In April, the amount companies in England pay in business rates will change for the second year in a row. It follows a major revaluation by the government, which was introduced in 2017. It saw some bills going up, and others going down. Many retailers have closed down stores and a number of High Street…
Children affected by a family break-up will be helped to stay in contact with their grandparents under reforms being contemplated by ministers in Scotland. They are considering a legal presumption that children stay in touch after a divorce or separation. At present, grandparents have no legal entitlement to their grandchildren. Currently, grandparents in Scotland can…
The owner of Bargain Booze and Wine Rack, Conviviality, has announced plans to file for administration within two weeks. Conviviality also supplies wine and spirits to all 900 D Weatherspoon pubs and also the Slug & Lettuce chain and All Bar One pubs. It has issued profit warnings in recent weeks and revealed a £30m…
Sir James Munby, president of the high court’s family division said no-fault divorce should be introduced to help women who are “trapped in a loveless marriage”. He backed calls for a reform of marriage law by referring to a controversial case which has forced a woman to stay married to a man she wishes to…
Facebook investors are suing the social media giant following news that data firm Cambridge Analytica had improperly used data from 50m Facebook users to target American voters in the 2016 election. The news has sent its shares plummeting by almost £50bn. US court filings show that shareholders now want to sue the business over “significant…
New Look will close 60 UK stores and cut 1,000 jobs after creditors approved a restructuring plan for the retailer. The stores will close within 12 months and some staff may be redeployed. The plan will cut the chain’s rents by between 15% to 55% across its remaining 393 stores. New Look says it was…
Consumer goods giant Unilever, maker of Marmite, Pot Noodle and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, has chosen Rotterdam over London for its headquarters. It would also be reorganising its business into three divisions: beauty and personal care, home care, and foods and refreshment. The first two divisions will have their headquarters in London, while the…
Chelsea Football Club can start work on a new £1bn stadium at Stamford Bridge after settling a dispute with a neighbour who objected to the construction. The Crosthwaite family took out an injunction in May 2017, saying the expansion to 60,000 seats would block light into their home. In January, Hammersmith and Fulham Council passed…
Dyson is seeking an extra 300 engineers in a push to build its first electric car by 2020. Dyson already has a 400-strong team working on the project and has doubled the number of scientists working on its battery programmes over the past year. Dyson said the electric car team would shortly move to its…
The rise of cryptocurrency, and in particular Bitcoin, means divorcing couples may use the currency to hide their wealth from one another. While couples have a duty to provide full and frank disclosure during a divorce, they said it is not unheard of for some parties to attempt to hide their assets from their respective…