San Francisco vaping start-up Juul Labs has already taken the US by storm and looks set to exceed its initial “aggressive” sales targets for the UK, but analysts say the ecigarette maker’s meteoric rise might finally be curtailed by regulators and competition. (The Financial Times £)

Coca-Cola has agreed to buy a stake in a sports drink maker backed by US basketball star Kobe Bryant, in the hope of loosening the hold that PepsiCo’s Gatorade has over the lucrative market (The Financial Times £). Coca-Cola is to challenge Gatorade’s dominance of the sports drink market in the US after buying into Bodyarmor, a start-up that markets a healthier alternative to the leading brands (The Times £).

A former executive at the Co-operative Group has alleged that she was sacked after raising an equal pay claim and warning the company could be paying men and women differently for the same roles. (The Guardian)

The pound has fallen below $1.27 against the US dollar for the first time since June last year. (Sky News)

Marks & Spencer is having a problem accepting card payments in around a quarter of its stores. Some stores are currently unable to take credit or debit card payments, while others had limited tills available to take card payments, a spokesperson for the chain said. (The BBC)

Amazon’s one-day delivery ad for Prime members has been banned as misleading. The UK advertising regulator said it had received 280 complaints, mostly from Prime customers who reported not receiving their packages within a day. (The BBC)

US grocery chain Kroger on Tuesday said it has partnered with e-commerce site Alibaba to sell its private label products in China, marking the company’s first foray into overseas markets amid efforts to step up its online business. (The Financial Times £)

John Menzies faces an in-depth investigation by regulators over its £75 million purchase of a rival aviation services business. The decision by the Competition and Markets Authority came as Menzies reported a 15.4 per cent rise in underlying profit in the first half of the year. (The Times £)

Wesfarmers reported full year profits of A$1.19bn ($861.4m) for the 12 months to end June, a 58 per cent drop on the prior year, due mainly to write-offs linked to Homebase, its disastrous foray into the UK DIY market. (The Financial Times £)

Homebase is pressing ahead with a wave of store closures that will see 42 DIY outlets shut, putting around 1,500 jobs at risk via a CVA to shut underperforming shops. (The Daily Mail, Guardian, BBC, Evening Standard, Telegraph)

Employees at a key warehouse supplying products to House of Fraser stores and online shoppers have downed tools in a wrangle over delivery payment terms with Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct (The Times £).

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