Image copyright Getty Images Beyoncé has ended a business venture with Topshop boss Sir Philip Green by buying him out of Ivy Park, the gymwear label they founded together. The pair launched Ivy Park two years ago, playing on the personal brand of the US singer and outspoken feminist. The buyout comes weeks after Sir …
Image copyright Getty Images Sterling has fallen sharply after Cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey quit over Prime Minister Theresa May’s draft Brexit deal. The pound fell more than 1% against the dollar to $1.2798 and dropped more than 1% against the euro to €1.1313. On Wednesday, Theresa May had secured Cabinet backing for …
Image copyright Getty Images Retail sales fell by a worse-than-expected 0.5% in October, after a mild autumn hit sales of winter clothes. Sales at household goods stores fell 3% following a particularly strong August and September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. For the three months to October, retail sales rose 0.4% – a …
Image copyright Getty Images Half-year profits at Royal Mail have tumbled after the company failed to cut costs as quickly as hoped. Pre-tax profit more than halved to £33m for the six months to 23 September despite a 1% rise in revenues to just over £4.9bn. Revenue from its GLS European parcel operations was up …
Image copyright Justin Sullivan/Getty Hand car washes should be required to have a licence to operate in an attempt to prevent “modern slavery in plain sight”, according to MPs. The Environmental Audit Committee has been conducting an enquiry into fears that cheap hand car washes exploit workers and damage the environment. MPs said more than …
Image copyright Getty Images Only 10% of pubs intervene to stop children gambling on their premises, the Gambling Commission has found. The watchdog said it had found a “concerning” number of pubs where youngsters used gaming machines. Pub staff are expected to prevent under-18s playing on the machines and there should be clear signage indicating …
Image copyright Getty Images The BBC has been accused of not “fully untangling” the “mess” over some presenters’ tax affairs. The chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Meg Hillier MP, said some freelancers had been left in “desperate circumstances”. Her comments come as the spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, published a report into the …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Collectables like this have seen speedy sales growth Parents are spending heavily on mystery toys as a craze in wrapped-up collectables is set to dominate Christmas sales. Sales of collectable toys – such as the L.O.L. range – have risen by 30% in the year so far, compared with …
Image copyright Getty Images Uber posted a loss of $1.07bn (£821m) in the three months to September, as the ride-sharing firm prepares for a public stock offering next year. The US company’s net losses widened sharply on a quarterly basis as revenues rose only slightly. Uber was recently valued at $72bn, making it one of …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The global blood plasma industry will be worth $44.3bn by 2022, according to one estimate Scotty Hearron says he was a “broke college student” the first time he got paid for donating some of his blood plasma. This was a few years ago when he was at university in …