UK Business News

Majestic Wine sees return to sales growth

The wine warehouse retailer says growing sales to individuals has seen off declining sales to the restaurant trade

Sainsbury’s customers take trolleys elsewhere

More than £11m of spending went to the supermarket group's main competitors in the 12 weeks to November

• Sainsbury’s looks to North in growth drive

• Cautious Sainsbury's reveals 19% profit rise

Persimmon's orders for new homes swells by 50%

Britain's second largest housebuilder cuts its debt level as activity in the housing market continues to improve

Fashionistas boost Asos sales by 46%

Online fashion retailer sees international growth overtake Britain as free returns policy dents pre-tax profits

World Business News

Japan worries about growth's dark side

A key risk indicator has triggered Cabinet Office deliberations about declaring that the economy is back in deflation

Galleon's Rajaratnam seeks to unseal Khan records

Hedge fund founder asks court to open records of an earlier criminal charge against the Government’s main witness

• Fourteen more charged in Galleon case

• Technology chief named in Galleon case

UK to teach English in Bangladesh via mobile

BBC World Service scheme funded by the British Government will offer 50 million Bangladeshis a series of English lessons

US gun sales shoot up amid crime fears

Buyers are concerned that rising unemployment will lead inexorably to higher crime rates

Analysis

Labour must reduce taxes to help to create jobs

We have to think about economic strategies that require commitment, patience and, above all, jobs

Small business needs help not warm words

It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week but practical help from the Government is hard to come by

I never showed Alistair Darling my new contract

The Government should keep out of bankers’ pay arrangements

Law  

IT programmers implicated in Madoff scandal

Prosecutors charged Jerome O’Hara and George Perez with assisting the $65bn fraud and say more conspirators could be unmasked

Trivial cases 'clogging up crown courts'

Jack Straw tells magistrates that the justice system would be improved if they passed on fewer cases for trial by jury

Libel laws stifle health doubts

Justice Alternative therapists and makers of medical devices are using the UK courts to silence critics

Money  

Savers denied the best rates

Readers accuse banks of denying them the best fixed-rate deals because of spurious delays when their previous deals mature

How to get the best credit card this Christmas

Follow our credit checklist to ensure that your Christmas shopping doesn’t cost more than it should

Revealed: Ofgem’s failure to tackle npower overcharging

Customer anger deepens as documents show that the energy regulator let npower off the hook

business travel  

Profile: Toptable's Karen Hanton

An upgrade to first class? No thanks. The restaurant booking website founder explains why

Business travellers of the world unite! Well Britain anyway...

Travel agency body launches survey as it seeks to influence political parties in the run-up to the General Election

The world's oddest airport lounges

Lounges for dogs and children sound bizarre but they don't come close. Wait till you hear about Finnair's new Helsinki facility