M&S

The middle classes are partly to blame for the rise in shoplifting, according to the chairman of Marks & Spencer (The Times £).

Archie Norman said well-off shoppers were being tempted to walk out without paying for items when self-checkout scanners failed to properly register all their items (The Telegraph £).

Marks & Spencer has been given the green light to take Michael Gove to court over his decision to block a multimillion-pound redevelopment of its flagship Marble Arch store (The Telegraph £).

The retailer was yesterday granted permission for a judicial review in the latest instalment of the row between M&S chief executive Stuart Machin and the Levelling Up Secretary (The Mail).

A protein shake company backed by Idris Elba, the Hollywood actor, has swung into profit after a surge in demand (The Times £).

The boss of Huel said he was open to a sale of the meal replacement maker, admitting that the flagging initial public offering market has made a UK listing less attractive (The Financial Times £).

The Mail reports on The FT interview with Huel boss James McMaster, writing Huel is ‘open-minded’ about a partnership with a larger company if the outlook for initial public offerings does not improve. 

Black Friday offers should be “taken with a pinch of salt” because only 1 in 50 deals is a genuine bargain, according to Which? (The Times £).

Compass Group saw profits and revenue rise in its full-year results, with the firm mainly putting this down to ‘strong performance and favourable exchange rates’ (The Mail).

Compass, the world’s biggest catering group, has raised its dividend by a third and promised to return another $500 million to its shareholders after reporting a sharp rise in annual profits (The Times £).

Shares in Compass Group fell after its profit guidance left the City underwhelmed, according to the market report in The Mail.

The Financial Times (£) features an in-depth dive into the chocolate category following the Mars offer for Hotel Chocolat last week. “Changing consumer tastes and government pressure have led the confectionery sector to mix up its offering.”

The Lex column in The Financial Times (£) takes a look at the upcoming Black Friday event and concludes that US retailers prospects look gloomy in a forgettable year.

Scientists may finally have solved a centuries-old mystery: why is it that some of us will suffer a splitting headache after drinking only a modest amount of red wine? (The Times £).

Eight months after a workplace sexual misconduct scandal erupted and the CBI became embroiled in an existential crisis, the business lobby group has hosted its first significant public event (The Times £).

US private equity investor Carlyle Group is set to earn a large windfall from its sale of a minority stake in the Chinese operations of McDonald’s, marking a rare dealmaking success in the region amid mounting geopolitical tensions (The Financial Times £).

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