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In the papers – Hinkley, Deutsche Boerse, Tesco

Published: 05:15 14 Mar 2016 EDT

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The Times
Reform business rates or retail jobs will be lost, Osborne warned: The Chief Executive of Britain’s biggest supermarket has warned that the retail sector could come under intolerable pressure unless George Osborne pledges to reform business rates.
Don’t give up on Hinkley, Hollande tells EDF: President Hollande has demanded that France’s state electricity giant presses ahead with an £18 billion reactor in Britain despite growing misgivings at home over the project.
RBS feels the heat as Cameron seeks Iranian trade deals: Royal Bank of Scotland is under pressure to process payments from Iran to British exporters after David Cameron’s recent criticism of Barclays.
Crowdfunding site puts small investors alongside big players: A crowdfunding business is to give retail investors greater access to flotations on public markets by making them available on its online platform.
Barclays to announce payouts amid criticism from within: Barclays will give details of the shares awarded to senior Executives days after the lender’s deputy Chairman said that pay in the banking industry had to be simplified.
Stricken businesses accuse Zurich lender: Small business Owners have accused a lender owned by Zurich Insurance of trying to make most of its customers bankrupt as it wound down loans.
North Sea tax receipts close to zero: Tax revenues from the North Sea are expected to plunge to almost zero this year for the first time since the 1970s, as Britain’s oil industry reels from the collapse in crude prices.
Retailers feel profit squeeze: Retail profit margins will be squeezed over the next decade as shoppers increasingly demand home delivery, researchers have predicted.
Laing heads west to revive U.S. transport: One of the biggest names in British construction is helping to rebuild America’s crumbling and overloaded transport system.

The Independent
Martin Sorrell in line for £70 million payday if shares jump: Advertising Boss Sir Martin Sorrell is in line for a £70 million payday, after his lucrative share scheme hit the jackpot, stoking fears about runaway pay at Britain’s top companies – again.
Food stores replace fashions on high street: A flood of cafes and takeaways opening up across the country gave Britain’s ailing high streets a much-needed boost last year as the number of shop closures hit its lowest level since 2010.
MPs say secrecy around TTIP talks is ‘profoundly undemocratic’: The Government is under pressure to allow MPs to disclose sensitive information on one of the most secretive trade deals ever negotiated.

The Daily Telegraph
U.K. reliance on gas-fired power hits five year high: The U.K.’s reliance on gas-fired power has reached its highest level in five years and will accelerate the growing dependence on foreign energy supplies this summer, according to market data.
Deutsche Boerse could hike offer for London Stock Exchange this week: German exchange Deutsche Boerse could increase its offer to buy London Stock Exchange this week, potentially hiking its bid for the British institution as soon as.
Bank account complaints are rising, but the PPI crisis is slowing down: Complaints over bank accounts are rising sharply as customers object to the sale of expensive current accounts.
Pack’d smoothie makers seal Tesco and Sainsbury’s deal as ‘low sugar’ alternative: Two entrepreneurs behind a DIY smoothie kit have shaken hands with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Costco as figures show Britons are spending £1.4 billion a year on pulped fruit and vegetables.
Big companies face £200 billion property-lease time bomb as new standards start to bite: Britain’s biggest companies are facing a £200 billion property debt time bomb thanks to new accounting rules, with Tesco’s lease liability alone set to more than double to £17.6 billion.
Ads newcomer Be Heard poised for £20 million MMT Digital takeover: Be Heard, the new advertising group founded by former Aegis Chief Executive Peter Scott, is poised to make its second acquisition as it attempts to build a new digital industry powerhouse.
End of blood tests in sight for diabetes as Tekcapital acquires patent for breakthrough glucose testing technology: Aim-listed Tekcapital has acquired the exclusive license to a groundbreaking patent application for non-invasive glucose testing technology, which could overhaul the way diabetes sufferers monitor their blood sugar levels.
Teesside gains new hope with launch of specialised steel plant: Steel making has returned to Teesside with the launch of a facility to make high-quality steel in the area devastated by the closure of SSI’s plant last year.
Central banks beat Bitcoin at own game with rival supercurrency: Computer scientists have devised a digital crypto-currency in league with the Bank of England that could pose a devastating threat to large tranches of the financial industry, and profoundly change the management of monetary policy.
Luxury furniture chain Lombok plans £15 million sale after turnaround: Lombok, the upmarket furniture chain known for its Eastern-inspired dark teak beds and tables, is being put up for sale by the private equity buyer which rescued the retailer from near-collapse seven years ago, The Daily Telegraph understands.

