1+ week, 5+ day ago (649+ words) Britain's competition regulator has opened investigations into eight companies, including leading ticket resellers StubHub and Viagogo , over hard sell online pricing practices. The companies being probed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are StubHub, Viagogo, AA Driving School, BSM Driving School, Gold's Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Marks Electrical. It is the first time the CMA has used new consumer protection powers to launch an investigation into anti-competitive behaviour. The latest crackdown comes after it was revealed reselling tickets for profit is to be outlawed under plans due to be announced by the Government tomorrow. Ministers had been originally considering allowing companies and ordinary consumers to sell on a ticket for up to 30% above the original face value but it is now thought that reselling a ticket at anything more than the original face value will be banned. It…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (525+ words) Poundland is set to close its stores in Mitcham and Sidcup as part of a major restructuring plan affecting dozens of locations across the UK. The discount retailer, which was acquired by US investment firm Gordon Brothers earlier this year, is aiming to reduce its store count from around 800 to roughly 650700, focusing on more profitable branches. The Mitcham store and the Sidcup branch are both scheduled to close, with the Sidcup store's last trading day set for November 14, while the Mitcham branch will close on November 17. The closures mark the end of a familiar bargain destination for local shoppers at a time when many households are feeling the pinch from rising living costs. Darren MacDonald, Poundland's retail director, said in a statement: "We know how disappointing it is when we leave a store, but before we close our doors for…...

3+ day, 5+ hour ago (345+ words) Welcome to our gifting issue. Read on and all of your most challenging Christmas gifting dilemmas will disappear in a puff of smoke. Our editors have chosen the cleverest presents for everyone in your life " plus the chicest taste makers, from Zac Posen to Mert Alas, have picked all the gifts they'd like to receive themselves. It's quite the bonanza. In this issue we also publish the shortlist for the 2025 Standard Theatre Awards. Founded in 1955, they are the oldest drama awards in the UK and have celebrated the finest actors, directors and writers across eight decades. Turn to page 20 to see who truly lit up the London stage this year, from Tom Hiddleston in Much Ado at Drury Lane to Cate Blanchett in The Seagull at the Barbican. Elsewhere, don't miss Ed West, one of my favourite writers, on page…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (606+ words) The Government "only listens to big business, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said as he set out his party's pitch to small business owners. Big businesses "virtually control and own the political arena, Mr Farage said, as he vowed to cut red tape and regulation for business owners who are "literally living in fear about the inspector walking through the door. Speaking at a press event in central London, he told the 300 small and medium-sized business owners joining him that he understood the challenges they face. "We get it. I've been in business, I've run my own businesses, as many of my colleagues have, as thousands of our members have, he said. "Some on the left will tell you "the economy is failing because capitalism is failing'. No. We're not living in capitalism, we're living in an age of global…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (580+ words) Online retailer The Very Group has been taken over by US private equity firm Carlyle, bringing an end to more than 20 years under the ownership of the Barclay family. The Littlewoods and Very owner confirmed that Washington-based Carlyle " a major lender to the firm " had become its controlling shareholder, with fellow lender Abu Dhabi-based investment fund, International Media Investments (IMI), continuing as a "key stakeholder. It ends a lengthy period under the ownership of the Barclay family, which has been forced to give up control of a raft of businesses in recent years, including The Daily Telegraph newspaper, The Ritz hotel in London and delivery company Yodel. Carlyle and IMI first became lenders to The Very Group in 2021. Robbie Feather, group chief executive of The Very Group, said: "This marks an important milestone for The Very Group as we move into…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (508+ words) Around "2 million in card chargebacks was claimed by Lloyds Banking Group customers between the start of January and the end of September this year, according to the bank's data. The average transaction was "35, with the bank highlighting customer problems with websites such as purchases failing to arrive, items turning out to be poor-quality imitations, or unauthorised subscriptions being set up. A chargeback is a type of card payment protection which may help shoppers get their money back when something goes wrong. Spending is expected to rise as Black Friday (November 28) approaches. Lloyds said that scammers will identify in-demand items such as Labubu dolls, Jellycat toys and high-end advent calendars " alongside "evergreen" Christmas and Black Friday products, such as jewellery, perfume and gadgets. Fraudsters' websites will purport to sell popular goods, often appearing to be heavily discounted and encouraging shoppers to…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago (586+ words) Online scammers are cashing in on shoppers looking for Black Friday deals by flogging fake designer goods that turn out to be cheap tat, Westminster Council has warned. Resident doctors to vote on extending mandate for strike action Surging steak prices deliver cost hit for Toby Carvery owner Robber who fatally kicked and punched pensioner jailed for 23 years Bargain hunters looking for deals are being lured to slick websites claiming to sell top brands based from prestigious London addresses but many are just digital shopfronts run from overseas. One unlucky customer snapped up what they thought was a "55 Ralph Lauren shirt from a golf shop based in Great Portland Street. The package arrived looking real, but the shirt inside was a fake. The store did not actually exist, and the scammers had "cybersquatted" the address, tricking shoppers into thinking they…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (621+ words) The boss of WH Smith quit today after the publication of a damning report into "extremely serious" accounting errors in the retailer's North American division. Carl Cowling resigned "with immediate effect" after an independent investigation conducted by accountants Deloitte uncovered a litany of failings compounded by "a limited level of group oversight of the finance processes in North America." He will remain employed by the company to help with the handover to his replacement until February. Andrew Harrison, CEO of the Group's UK division, will take over as interim group CEO . WH Smith warned it now expects profits in its US business to be in the range of "5 million to "15 million " down from the "55 million originally expected and the "25 million revised guidance when the accounting shortcomings were first uncovered. As a result guidance for trading profit for the year has…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (60+ words) Photography from fashion and wildlife to art and the environment, the Snap! The London Standard pictures of the day show the biggest stories and must-see photographs from London and around the world. See the best images of the day from around the world The pictures of the day are selected by The London Standard's Head of Pictures Elliot Wagland....

1+ week, 4+ day ago (521+ words) Snow has fallen across parts of Scotland as wintry weather grips the northern half of the UK. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for ice and snow across almost all of Scotland on Tuesday, with the exception of some parts of the east and west coast. Areas of northern England as far south as Lancashire and Yorkshire are are also covered by a yellow ice warning. Travel delays and hazardous pavements and cycle paths are expected, along with possible power cuts, a risk of injury and public transport cancellations. Rural communities may also be cut off. Rain is expected to move south-east throughout Tuesday, often falling on freezing surfaces and creating icy patches. Bear Scotland, which maintains Scotland's trunk roads, has reported "snowy conditions" across a number of routes in the north-west of the country, and has shared…...