth of London homes are up for sale?

Zoopla reports that the total value of homes for sale in the capital is up 30 per cent in a year

30 May 2024
Dr Martens has been hit by cooling US consumer demand of late (Lauren Hurley/PA)
Business News

Dr Martens profits plummet as US consumers turn their backs on bootmaker

The company wants to cut £25 million in spending next year, but warns revenue on the continent will fall again in 2025.
30 May 2024
<p>Daniel Kretinsky is already a 27% shareholder in Royal Mail’s parent company (Alamy/PA)</p>
Business News

Who is Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire trying to buy Royal Mail?

The businessman, known as the ‘Czech sphinx’ because of his quiet, inscrutable style, could take over the 500-year-old organisation.
29 May 2024