The Times
National living wage is inconvenient truth for the corner shop: Britain’s reputation as a nation of shopkeepers may be in peril after the number of convenience stores fell sharply in the past year.
Goldman ‘hired spies to get bankers out of Libya’: Goldman Sachs was alleged to have hired a team of spies to spirit two of its staff out of Libya after a senior official at the country’s wealth fund threatened the men, according to a statement shown to the High Court in London.
VW plugs its plans for cars powered by batteries: Volkswagen plans to launch more than 30 all-electric cars by 2025 as the scandal-hit company repositions itself as a leading player in environmentally sustainable driving.
Tata pension trustee picks rock over hard place: Tata’s pension scheme trustee has backed government plans to slash its benefits, arguing that it would be more painful for most members to enter the Pension Protection Fund.
Referendum fears rattle oil market: Oil prices plunged for a sixth straight day amid growing worries about the impact of Britain’s imminent EU referendum and signs of weaker than expected demand in the U.S.
Japan puts stimulus measures on hold: Japan’s central bank insisted that the economy was in good shape as stocks slumped and the yen rose once again, after its decision to hold back from new stimulus measures to reflate the flagging economy.
WS Atkins secures Hong Kong contract: WS Atkins has won a deal to expand Hong Kong International Airport, the consulting engineer announced.
Intu to get Merry with £400 million top-up: Britain’s biggest Owner of shopping centres is in talks to buy up the 50% it does not already own of a site near Birmingham for about £410 million.
Darty profits surge after takeover fight: Darty has shown no ill effects from the fiercely contested takeover battle it endured this year, reporting a healthy double-digit rise in pretax profits.
Rogue trader prosecutors ‘under thumb of SocGen’: The prosecutor who charged a French rogue trader admitted in a secret recording that she had been manipulated by the bank that employed him, a court heard.
Brake on motor insurance profits: A two-year run of profits in the motor insurance market has come to an end after claims payouts continued to mount despite a government-led crackdown on fraud. According to the accounting consultancy EY, motor insurers reported a marginal loss last year after notching up annual profits in each of the previous two years.
Now Uber will deliver a takeaway too: It has already shaken up the taxi market. Now Uber is aiming to grab a slice of the lucrative restaurant delivery sector after launching UberEats in London.
The Independent
Unilever Bosses warn of negative impact of Brexit: Past and current Bosses of Unilever have voiced their support for the U.K. remaining in the EU ahead of the referendum on 23 June. Paul Polman, Unilever Chief Executive, said that the consumer giant, which is one of the oldest multinational companies in the world, would be “negatively impacted” if the U.K. voted to leave the EU.
Mulberry profits rise by £4.3 million after it cuts prices: Mulberry has recorded a surge in full-year profits as the luxury handbag brand continues to swing back into fashion. The firm said pretax profit rose from £1.9 million to £6.2 million as the Somerset-based company’s turnaround under Chief Executive Thierry Andretta continues.
Volkswagen scandal sends its market share to a five-year low: Volkswagen AG’s European market share contracted by the most since December last month as the lingering effects of its emissions-cheating scandal prevented the German carmaker from taking advantage of improving sentiment among auto buyers.
Financial Times
Lloyds Banking Group wins £3 billion bond case: Thousands of investors have been dealt a blow after the U.K. Supreme Court narrowly ruled in favour of Lloyds Banking Group’s controversial decision to call in more than £3 billion of high income-paying bonds.
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Uber launches U.K. food delivery service: Uber has launched a food delivery service in London, in a move that is likely to put pressure on incumbents such as Just Eat and Deliveroo.
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Purplebricks plans Australian expansion after sharp U.K. growth: Purplebricks said it planned to expand in Australia on Thursday, as the fast-growing online estate agent posted a quadrupling of revenues since listing in the U.K. last December.
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Virgin Media Owner gives £700,000 to campaign against Brexit: Mike Fries, the Chief Executive of Liberty Global, has warned that the company would seriously reconsider future capital investment in the U.K. if Britain votes to leave the EU.
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Salesforce considered a bid for LinkedIn: Salesforce.com considered making a takeover bid for LinkedIn before Microsoft won the professional social networking company over with its own $26 billion offer, it has emerged.
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Redstones raise heat over Viacom with board shake-up: Sumner and Shari Redstone have moved to replace the five independent Directors of the Viacom board, firing a new salvo in the fight for control of the media group that owns MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures.
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Pimco lays off 3% of global workforce after client outflows: Pimco has laid off 3% of its global workforce and has asked for more staff to volunteer to leave, as it continues to deal with the fallout of Founder Bill Gross’s damaging exit in 2014.
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Lex:
Software M&A: get off of my cloud: The arms race in enterprise software is getting increasingly hazardous. Two financially dubious acquisitions have been narrowly avoided. Microsoft is reported to have tried to buy Salesforce last year for more than $50 billion. Salesforce tried to buy LinkedIn before Microsoft eventually prevailed in a $26 billion deal this week.
