THE DAILY BRIEFING
SHOPPING DOOM
Around 60pc of small business chiefs believe the High Street could disappear completely, according to research by Close Brothers Asset Finance.
Bosses said that sky-high business rates are the biggest problem, followed by excessive parking charges and the rise of online shopping.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Zurich-based information solutions firm TBG is buying weather forecasting company MeteoGroup, which provides weather information to the likes of the BBC and British Airways.
GIN UP
Upmarket gin Brockmans’s sales jumped by 35pc to £4.7m in the six months to June 30 as purchases by British drinkers rocketed 90pc.
FINK FUND
Hedge fund legend Lord Fink has invested £3m in Project Etopia, a business which creates affordable and energy-efficient schools and homes.
GERMAN JOBS
Frankfurt is expected to get 2,000 extra jobs as banks shift staff due to Brexit – far fewer than once predicted.
SLOW DOWN
Factory growth slowed in the three months to September, according to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry. However, growth remains above its long-term average.
BRIT BIT
New York-based bitcoin trading firm Gemini Trust Company has reportedly hired advisers to develop plans for a UK arm.
NEW ROOMS
Budget hotel chain EasyHotel is buying a lease for a 103room hotel in Blackpool that is expected to open during the 2020-21 financial year at a cost of £7.6m.
MADE UP
Cosmetics group Warpaint London has issued 3.3m shares to its joint chief executives Samuel Bazini and Eoin Macleod, as well as chief financial officer Neil Rodol.
OIL BOOST
Trinidad-focused oil explorer Trinity Exploration has posted a 16pc increase in production to 2,771 barrels per day, with revenues up 49pc to £22m.
SANCTIONS DODGE
Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s energy group EN+ has won a further licence extension from the US to help give it more time to come up with a plan to comply with US sanctions.
SALES SLIP
Aviation service business Gama Aviation said sales for the six months to June 30 dipped slightly to £79m.