The Guardian
Retail jobs at risk from rising business rates, says Tesco’s Dave Lewis: The government will be putting retail jobs at risk if it does not undertake a fundamental review of business rates, Dave Lewis, the Chief Executive of Tesco, has warned ahead of the budget on Wednesday.
Brexit risks higher fares and fewer flights for U.K. tourists, warns Abta: Millions of U.K. holidaymakers and business travellers face higher air fares and fewer scheduled flights between the U.K. and the European Union if the U.K. votes to leave the 28-member bloc in the June referendum, an industry trade body has warned.
Oxfam says U.K.’s top 1% took quarter of all new wealth over past 15 years: More than a quarter of the wealth created in Britain over the past 15 years has ended up in the pockets of the richest 1% of people, according to Oxfam.
George Osborne says he needs to cut spending by 0.5%: George Osborne has revealed he needs to make cuts to government spending equating to 50p in every £100 by 2020, adding that this was “not a huge amount in the scheme of things”.
RBS to cut 550 jobs as part of plan to automate investment advice: The Royal Bank of Scotland is preparing to shed 550 jobs as part of a plan to replace staff who offer investment tips with so-called “robo-advisers”.
Philip Green could face £280 million demand over BHS pensions deficit: Sir Philip Green could be asked to stump up £280 million to save 13,000 BHS staff from having their pensions cut.

Daily Mail
Sainsbury’s opens its smallest ever store in Richmond - at just 753 square feet and stocking barely any groceries: Sainsbury’s has opened its smallest ever store – which will stock almost no groceries.
Tax cheats are robbing U.K. of £5 billion in revenue every year by stashing cash offshore in tax havens: Tax dodgers are cheating the Treasury out of £5billion and have huge sums stashed in tax havens, a charity report has claimed.
Fewer retailers are closing their doors, with shop closures falling to their lowest level since 2010: Shop closures have fallen to their lowest level since 2010, and retail parks are faring best with footfall on the up, according to research.

Daily Express
Energy supplier’s confusing letter: A mystifying code on his energy bills led a sharp-eyed customer into a stand-off with his power company and its debt collectors.

The Scottish Herald
Nearly 60% of construction Bosses start their careers as an apprentice: Nearly 60% of construction Bosses in small and medium businesses start their careers as an apprentice, according to new figures.
Clydesdale £5 note nominated for international award: Clydesdale Bank’s polymer £5 note, the first fully polymer banknote to enter circulation in Great Britain, is in the running for the international ‘Banknote of the Year’ award.

The Scotsman
Belhaven Owner Greene King wants 10,000 more apprentices: Belhaven Owner Greene King pledged to take on 10,000 apprentices over the next three years, writes Scott Reid.
Oil and gas slump takes toll on economy: Oil and gas firms experienced a drop in orders last month with the slump hitting the wider private sector economy in Scotland.
Osborne faces calls to cut tax burden on North Sea sector: Business leaders and industry experts have called on the Chancellor to cut taxes further and bring in fresh concessions to help revive the fortunes of the North Sea sector.

City A.M.
Meal delivery service Marley Spoon plans U.S. expansion with €15 million Series B funding: Meal delivery service Marley Spoon has raised €15 million (£11.6 million) in its Series B funding round, which it aims to use for the launch of its west coast U.S. fulfilment operations.
Fashion chain Jigsaw takes piece of West End after signing up to the Crown Estate and Oxford Properties’ £400 million St James’s Market scheme: Jigsaw has become the latest retailer to sign up to the Crown Estate and Oxford Properties’ £400 million St James’s Market scheme.
Footfall dips in February as shoppers abandon shopping centres and high streets: Consumers flocked to retail parks in February but shunned high streets and shopping centres, according to data out.
London’s economic growth drops to three-year low as U.K. loses steam – Lloyds Bank: London’s economic growth plummeted to its lowest since 2013 in February, a survey of businesses shows this morning.
Cambridge & Counties bank reports fourfold increase in profit: Small business lender Cambridge & Counties Bank has reported profit before tax of £10.2 million, up fourfold on the £2.5 million posted the year before.
Steel sector jobs could be saved by government: The government is working with private equity fund Greybull on a deal to save 4,000 jobs at Tata’s Scunthorpe steelworks.
Iran will join output cap talks once it hits four million barrels per day: Opec rebel Iran has said fellow members of the oil cartel should leave the country alone until it has raised production to over four million barrels per day.
Norwegian oil fund parts with Pimco amid market volatility: The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund has parted ways with bond giant Pimco as it seeks to overhaul its investment strategy.
AstraZeneca facing a shareholder revolt over performance targets: Shareholders of drug giant AstraZeneca are gearing up for a revolt at the firm’s annual meeting next month after Chief Executive Pascal Soriot was handed £8.4 million in pay last year.
From faulty cars to dodgy cheese: The number of product recalls hits a record high: The number of products recalled after businesses discovered a health risk or a product flaw has soared to a record high, research out shows.

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