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Facebook: Data plan: Users are not everything for social networks. LinkedIn has more of them than the U.S. has citizens, but that could not prevent it from being bought out this week by Microsoft at a share price one-quarter lower than its peak.
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Crown Resorts: stick not twist: On Thursday, Australian casino operator Crown Resorts announced plans to separate its Australian from its international assets.
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Lombard:
Gold miners emerge through looking glass as havens from Brexit: It is a cockeyed world when Petropavlovsk is deemed a haven from Brexit. It extracts gold from a part of Russia geographically so far to the right of Greenwich that it is left.
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Steinhoff the fox: As Poundland Boss Jim McCarthy slaps L-plates on to his motorbike and heads into the sunset, he might secretly want to hug Steinhoff. The South African retailer said this week it might bid for the U.K. discounter.
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The Daily Telegraph
HSBC pays out £1 billion to settle U.S. sub-prime lender fraud claim: HSBC has agreed to pay more than £1 billion to settle a securities fraud class action that stemmed from the bank’s takeover of a U.S. sub-prime lender more than a decade ago.
Europe’s reliance on Russian gas to hit record highs this year, says Gazprom Chief: Europe will rely on Russia for record imports of natural gas this year as domestic production plunges following the crash in oil and gas prices, said Gazprom Boss Alexei Miller.
BT defends £1.7 billion rural broadband scheme as rivals question whether taxpayer cash was needed: BT has come under fire for receiving £1.7 billion in taxpayer cash to roll out broadband in rural areas that it said would otherwise have been neglected by the private sector, as take-up has been far higher than expected.
GVC ‘could face 20,000-strong class action’ over Doug Honegger dispute, law firm claims: More than 20,000 people could join a class action against online gambling giant GVC, the law firm spearheading a potential legal fight with the Sportingbet Owner has claimed.
Charles Stanley pares losses but market headwinds hold back growth: The stock market jolts of the past year have weighed on Charles Stanley’s efforts to restructure its business, although the 244-year-old wealth firm has managed to narrow its losses and stabilise revenues.
Eurozone could cope with Brexit fallout, says Eurogroup Chief: The Eurozone could brave the fallout from a Brexit vote, Eurogroup Chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem has claimed, despite projections that EU countries could be among the hardest hit if the U.K. decides to leave.
LendInvest takes a step closer to becoming the first U.K. peer-to-peer lender to float: Peer-to-peer (P2P) group LendInvest has hired veteran financier Stephan Wilcke as an adviser to its board, in a move which takes the company one step closer to floating on the stock market – something no other firms in the U.K. sector have yet done.
The Guardian
Bank of England: economy will be hit hard if Britain leaves EU: The Bank of England has issued a fresh warning that a vote to leave the EU in next week’s referendum risks knocking economic growth, pushing the pound sharply lower and sending shockwaves through the global economy.
Boris Johnson dismisses Bank of England’s Brexit warning: Boris Johnson has dismissed fears about the value of sterling in the event of Brexit and suggested the Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, is guilty of talking the economy down.
A third of U.K. businesses think Brexit would be bad for economy: A third of businesses in the U.K. think Brexit would be bad for the economy, according to a poll that also shows company Bosses in London and Scotland are most worried about a vote to leave the EU in next week’s referendum.
National Grid needs overhaul, say energy committee MPs: A powerful parliamentary group has called for the National Grid to be stripped of its powers for balancing the energy system in Britain due to a potential conflict of interest.
Barclays says £721 million lawsuit by financier is misconceived: A £721 million claim being brought against Barclays by Amanda Staveley – a financier who helped the bank find billions of pounds to stave off a taxpayer bailout in 2008 – is “fundamentally misconceived”, according to court documents filed by the bank.
Rolls-Royce unveils first driverless car complete with silk ‘throne’: Rolls-Royce has unveiled its first driverless vehicle, a concept car that promises to help its Owner announce their importance to the world.
Daily Mail
George Osborne’s plans for a Northern Powerhouse slammed as piecemeal, partial and parochial: The Chancellor’s plan for a Northern Powerhouse is piecemeal, partial and parochial, a report has claimed.
Plus-size fashion retailer N Brown shares soar 6% on better than expected first quarter sales: Shares in plus-size fashion retailer N Brown soared 6% on better than expected first quarter sales.
British Steel workers urged to back pension deal in bid to avoid a rescue from the protection fund: Thousands of members of the British Steel pension scheme have been asked to accept worse terms on their retirement benefits, in a bid to avoid a rescue from the pension’s lifeboat.
High street sales show surprise jump in May as shoppers brush aside Brexit fears and spend cash on summer outfits: U.K. shoppers splashed out cash on updating their summer wardrobes as the warm weather returned in May, shrugging aside worries over the impending EU referendum, according to official data.
Daily Express
Price falls fuel spending spree on the high street: Consumers sent sales on the high street surging last month. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the quantity of retail sales increased by 0.9% compared with April, and is up 6% on the same time last year.
