Business

The John Lewis Partnership is plotting the takeover of a fast-growing recipe box provider backed by the former Wimbledon champion Sir Andy Murray as it seeks to tap into consumers’ post-pandemic penchant for subscription services. Sky News has learnt that Waitrose is in detailed negotiations to buy Mindful Chef, which provides meal-kits to thousands of customers

Here’s the irony: up until recently, if there was one part of the European Union which most Conservatives said they actually rather liked, it was the state aid regime. This, after all, was the one bit of the single market that Britain put most store by. Indeed, back in the 1980s when it was being

In ordinary times chancellors and prime ministers would trade a limb for a monthly increase in GDP of 6.6%, but these are far from normal days and there are already signs that the post-lockdown bounce back may be losing some of its zip. The positives first. The recovery in July continues the V-shaped trajectory established

The economy remained 11.7% below its coronavirus pandemic peak in July as the UK emerges from its sharpest recession on record, official figures show The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.6% in the month as more parts of the economy awakened from the enforced hibernation of the COVID-19

Scottish-born Citigroup executive Jane Fraser is to become the first woman to lead a Wall Street bank after being announced as the firm’s next boss. Cambridge-educated Ms Fraser, who began her career at Goldman Sachs in London, will take over from current chief executive Michael Corbat in February. The 53-year-old’s promotion to one of the

Morrisons has reported a £155m hit to profits from costs related to the coronavirus crisis. The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket chain said, like rivals, it had seen a surge in sales during the first half of its financial year in the run-up to, and during, the COVID-19 lockdown that began in March that saw all non-essential

Leading investors in Pearson, the FTSE-100 educational publisher, are planning to vote against a $9m (£7.4m) pay award for its new chief executive amid fury that the company has forced them into an “all-or-nothing decision” over his appointment. Sky News has learnt that Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), an influential voting adviser, has recommended that Pearson

Ministers are planning to override parts of the Brexit deal with a bill that could be “inconsistent” with it. The controversial Internal Market Bill was published after the government admitted yesterday it wanted to potentially “break international law”. It is intended to distribute powers being brought back from Brussels to Westminster and the devolved administrations

Wall Street’s “FAATMAN” group of leading tech stocks have suffered a renewed sell-off leaving $1trn wiped off their value in less than a week. The group – comprising Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Alphabet and Netflix – took another tumble as US markets reopened on Tuesday after the Labour Day holiday. Tech stocks have led

EasyJet has warned it expects to operate a weaker flight programme than hoped for in the coming months because of a series of coronavirus pressures. The no-frills airline said it had to focus on “profitable flying” as the wider industry bids to recover from the COVID-19 lockdown that has resulted in thousands of job losses

Consumers working and shopping from home helped retail sales to their best growth since the start of the pandemic last month but there was little cheer for the high street, new figures show. Total sales rose by 3.9% in August compared to the same period last year, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). It

The Chinese conglomerate which bought the Thomas Cook brand after its collapse last year is plotting an imminent relaunch of one of the most prominent names in the British travel industry. Sky News has learnt that Fosun, which had been a big shareholder in Thomas Cook for several years prior to the company’s demise, is

Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator has said Europe should “take our position seriously” ahead of a new round of crucial trade negotiations. David Frost, who will lead the UK’s post-Brexit trade talks as well as serving as the prime minister’s national security adviser, will meet the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in London next week. The

Publicans are demanding the urgent reopening of bars across Ireland, which is now the only country in the EU imposing their closure for health reasons. Ireland‘s pubs were shut in March, as coronavirus case numbers began to rise. On 29 June, pubs that could serve a “substantial meal” valued at €9 (£8) were allowed to

The government has parachuted in investment bankers to help thrash out a rescue plan for Britain’s biggest steel producer after months of talks over a deal that could preserve thousands of jobs. Sky News has learnt that Credit Suisse has been asked by the Treasury to advise on talks with Tata Steel, which owns the

US President Donald Trump has congratulated himself on a “much better than expected” unemployment rate in August. Mr Trump was tweeting on Friday after the US Department of Labor announced that the US unemployment rate had fallen from 10.2% in July to 8.4%. He wrote: “Great Jobs Numbers! 1.37 Million Jobs Added In August. Unemployment