Biznes

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is set to hire 5,000 additional tax inspectors as part of a major clampdown on small businesses and their owners. The expansion, revealed in the HMRC Customer Service & Accounts report published yesterday, aims to secure £6.5billion in additional revenue by 2029/30.more

There has been a record jump in the number of UK businesses in critical financial distress, according to insolvency specialists. Businesses in the most distress include those in hospitality, leisure and retail, but the construction industry is also facing challenges.more

Sainsbury's has announced it will cut 3,000 jobs as it shuts down its remaining cafés and closes its patisserie and pizza counters. The supermarket says the move will "simplify the business", adding that most Sainsbury's shoppers "do not use the cafés regularly".more

The UK government has ‘no current plans’ to join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM), EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds announced, as quoted by the media yesterday. This possibility had been mentioned by EU Trade Commissioner Marosz Szefczovicz.more

Plans for a huge £2.5bn theme park out of London dubbed Britain’s answer to Disneyland appear to have been scrapped after the company behind it was ordered into insolvency. The proposed London Resort would have covered 535 acres of the Swanscombe Peninsula near Dartford, consisting of an amusement park and water resort on the banks of the Thames.more

The biggest fears Polish entrepreneurs have about their business include fuel and energy prices, the death of a business partner, climate change and loss of competitiveness, according to a survey by SW Research. Half of the respondents fear that they would have to close their business if key customers did not pay on time.more

Airports across the UK could be expanded, including the controversial third runway at Heathrow, under government growth plans. The Treasury is looking at whether to support a third runway at Heathrow, approve a second runway at Gatwick, and increase capacity at Luton airport.more

The UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.more

"As a man who values ​​precision, quality and excellence in every endeavor, I proudly present my own wine - The Special One," Jose Mourinho wrote on Instagram. The Fenerbahce Istanbul coach posted a video in which he presented his new product.more

Tax changes announced in the Budget could make it "harder for people to enter the workforce", according to the boss of retail giant Next. Lord Wolfson told the BBC that a rise in National Insurance paid by business would hit the retail sector in particular and meant "the axe [had] fallen particularly hard" on entry-level jobs.more

Anyone buying their shopping with their bank card could be in for a major change under plans unveiled by the government. If you’re doing your weekly shop and it totals more than £100 then currnently people have to put their card into the chop and pin machine and enter the number on the keypad.more

The World Bank has lowered its economic growth forecasts for Poland in 2025 to 3.4 percent and in 2026 to 3.2 percent, according to a World Bank report published yesterday. Developing economies will end the year with the weakest growth prospects in the 21st century, it added.more

InPost Group will invest almost 600 million pounds in the UK by 2029, bringing the total investment to 1 billion pounds. The company will expand its network of machines and increase its logistics infrastructure, the company said in a statement.more

Currys has said it is entering a period of “depressed hiring” and is to bring in more automation after imminent changes to employers’ national insurance. The electrical goods retailer’s plans to install electronic price labelling at 100 stores this year so shelf-edge information can be changed with the press of a button, and add more equipment in warehouses to improve efficiency.more

In 2024, as many as 57,700 companies will appear in the National Court Register. This is an all-time record. The number of registered individual businesses is also at a high level, writes ‘Puls Biznesu’ today.more

Carlsberg's £3.3bn deal to buy J2O maker Britvic has been approved by a High Court judge. The Danish brewery, which also owns brands including 1664 and Brooklyn, said it planned to create a single integrated drinks business called Carlsberg Britvic following the takeover.more

The Body Shop chain of cosmetic stores is ending its operations on the Polish market on February 22 this year, the company announced on its website.more

Starbucks has introduced a policy that will require people to make a purchase if they want to hang out in their cafes or use the restroom. It's part of a strategy that the new CEO hopes customers will welcome at a time of declining profits.more

The UK's competition watchdog has launched an investigation into whether Google has too much power in online search. Google accounts for 90% of UK web searches - the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking at whether it is using that dominant position to harm competition or choice for users.more

Customers of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland will be able to use the branches of any brand for in-person banking as the group continues to shake up its branch network, raising concerns among unions over potential further closures. more

Business leaders plan to cut costs and rein in hiring in response to government tax increases set out in the autumn budget, with employment expectations taking the sharpest tumble since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.more

Due to the poor economic situation and e-commerce competition, 2,000 traditional branches were liquidated in 2024 and another 9,000 suspended their operations - reports "Rzeczpospolita" today.more

Sainsbury's has said it will raise hourly pay though it is cautious about recruiting new staff this year due to rising costs. The supermarket chain said wages would rise 5% to £12.60 but it will be introduced in two phases "to help manage a particularly tough cost inflation environment".more

Vacancies for permanent jobs in the UK declined at their fastest pace for four years last month, according to a new survey that adds to the gloomy economic mood.more

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) lobby group warned that Budget measures mean there is "little hope" of food prices "going anywhere but up" in the second half of 2025.more