Ticket re-sale sites such as viagogo and Stubhub should face a tough new licensing regime which could see companies that break the rules shut down, the UK competition watchdog has said. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had taken strong action in recent years to protect customers but there was a limit to
Business
Asda and National Express are among a number of firms set to offer rewards to young people getting a COVID jab. Free Now taxis, lastminute.com and Better leisure centres will also offer incentives for those booking in for a vaccine. Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo have already said they will offer discounted rides and meals for
Some of the world’s biggest oil companies are currently paying negative tax on their fossil fuel extraction and production operations in the North Sea. Official data published by the UK government-backed Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative shows that in the tax year 2019-20, ExxonMobil received £117m in total from HMRC, Shell got £110m, and BP received
Gatwick Airport has accused the government of failing to take advantage of the UK’s “world-leading” coronavirus vaccination programme while revealing “very low” passenger numbers. The UK’s second-largest airport said it handled just 569,000 people during the first six months of 2021 and made a loss of almost £245m over the period despite operating costs being
The board of British pharmaceutical firm Vectura has backed a takeover offer from tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI), despite lobbying from health groups. PMI, the company behind Marlboro cigarettes, had offered 165p per share – or around £1.1bn – for the Wiltshire-based firm, which makes inhaled medicines and devices to treat respiratory illnesses such
The UK economy grew by 4.8% in the second quarter of the year, according to official figures charting the fightback from the last lockdowns imposed on households and businesses to tackle the coronavirus crisis. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had been expected to show a hit in the final month as
American consumers faced rising prices last month but the pace of that rise has slowed, according to official figures released on Wednesday. The US Department of Labor said that consumer prices were up 0.5% from June to July, compared with the previous monthly increase of 0.9%. Compared with the same time last year, however, they
The John Lewis Partnership says it is to create 500 new jobs as it takes control of a massive distribution centre to meet an expansion in online sales. The owner of the John Lewis department store chain and Waitrose supermarkets said it had signed an agreement with Tesco to lease a one million sq ft
The battle for British pharmaceutical firm Vectura will not go to auction, after one of the two hopefuls said at the last minute that it would not increase its bid. US private equity firm Carlyle had made the first move for the Wiltshire-based FTSE 250-listed firm, which makes inhaled medicines and devices to treat respiratory
A top figure in the haulage industry has told Sky News that deploying army personnel to help tackle the HGV driver shortage “will not scratch the surface” of the UK’s delivery crisis. A Government spokesperson said: “The recent pandemic has proven that the UK has a large, diverse and highly resilient food supply chain that
BioNTech has reported a reversal in its financial fortunes after it developed one of the most widely-used coronavirus vaccines. The German pharmaceutical company worked with Pfizer to create the vaccine, with more than a billion doses supplied to over 100 countries or territories. Along with the AstraZeneca jab, it has been used in the UK
Best-selling author, publisher, and mentor Adriana Monique Alvarez is rewriting the future of publishing with a female-led revolution that is challenging time-honored traditions. Once exclusively dominated by men, publishing is today being turned on its head by Alvarez and her company AMA Publishing, which is mentoring women step-by-step in the business of setting up their
One of the parties interested in making a counter offer for Morrisons has been granted more time to ‘put-up or shut-up’. US private equity group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) had made the request for additional time on Friday – ahead of a Takeover Panel deadline for any counter bids to have been submitted. The
One of Britain’s biggest convenience store groups is plotting a £30m cash call to accelerate the expansion of its partnership with Morrisons, the supermarket giant. Sky News has learnt that McColl’s Retail Group has approached institutional investors about a placing to raise almost as much as its existing £40m market capitalisation. McColl’s could be forced
Jobs growth in the US exceeded expectations last month while unemployment fell in a further sign the economy continues to bounce back from the turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic. So-called nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000 in July, official employment figures showed, which was above the 860,000 forecasted by economists. Hotels and restaurants reopening for business
Football Manager players will no longer be able to manage ‘Manchester United’, following a settlement between the club and the games developer Sports Interactive. Instead, from FM22 onwards, the Manchester United football club will be renamed “Manchester UFC” or “Man UFC”, the games maker announced on Friday. Fans of the game and the club have