News

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has said the five-year transformation plan launched by the retail group in 2020 will take two years longer than planned as it posted another half-year loss. Nevertheless, the group, which runs the department store chain and Waitrose supermarket arm, saw pre-tax losses narrow by 41% to £59 million for the six months to July 29. JLP said the “Partnership Plan” it launched in 2020, with […]

Nottingham Forest full-back Harry Toffolo has been given a suspended five-month ban after admitting 375 breaches of Football Association betting rules. The FA said the 28-year-old had also been fined £20,956.22 by an independent regulatory commission. Toffolo was charged by the FA in July, and the player has admitted breaches of FA betting rules between January 22, 2014 and March 18, 2017. The ban is suspended until the end of […]

The Prince of Wales quizzed construction workers about their mental health during their lunch break when he visited a major building site in the capital. William chatted to a group of carpenters and a supervisor when he visited their on-site canteen after touring the development in a hard-hat, high visibility jacket and protective glasses. Construction workers face a higher risk of suicide than those from other sectors, with rates in […]

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “flip-flopping from being a builder to a blocker” as Labour prepares to vote against Government plans to relax environmental rules in order to boost housebuilding. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Labour leader was taking a “cheap political hit” by opposing reforms he said would “unlock over 100,000 homes”. The House of Lords is set to vote on Wednesday evening on scrapping EU-era […]

Poundland owner Pepco has agreed to buy up to 71 Wilko stores following the collapse of the high street chain. PwC, administrators for Wilko, said that Pepco has sealed a deal which will see the stores reopened under the Poundland brand. Workers at the stores will not be transferred directly as part of the move, but Poundland has said it will “prioritise” existing Wilko workers for roles when the shops […]

A pubs company is to charge customers around 20p more for a pint of beer at some of its locations during the busiest periods under a “dynamic pricing” system to cover rising costs. Stonegate Group, which owns chains including Slug & Lettuce and Yates, said it is raising prices at 800 of its venues during peak times, such as evenings and weekends. It has previously done so during one-off events, […]

Labour’s deputy leader has assured unions that the party will deliver a host of new rights for workers if it wins the next general election, giving a “cast-iron commitment” of what will happen within 100 days of being office. Angela Rayner set out Labour’s planned new deal for workers, winning a standing ovation after addressing the TUC Congress on Tuesday. She told delegates she had one message – that a […]

The news has been confirmed by adminstrators, PwC Another 9,100 people who work for failed retailer Wilko will be made redundant, administrators confirmed on Monday after talks to save hundreds of shops fell apart. Administrators at PwC said that the rest of Wilko’s shops would close by early October, with staff there losing their jobs. The company’s two warehouses will also close and most of the activities at its support […]

All of Wilko’s 400 stores are set to close by early October, the GMB union has said. It means redundancies now look likely for all 12,500 staff at the high-street chain. The GMB union, which represents more than 3,000 Wilko staff, revealed the damning update after a meeting with the retailer’s administrators on Monday morning. The union said on Monday that Wilko’s warehouses in Worksop and Newport are now both […]