THE DAILY BRIEFING
CHAMPERS CHEER Sales at John Lewis fell 6.3pc last week as shoppers stayed outside, but its Waitrose chain saw a 3.3pc boost as people stocked up on champagne for the royal wedding. HEADING OFF Businessman Richard Gillingwater, 61, chairman of energy firm SSE, is stepping down as a non-executive director at property developer Helical.
UNDER PRESSURE Shareholder Hermes Investment Management has called on the Deutsche Bank board to replace chairman Paul Achleitner because it is unhappy with his ousting of chief executive John Cryan. Hermes said Achleitner failed to turn around the struggling bank while he has been in charge.
CONTRACT ENDS Regional airline Flybe has ended its contract with auditor Deloitte and launched a tender process for a replacement.
DIRECTOR ROLE High Street fashion chain New Look has appointed former Matalan boss Paul Gilbert as non-executive director.
SEX CLAIM taxi firm Uber faces another sexism scandal after an exemployee filed a lawsuit claiming that managers threatened to sack her for reporting sexual harassment and discrimination.
PRIZE FUND Gaming firm Epic Games is to pump £74m into esports, funding prizes for tournaments on its Fortnite video game. JOINING UP Investment trust
Fidelity Japanese Values has appointed fund director Sarah MacAulay, 55, and accountant David Graham, 62, to serve as non-executive directors. ELECTRIC AID Oil giant BP has invested £14.8m in Store Dot, which is developing batteries for electric cars that can be charged in the same time it takes to fill a petrol tank. DIAMOND SALES Anglo-Americandiamond firm De Beers has sold £408m worth of diamonds during the fourth cycle this year – about £20m more than in the same cycle last year. HAVANA DEAL the world’s largest independent cruise port operator, Global Ports Holding, has signed a 15-year deal with Cuban firm Aries to run the port in Havana. BARRELS TALLY Caspian-focused Nostrum Oil and Gas produced 32,946 barrels of oil and gas during the first quarter. ON BOARD John Martin has joined Vietnam-focused oil firm Soco International as a non-executive director.