Heineken’s pub chain is to be investigated over concerns it strong-armed landlords who wanted to cut ties with the brewer into continuing to sell its beer (The Telegraph). Heineken’s pubs and bars business is to be investigated over the alleged imposition of unfair trading terms on some of its publicans (The Times £). Heineken’s pubs business, Star Pubs & Bars, is being investigated by the UK industry watchdog over suspicions it forced some tenants to buy Heineken beers (The Financial Times £). The Pubs Code Adjudicator will look at whether Star Pubs & Bars used unreasonable stocking terms on pubs which tried to cut the so-called beer tie, an arrangement which sees tenants purchase beer from the owner of their premises (The Daily Mail). If the Pubs Code Adjudicator finds against Heineken, the Dutch beer group could be fined up to 1% of UK turnover – about £11m, based on Companies House filings by Heineken UK (The Guardian).

The economy bounced back more strongly than expected in May on the back of an upturn in car production and solid retail sales, raising hopes that a second-quarter slump may have been narrowly avoided (The Times £). A pick-up in car production helped the UK grow at a faster rate than expected in May (The Daily Mail). The Office for National Statistics said a partial resumption of car production in the month, following curbs imposed during April in case of Brexit disruption, helped drive the performance (Sky News).

The future of Marks & Spencer’s clothing chief has been thrown into doubt amid suggestions that she may be on the verge of leaving the company after less than two years. (Sky News)

Ministers have been accused of being out of touch with reality after they defended business rates and described an unpopular appeals system for the tax as “very straightforward”. (The Times £)

A no-deal Brexit would cause the pound to plummet and be worth the same as the dollar, Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has said. This would be “devastating” for Virgin, and force the group to shift investment out of the UK, he said. (The BBC)

The economic risks of a no-deal Brexit have been overplayed, the boss of JD Wetherspoon said yesterday as the pubs operator revealed that sales have risen so far this summer (The Times £). JD Wetherspoon continues to outperform its peers, despite a slowdown in sales growth in the last three months and a refusal to put up prices eating into margins (The Telegraph).

Landlord Intu finds itself at centre of retail storm, writes the FT. The shopping centre owner faces challenge as rents drop, debts grow and footfall declines. (The Financial Times £)

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