Business

Mike Ashley’s retail empire has added another high-profile investment to its portfolio after Frasers Group quietly built a near 6 per cent stake in the German sportswear brand Puma. Regulatory filings on the German stock exchange revealed that the owner of Sports Direct, Flannels and House of Fraser now controls a 5.77 per cent holding in Puma. The disclosure triggered an immediate reaction in the market, sending Puma’s shares up almost 10 per cent as...

A major new life sciences facility has officially opened in Glasgow, marking a significant step forward for Scotland’s rapidly expanding healthcare innovation sector. The 87,000 sq ft Health Innovation Hub (HiH) was formally launched by Wes Streeting during a ceremony held on 5 March. The development represents a major investment in precision medicine, digital health technologies and clinical research, reinforcing Glasgow’s ambition to become a global centre for life sciences innovation. Developed and operated by...

A legal challenge has been initiated against the UK government over a pilot scheme reportedly offering payments of up to £40,000 to certain failed asylum seekers who voluntarily leave the country. On Friday, a Pre-Action Protocol letter was issued to the Home Office signalling an intention to pursue judicial review proceedings in the High Court of Justice. The proposed legal action seeks clarification on whether ministers possess lawful statutory authority to authorise payments of this...

Sustainable sportswear brand Reflo has launched a £2.5 million crowdfunding campaign, giving members of the public the opportunity to invest in the fast-growing company alongside England captain Harry Kane. The fundraising round, which opens on 5 March via the investment platform Crowdcube, marks a deliberate shift away from traditional venture capital funding. Instead, Reflo’s founders say they want the brand’s customers and community to become part-owners of the business as it scales globally. Founded in...

Cloud-native payment processing firm Silverflow has raised $40 million (€37 million) in a Series B funding round as the company approaches one billion transactions processed annually and prepares for a major global expansion. The investment round was led by Picus Capital with participation from Rabo Investments alongside existing investors including Inkef, Crane Venture Partners, Coatue Management and Global PayTech Ventures. The funding will be used to accelerate Silverflow’s international growth, expand its product capabilities and...

Workers at luxury fashion retailer Net‑a‑Porter are set to vote on potential strike action after being told their wages will fall short of the London Living Wage, despite what unions say was a previous commitment by the company to adopt the rate. More than 100 warehouse staff at the company’s fulfilment centre in Charlton, southeast London, will take part in a formal ballot organised by the GMB. The vote will determine whether employees move forward...

Artificial intelligence could deepen gender inequality in the workplace unless women play a far greater role in shaping the technology, according to new research from the Women and Work All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The report, which draws on evidence gathered during a series of industry roundtables between 2024 and 2025, warns that AI systems trained on historically biased data could replicate and even amplify existing discrimination in areas such as recruitment, career progression and performance...

Training used to be built on two tools: time and effort. In 2026, there is a third tool that quietly changes everything: data. Athletes still need grit, but now they also get feedback that used to be invisible: how hard a session really was, whether recovery is trending up or down, and where technique breaks under fatigue. This does not mean everyone needs a lab. It means training is becoming more personalized. A smart plan...

The landscape of professional leadership in 2026 has shifted from purely technical competence to a more holistic “Executive Presence.” For the SME community, where the founder or director is often the primary face of the brand, maintaining a high level of personal presentation is not a matter of vanity; it is a strategic business requirement. In high-stakes negotiations and investor pitches, the confidence projected by a leader often serves as a silent proxy for the...

In the digital age, we spend a massive amount of time talking about the “cloud,” remote workflows, and virtual collaboration. We obsess over the software that keeps our teams connected. However, for those of us who still maintain physical headquarters, retail spaces, or industrial hubs, there’s a physical reality that often goes unaddressed. The environment we build around our people is a silent partner in our success or failure. But have you ever walked into...