Author: SKYNEWS

Adnams, one of the most historic names in British brewing, has drafted in City advisers to raise new funding amid a deluge of insolvencies across the sector.Sky News has learnt that Adnams is working with Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) on a range of options to shore up its finances. People close to the situation said these were likely to include an injection of private capital from a high net worth investor or family office.The sale of some of Adnams’ freehold assets from its estate of pubs and inns would also be considered, they added.The objective of the plan is understood…

The Duke of Sussex’s court case against the Daily Mirror publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) began in May 2023.The joint lawsuit, over accusations of historical phone hacking, started just a few days after his father was crowned King. Read more:Mirror Group apologises to Prince HarryWhat Prince Harry won and lost at trialPrince Harry gave evidence in person last June.Mirror Group denied the allegations, some of which related to when Piers Morgan was the Mirror’s editor. The journalist and presenter has since become a vocal critic of the prince and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex. It was one of multiple…

The new owners of The Body Shop are lining up administrators for its British arm just weeks after taking control of the cosmetics retailer, in a move which could threaten significant numbers of shops and jobs.Sky News has learnt that the company founded by Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon nearly half a century ago is preparing to appoint FRP Advisory to handle an insolvency process for its UK operation, which trades from around 200 stores. City sources said on Friday that the administrators were ultimately likely to consider closing a significant chunk of The Body Shop’s UK outlets, although…

It was the sequel film fans didn’t realise they needed, but when Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget came out before Christmas – 23 years after the original – it topped Netflix’s most-watched charts for weeks.Speaking to Sky News, director Sam Fell admits: “You send it out into the world and it’s like a kid really, you hope everyone is going to treat it nicely.” Not only has the film taken flight with viewers of all ages around the world, but the animation is also in the running for a BAFTA later this month.It has been a vindication for Fell,…

The Premier League is facing a fresh battle over changes to rules governing commercial deals between related parties after it was warned by a club that the proposals were unlawful.Sky News has learnt that the 20 top-flight clubs, which include Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester United, were notified on Thursday that one of them had informed the Premier League that it could resort to arbitration proceedings to prevent the changes being adopted. The so-called associated-party transaction (APT) rules are intended to ensure a level playing field among English football’s elite teams by preventing clubs from signing commercial deals at inflated…

Prince Harry and the publisher of the Daily Mirror newspaper have settled the remainder of his hacking claim against the company.It follows a High Court judge’s ruling in December that phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) was carried out from 1996 to 2011, and was “widespread and habitual” from 1998. Judge Timothy Fancourt also said that phone hacking continued “to some extent” during the Leveson Inquiry into media standards in 2011 and 2012, and concluded that Harry’s phone was hacked “to a modest extent” by MGN.At a hearing to determine costs on Friday, Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne said the…

Global cocoa prices have surged to a record high this week as bad weather conditions impact crops in West Africa.Cocoa prices on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in New York reached a new all-time high of $5,874 (£4,658) a ton on Thursday, closing up 7.3% at $5,805 (£4,604). The cost of the core ingredient for making chocolate has almost doubled – rising about 90% – since the start of last year.Chocolate production is concentrated among a few major players and some have their stock listed on the public markets.US chocolate giant Hershey said on Thursday it is expecting a further slowdown…

World-renowned music producer DJ Tiesto has pulled out of performing at the Super Bowl because of an undisclosed family matter.Tiesto, who has repeatedly been named the best DJ in the world during his 40-year career, had been expected to warm up the crowd before kick-off and perform throughout the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas on Sunday. However, the 55-year-old wrote on social media on Thursday that he will miss the match as he needed to return home.The Dutch DJ, whose real name is Tijs Verwest, wrote on X: “It was a…

Two men have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy died in a “workplace accident” on an industrial estate.A joint investigation has been launched by police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to establish the circumstances that led to the tragedy in Bury, Greater Manchester. Officers were called to Tile Street in the town shortly after 10am on Thursday, with fire crews and paramedics also attending.A 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving offences and gross negligence manslaughter, while a 36-year-old man was also detained on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.Read more on Sky News:The epidemic of violence against…

Tesco has announced the sale of most of its banking arm to Barclays in a deal worth up to £1bn.The UK’s largest retailer, which had been in discussions with other major lenders including HSBC and Lloyds over a deal, said all 2,800 staff at Tesco Bank would transfer to Barclays under the agreement over time. The sale only includes its banking operations in credit cards, loans and savings.Tesco Bank’s wider financial services interests, including insurance, gift cards and cash machines, will remain with Tesco.Money latest:Ring Doorbell doubles prices in less than two years The company told the bank’s five million…