Business

Image copyright Getty Images The Bank of England has cut its forecasts for UK growth over the next two years. It came as policymakers warned that a no-deal Brexit would hit the economy and trigger a further drop in the value of the pound. The Bank left interest rates unchanged at 0.75% against a backdrop […]

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionWhat do shoppers think about Waitrose’s trial? Waitrose is extending a trial to remove packaging from many products after a positive response in its first store. The “Unpacked” scheme was tested in Oxford, with customers using their own containers to buy produce such as pasta, wine and

Image copyright Hotel Chocolat Luxury chocolatier Hotel Chocolat is appealing for help locating a missing van, nicknamed the “Chocmobile.” It was stolen from the firm’s headquarters in Royston, Hertfordshire overnight on Tuesday, said Hotel Chocolat boss Angus Thirlwell. The distinctive-looking vehicle is typically used at events to sell ice cream, confectionary and hot drinks. Hotel

Image copyright Dave J Hogan The success of the Lego movie franchise has failed to strike twice for Merlin Entertainment which saw “disappointing” sales at its Legoland theme parks. Merlin Entertainment said trade had been affected by “limited momentum” from The Lego Movie 2 as well as poor weather earlier this year. The company said

Image copyright SOPA Images Oil firm Royal Dutch Shell’s profits plunged to their lowest since 2016, due to lower oil and gas prices. Shell’s second quarter profits dropped 25% to $3.6bn (£3bn), far below analysts’ expectations of $4.9bn. The oil giant blamed “challenging macroeconomic conditions” in refining and chemicals, as well as falling oil prices.

Image copyright Getty Images Chinese billionaire Liu Zhongtian has been indicted in the US over allegations he evaded $1.8bn (£1.5bn) in tariffs on aluminium imports. Prosecutors accuse Mr Liu of using the aluminium company he founded to smuggle huge amounts of the metal into the US. The firm, China Zhongwang Holdings, did not immediately respond

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionGary Cohn, Trump’s former US chief economic adviser, weighs in on US-China trade war US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China is failing to hit the Chinese economy, according to his former chief economic adviser. The tit-for-tat tariff battle was “a very convenient excuse” for China

Image copyright Reuters The death of VG Siddhartha, the founder and owner of Café Coffee Day, has sent shockwaves across the business community in India. His body was found in the early hours of Wednesday morning near a river on the outskirts of the southern Indian city of Mangalore. Despite running India’s largest coffee chain,

Image copyright PA The government has announced an extra £2.1bn worth of funding to prepare for a no-deal Brexit. The plans include more border force officers and upgrades to transport infrastructure at ports. There will also be more money to ease traffic congestion in Kent and tackle queues created by delays at the border. Other

Image copyright PA Media Government plans to buy up hundreds of thousands of tonnes of unsold lamb in the event of a no-deal Brexit could be unworkable because there is nowhere to store it, BBC Newsnight has learned. The reported plan suggested excess meat would be bought at the point of slaughter. But figures from