Business

Burger King, the fast-food giant, is preparing to close a number of its UK restaurants as part of a restructuring process triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Sky News has learnt that Burger King’s British operations have drafted in advisers from AlixPartners to review options for one of its subsidiary companies, which directly owns approximately 25

Care leavers are facing “digital poverty” without laptops or access to the internet, campaigners say. A government scheme to provide digital devices and internet access to vulnerable young people in England during the pandemic is set to end in November. Charities say it risks leaving up to 80,000 18-25 year-old care leavers isolated and unable

The billionaire brothers behind one of Britain’s biggest petrol station operators have moved into pole position to clinch the biggest deal of their career: the takeover of Asda that will value the supermarket chain at more than £6.5bn. Sky News can exclusively reveal that a consortium led by Mohsin and Zuber Issa, the bosses of

An order which would have banned the popular video sharing app TikTok from smartphone app stores in the US has been temporarily blocked. The order, from the administration of Donald Trump, was due to take effect at 11.59pm on Sunday. A more comprehensive ban remains scheduled for November, about a week after the presidential election.

A former boss of Arqiva, the communications technology group, is the leading candidate to become the next chief executive of the British chip designer which has been embroiled in a row over its Chinese ownership. Sky News has learnt that Simon Beresford-Wylie, who left Arqiva earlier this year, is in talks to take the helm

Royal London is pursuing a takeover of its fellow financial services provider, LV=, in a deal that would create a “mutual champion” with nearly 10m customers across the UK. Sky News has learnt that the two groups are in detailed negotiations about a tie-up. City sources said this weekend that a transaction would bring together

Rishi Sunak could not have been more stark. Unveiling his latest package aimed at tiding the UK economy through what threatens to be the bleakest winter for many years because of the COVID-19 crisis, the chancellor admitted: “I cannot save every business. I cannot save every job.” That much became clear as the City’s economists

Online fashion retailer Boohoo is facing criticism over its handling of the treatment of workers within the company’s Leicester supply chain. The review, led by Alison Levitt QC, was commissioned by the company in July after media allegations of sweatshop conditions at third-party suppliers during the coronavirus pandemic prompted a dramatic plunge in its share

The Treasury borrowed the third-highest sum for any month on record in August, according to official figures – as the chancellor prepares to unleash his latest support for the coronavirus-hit economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that public sector net borrowing, excluding the effects of bank bailouts, was estimated to have hit £35.9bn

Novavax is ready to start its Phase 3 trial of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine in the UK. The US biotechnology firm plans to enrol up to 10,000 volunteers aged between 18 and 84 over the next four to six weeks. The company joins AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna as its vaccine candidate enters the final step

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has revealed a successor to the furlough scheme as he bids to avert a winter jobs crisis following tougher restrictions to combat coronavirus. Wage subsidies form part of a package of new measures to support the economy through the latest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic – with the focus on topping-up the

Rishi Sunak is unveiling an emergency COVID rescue plan to protect jobs that is expected to include wage subsidies, VAT cuts and more cheap loans for struggling businesses. In a dramatic move, the chancellor has cancelled his autumn Budget and instead will launch a “Winter Economy Plan” after MPs and unions warned of the risk

Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man and the powerhouse behind one of the country’s largest conglomerates, has emerged as a shock contender to take control of Debenhams, the struggling department store chain. Sky News has learnt that Mr Ambani’s Reliance Retail empire, which last year bought the world-famous British toy store Hamleys, is among a small

It is possible to detect growing dismay and anger among business leaders at how Boris Johnson’s government is handling the pandemic. Some have been consistently critical of the government throughout the crisis, particularly those in aviation, which has been battered by the lockdown and subsequent imposition of quarantine rules on travellers returning to Britain. Watch

Face masks will become compulsory for bar staff, shop workers, waiters and taxi drivers in an effort to combat the rise in coronavirus cases in England, the prime minister has announced. Fines for failing to wear a face mask will rise to £200 and will be extended to customers when they are not seated at

Boris Johnson’s plans to impose a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants have been described as a “crushing blow” for the hospitality sector. The new measures are set to be enforced from Thursday across England, amid concerns that social distancing rules aren’t respected late at night. But Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality has