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M&S employees expecting slashed bonuses

Around 75,000 employees of Marks & Spencer face slashed bonus pay-outs this week despite the retail giant achieving £1 billion in profits for the first time in a decade, it was reported today. Read

WH Smith linked with move for Paperchase

Retailer WH Smith was today linked with a possible £50 million bid for stationery chain Paperchase. Read

House starts tumble

New housing starts tumbled by almost a quarter in the first three months of 2008 to their lowest level in 12 years as builders shelved projects in an ailing market, official figures showed today. Read

BA makes £883m - but no bonus for chief exec

British Airways announced annual pre-tax profits of £883 million today, but warned it was braced for a “challenging” year ahead due to sky high oil prices and following its troubled move to Heathrow Terminal 5. Read

Barratt plans to reduce its number of sites

Barratt Developments said today it expected its number of sites to decline as it responds to a “significant” deterioration in market conditions. Read

Bradford & Bingley to ask shareholders for £300million

Yorkshire mortgage bank Bradford & Bingley has asked shareholders for £300m in a bid to bolster its balance sheet. Read

Sainsbury's unveils plan to boost non-food sales

Sainsbury’s unveiled plans to boost non-food sales today, including through the launch of a new online venture. Read

ScS slumps to an annual loss

Sofa chain ScS Upholstery is set to slump to an annual loss after it today revealed worse-than-expected trading over the crucial bank holiday weekend. Read

Compass points way to improve profits

The world’s biggest catering firm managed to post an increase in profitability today, despite wrestling with continued high food inflation. Read

Long commutes "hits workers' health"

The time people spend travelling to work is affecting their home life and health, although people with demanding jobs make sure they take pets for a walk for at least half an hour a day, according to new research today. Read

Credit crunch fails to hit holiday plans

Thomson and First Choice owner TUI Travel today said trading remained “buoyant” as households showed no sign of ditching summer travel plans. Read

Gloomy outlook from Redrow

A leading housebuilder painted a bleak picture of the property market today after revealing a “marked increase” in cancellation rates since Easter. Read

Centrica warns over rising gas prices

British Gas owner Centrica warned today of potential further bill hikes for customers after revealing that continued high wholesale gas prices would hit results this year. Read

Manufacturing prices soar

Manufacturing firms have sharply increased the prices of their goods in a bid to tackle the strongest cost pressures for 20 years, according to a new survey today. Read

Lie detector plan to spot people pulling sickies

Lie detectors could one day be used to spot people who are “pulling a sickie” from work. Read

British Gas to sue IT firm

British Gas today confirmed it is to sue the firm that designed its household billing IT system that it claims was behind a costly customer service debacle. Read

Hot weather triggers sickie boom

Most firms were hit by workers pulling a “sickie” last week because of the hot weather, a new report claimed today. Read

Warm weather boosts sales for Next

Fashion chain Next today said the warmer weather had boosted trading as it looks to recover from a difficult start to the year. Read

Carphone Warehouse gets £1.1bn investment to begin expansion

Carphone Warehouse today said it had sealed a £1.1 billion investment from US group Best Buy to launch a joint venture retailer across Europe. Read

Sales up at Unilever

Unilever today said underlying sales rose 7.2% at the start of this year after the company acted to recover sharply higher costs. Read