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Built For Athletes secures £1m NatWest funding to fuel global expansion

Warrington-based fitness brand Built For Athletes has secured £1.025m in funding from NatWest as it accelerates plans for global expansion and product innovation. The facility comprises a £525,000 trade loan and £500,000 in invoice finance, providing the fast-growing business with additional financial flexibility to invest in new product lines, scale operations and expand its international footprint. Founded in 2018 by brothers Daniel and Nicholas Costello, Built For Athletes has established itself as a category-defining backpack...

Topshop returns to the high street in John Lewis stores

Topshop is making a nationwide return to bricks-and-mortar retail, launching in 32 John Lewis stores in its most significant high street comeback since the collapse of Arcadia Group in 2020. The relaunch, which also sees Topman stocked in seven John Lewis locations, marks the first time in four years that the brand has returned to physical retail at scale. Topshop’s original Oxford Street flagship was once a defining force in British fashion, famously drawing crowds...

UK unemployment hits five-year high as wage growth cools

UK unemployment has climbed to its highest level in five years while wage growth continued to ease, strengthening expectations that the Bank of England will resume cutting interest rates in the coming months. Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show the jobless rate rose to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December, up from 5.1 per cent in the previous rolling quarter. Unemployment has been edging higher since 2022, reflecting a...

Graduates missing out on jobs due to lack of workplace readiness, recruiters say

Graduates are increasingly missing out on job offers because they are not considered ready for the workplace, according to new research that suggests a widening gap between academic achievement and professional expectations. A survey commissioned by Regent’s University London found that 80 per cent of recruiters believe graduates are losing out on roles due to a lack of professional maturity and work readiness. A further fifth described some candidates as “work shy” and lacking self-awareness....

Thune guarantees voter ID bill to hit the Senate despite Schumer, Dem opposition: ‘We will have a vote’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is ready to put Senate Democrats to the test on voter ID legislation. The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has earned the backing of 50 Senate Republicans, including Thune, which is enough to break through a key procedural hurdle. Whether it can pass from the Senate to President Donald Trump’s desk is, for now, an unlikely scenario if lawmakers take the traditional path in the upper chamber....

GOP reaches key 50-vote threshold for Trump-backed voter ID bill as Senate fight looms

Senate Republicans now have enough support within their conference to pass Trump-backed voter ID legislation, but a major hurdle remains. The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has secured the backing of 50 Senate Republicans, following a pressure campaign by the White House and a cohort of Senate conservatives over the past several weeks. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has led the charge in the upper chamber, ramping up his efforts last week as the...

Tom Emmer blasts Democrats’ double standard on SAVE Act: ‘They require photo IDs’ at their own DNC

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is accusing Democrats of being hypocritical in their opposition to Republicans’ latest election integrity bill. The No. 3 House Republican ripped the rival party after nearly all of them voted against the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act last week, specifically over its provision mandating federally accepted photo identification at the polls. It’s also sometimes referred to as the ‘SAVE Act.’ ‘These guys are doing the same old...

Why customer service is integral to business success

Providing excellent customer service is often essential for a business to succeed. Even with a strong product and competitive pricing, a business can struggle if its customer service doesn’t meet expectations. Negative experiences, such as delayed email responses, short-tempered shop workers, or frustrating returns processes, can put customers off. In some cases, a single negative experience may be enough to dissuade someone from returning. In this article, we’ll explain the importance of prioritising customer service...

Rubio shines on global stage while AOC, Whitmer, and Newsom take heat

Some of President Donald Trump‘s top Democratic critics who may run for the White House in 2028 used appearances at a high-profile European conference this past weekend to blast the Republican president’s agenda and try to beef up their foreign policy chops. But for some of these Democrats with national ambitions, the international stop at the prestigious Munich Security Conference may have backfired. Meanwhile, a highly anticipated address by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who...

The Benefits of Choosing Virtual Medical Services

The way people access healthcare has changed in recent years, and many now turn to virtual medical services as a more convenient and accessible option. For some, it has become a regular part of their routine. For others, it is something they are curious about but have not yet tried. Virtual care combines qualified medical professionals, secure digital platforms, and flexible appointment formats to create a service model that supports patients in a more immediate...