Steve Smith calls on owners to accept proposed buyout as 12,000 staff face uncertain future in run-up to Christmas The founder of Poundland has warned that staff at the retailer could be out of work for “years” if it collapses, as he called on the owners of the troubled chain to accept a proposed buyout deal. Steve Smith, who set up the firm with a store in Burton upon Trent in 1990, said: “Once these jobs are lost, they are lost” from Britain’s struggling high streets. His warning comes as the chain’s 12,000 employees face uncertainty over their future in the run-up to Christmas. Continue reading...
Poundland staff could be out of work for years if retailer collapses, founder says

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Iran war reduces Aramco’s output but this has been offset by higher oil prices Virgin Media O2 is to cut thousands of UK jobs in an £800m cost-cutting drive as the telecommunications company aims to tackle its £22bn debt pile. VMO2, which is jointly owned by the British-Dutch-American telecoms company Liberty Global and Spain’s Telefónica , said £300m of the savings target will come from job cuts that will reduce the company’s employee wage bill by 30% over the next two years. While we will give a fuller update on the new strategic plan in the coming months, we are already progressing and making difficult decisions to prioritise investments and reduce costs which includes the size of our workforce. Standing still and doing what we’ve always done is not an option and while many of these decisions are tough, they are necessary for our future success and growth. Virgin Media O2 must evolve,
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Virgin Media O2 to cut thousands of jobs as it plans £800m cost savings
Up to 25% of 16,000 workforce could go as telecoms group says it will increase use of AI in areas including customer service Business live – latest updates Virgin Media O2 is to cut thousands of jobs in an £800m cost-cutting drive as the telecommunications company aims to tackle its £22bn debt pile. VMO2, which is jointly owned by Liberty Global and Telefónica, said £300m of the savings target will come from job cuts that will reduce the company’s employee wage bill by 30% over the next two years. Continue reading...

John Lewis Christmas ad stars Kristin Scott Thomas as glamorous granny on a gift hunt
Company tugs at heartstrings with Pickles the talking toy dog as it celebrates 20 years of blockbuster festive ads John Lewis has turned to a celebrity best known for playing aristocrats to put a playful but rather upmarket spin on the countdown to Christmas with this year’s festive ad, which features a toy dog called Pickles and a glamorous granny. Kristin Scott Thomas, known for playing upper-crust characters in films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is cast as Gloria, a grandmother searching for gift inspiration, with the tagline “don’t give up on giving”. Continue reading...

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The food deal, ahead of a UK-EU summit later this month, is the most significant part of the so-called Brexit reset agreed so far.