Leave says Bank of England ‘risks economy instability’ after more anti-Brexit predictions: The Bank of England could spark financial instability in Britain with its claims over the economy and a vote to leave the European Union, according to critics.
Turkey to be EU’s third biggest trade partner – so Project Fear is wrong about Brexit: Turkey may become the European Union’s third largest trading partner, proving a country’s business ties with the bloc can prosper without membership.
Stock market carnage amid fears the world is heading for recession: Global stock markets dived again on Thursday morning as panic over another world recession gathered pace.
The Scottish Herald
FirstGroup enlists MTR in battle with Stagecoach: The battle between Scotland’s transport giants for Britain’s biggest rail franchise has been stepped up with an alliance between Hong Kong’s MTR and FirstGroup to bid for Stagecoach’s South Western territory.
Aberdeen-based Faroe Petroleum enjoys success with drill bit: Shares in North Sea-focused Faroe Petroleum have surged seven% after the company announced it had made a discovery off Norway following some exploration reverses in recent months.
Iomart adds Steele to its board: Iomart, the cloud computing specialist, has appointed financial services veteran Ian Steele as a non-Executive Director, writes Scott Wright.
Buccleuch boosts portfolio with £5 million of property acquisitions: Buccleuch Property, a division of the Duke of Buccleuch’s family business, has acquired three properties in deals worth more than £5 million in total.
SLI launches new OEIC to U.K. investors: Standard Life Investments, the Edinburgh-based global investment Manager, has launched an American Equity Income open ended investment company (OEIC) to U.K. based retail investors.
UBS’ £18 million real estate buy marks first investment in Glasgow: UBS Asset Management’s Global Real Estate business has bought The Grosvenor Building in Glasgow for £18 million from Standard Life Investments, marking its first transaction in the city.
Mrs Tilly signs Lidl confectionery deal: Mrs Tilly’s has struck a “six-figure” deal with Lidl to produce three products for the grocer’s Caulder’s Confectionery range.
Clydesdale Boss flags Brexit volatility: Clydesdale Bank Boss David Duffy has warned a Brexit vote in next week’s EU referendum would lead to more volatility on U.K. markets.
The Scotsman
EU referendum: BoE warns of Brexit hit to pound: A Brexit vote is likely to send the pound plummeting as pre-poll jitters are already hitting the housing market, the Bank of England has said.
Nick Nairn helps Johnston Carmichael mark Stirling move: Johnston Carmichael has officially marked its move to larger premises in Stirling with an event attended by celebrity chef Nick Nairn.
Profits plunge at takeover target Poundland: Poundland has posted a slump in annual profits after a “challenging but transformative” year as its suitor stepped up its pursuit with a 23% stake in the chain.
Glasgow Fort extension helps pull in more shoppers: More than 14.5 million shoppers have visited the Glasgow Fort shopping and leisure centre since the introduction of its major extension a year ago when Marks & Spencer became a flagship tenant.
Looming EU vote hits reservations at builder Berkeley: Upmarket housebuilder Berkeley has blamed a 20% fall in home reservations on consumer concerns about a possible British withdrawal from the European Union.
University of Dundee contributes £740 million to economy, study reveals: THE University of Dundee contributes more than £740 million to the Scottish economy each year and supports 8,000 jobs across the country, a new report has found.
City A.M.
Revlon set to buy Elizabeth Arden in $870 million deal: Cosmetics maker Revlon is set to snap up perfume maker Elizabeth Arden for a whopping $870 million.
Fastjet hits out at Stelios Haji-Ioannou for attacking Chairman: Fastjet has hit out at Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the co-Founder and second-biggest shareholder in the African airline, for calling on investors to oust its Chairman.
New EU audit reforms of Public Interest Entities could open up £10 billion market for advisers, according to new research: New EU audit reforms affecting Public Interest Entities (PIEs) that come into effect could open up a £10 billion market for advisers, according to new research from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.
John Lewis aims to capture Modern Rarity with luxury designer brand: John Lewis has created its first ever luxury womenswear label in a bid to offer its customers “fewer, better pieces”.
Petroceltic power struggle comes to a close with Worldview gaining control and CEO Brian O’Cathain bowing out: The long-running battle for control at exploration company Petroceltic has reached a conclusion with shareholder Worldview Capital assuming full control of the company.
SocGen is set to expand its St James’s Square office by 8,000 square feet: French banking giant Société Générale is about to double the size of its St James’s Square office. The bank, which is headquartered in Paris but operates major offices across London, is also moving ahead with plans to move into a new larger Canary Wharf office in 2019.
Kenya considering launching tea futures to stabilise prices: The world’s first tea futures contracts could be launched in Kenya in an attempt to stabilise prices and securitise production.
Atkins warns Brexit would herald “difficult” period for U.K. engineering: Atkins has warned that a Brexit vote next week would bring about a difficult period for the British engineering sector.
