Financial news

• How secret plans saved customers of Thomas Cook from being stranded

  23-09-2019 23:04 via theguardian.com
  Civil servants spent millions creating a pop-up airline ready to fly back Brits abroadIn what turned out to be the last week of Thomas Cook’s 178-year history, while banks and creditors were still attempting to thrash out a rescue deal, civil servants were placing a multimillion-pound bet of their own. And their money was on the airline collapsing.For the second time in the space of two years, the Civil Aviation Authority was secretly putting together its own pop-up airline, and this was e
  
  Read more

• Softbank's roadmap to WeWork's flotation may prove quite tricky

  23-09-2019 20:57 via theguardian.com
  Plans to ditch CEO Adam Neumann to boost valuation could be frustrated by his super-charged voting rightsWeWork’s ambition to float in New York was ridiculed as an exercise in hot air, bad governance and ludicrous financial projections. The arrival on the public markets of the shared-office company was ultimately pulled. Now comes a plan to get the show back on the road, courtesy of 30% shareholder, Softbank: ditch Adam Neumann as chief executive.As far as it goes, it’s a good idea.
  
  Read more

• Thomas Cook travel chaos: firm's collapse leaves 150,000 stranded abroad – live updates

  23-09-2019 11:20 via theguardian.com
  A huge repatriation effort has begun after company ceases trading with immediate effect, causing flights to be cancelled Summary: Thomas Cook collapsesFull story: Thomas Cook announces administration after last-ditch talks failThomas Cook collapse: your questions answeredBoris Johnson: are directors to blame?Unions: Government should have done moreHow have you been affected? 10.20am BST One Thomas Cook customer has revealed that her plans to fly out to Cyprus to get married are now in tatters:&l
  
  Read more

• Nestlé launches made-to-order luxury KitKats for £14 a bar

  23-09-2019 09:02 via theguardian.com
  Tea-break snack gets gourmet makeover for Christmas, with 1,500 flavour combinationsWe used to be content just nibbling milk chocolate off KitKat fingers, but soon Britons will be able to snack on a “luxury handcrafted” version – for up to £14 a bar – as the tea-break staple gets a gourmet makeover.Bespoke KitKats are expected to be one of this year’s must-have Christmas presents after its owner, the food giant Nestlé, revealed the upmarket KitKat Choco
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Why can't I get a refund for a 16-25 railcard when there's a better deal?

  23-09-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The £30 card offers a third off fares – but now the 16-17 Saver gives you 50%In June I bought a 16-25 railcard for my daughter, in readiness for her to start travelling by train to sixth form college in September.The £30 card offered a third off her fares. However, at some point in August the rail operators introduced a new 16-17 Saver card which again costs £30 but comes with 50% off all fares. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Do I count as a first-time buyer if my wife already owns a home?

  23-09-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  I’m wondering if I’m eligible for a help-to-buy Isa and stamp duty relief Q My wife and I are both about 50. When we met 20-plus years ago she had already bought a house which I moved into. We have decided now that we want to move and have started looking for property.My questions are: am I classed as a first-time buyer, having never been named on a mortgage or deeds, and would I be able to start a help-to-buy Isa to save a bit of the conveyancing fees? Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• UK regions most exposed to no-deal Brexit also most deprived, warns study

  23-09-2019 07:01 via theguardian.com
  Manufacturing health check shows exporters in Wales, north-east, Yorkshire and Humberside as vulnerableA health check of Britain’s manufacturers has shown thatsome of the most economically and socially deprived areas in UK are highly exposed to the impact of a no-deal Brexit.Exporters are already suffering losses, especially in Wales, north-east England, Yorkshire and Humberside, which have a significant exposure to trade with the EU, according to a report by manufacturing trade body Make
  
  Read more

• Budweiser to stop using plastic for all its UK beer four-packs before 2021

  23-09-2019 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Brewer plans to cut plastic use by 850 tonnes a year with new approaches to packagingBrewing firm Budweiser is to phase out single-use plastic pack rings from its entire range of UK-produced beer – which include the bestselling brands Stella Artois, Budweiser and Bud Light – by the end of 2020.The group is investing £6.3m on upgrading production at its two UK factories to produce alternatives to single-use plastic, which include recyclable paperboard as well as wraps and boxes.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!