Export To UK - Business News

The British government is committed to a long-term, productive and friendly partnership with Pakistan. The United Kingdom views Pakistan as a long-term strategic partner and would continue to support all its endeavours aimed at expansion of trade relations between the two countries.

President Asif Ali Zardari Thursday said Britain and Pakistan need to work closely to further enhance their partnership in diverse areas mainly in trade, investment with a view to eliminate militancy and terrorism from his country and promote peace and security of the region and the world.He was speaking to a delegation of British businessmen headed by Mr. Martin Donnelly, Permanent Secretary, UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), who called on him this afternoon.Those who attended among others included representatives and CEOs of well known companies and business groups including Standard Chartered, Mott MacDonald, JCB, Shell, Lagan, Mabey Bridge and Bestway.

At a business conference in London last week H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent set the tone when he said in opening remarks, "2011 may well go down as a watershed year in Russian post-Soviet history."

As growth slows in the UK and US, Costa and Starbucks are racing each other to expand in eastern markets

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable, Foreign Secretary William Hague and Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green have set out how they plan to make the UK one of the leading destinations for global investment.

The US owner of TGI Friday's, the American-themed restaurant group, is to invest £70m in the UK over the next four years in a move that could create as many as 5,000 jobs.

BRITISH businesses finished the last fiscal year in better financial health than they started it, according to a survey.

The UK and Ireland office of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, held a Dubai business seminar in partnership with The Islington Chamber of Commerce on 23 March at their office in London.

Speaking at the promotion held at the Privrednik business club, head of the economic department at the British Embassy in Belgrade Alex Brooks said that the goal of the organization is improving the business environment in Serbia and the relations between British and Serbian companies.

LAW firm McGrigors has agreed a transatlantic tie-up with US company Husch Blackwell in its second foray outside of UK territory in less than a month.

French mutual insurance giant Covea increased its presence in the UK market yesterday with the acquisition of Yorkshire's Provident Insurance for an undisclosed sum.

BUSINESS surveys continue to point to a rebound in growth for the first three months of this year, but economists are divided on the extent to which the UK economy will recover.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have travelled to Nottingham in a bid to support chancellor George Osborne's Budget message that the government would be "putting fuel into the tank of the British economy".

Chancellor George Osborne has made clear that the UK is "open for business" with yesterday's (March 23rd) Budget Statement.

Mercedes Grand Prix CEO Nick Fry has been appointed one of the UK government's new Business Ambassadors. Fry will now be charged with briefing ministers and UKTI (UK Trade & Investment), on Britain's motorsport industry.

The United Kingdom will expand business links across emerging Indian cities in 2011-12 as part of its ambition of doubling bilateral trade with India over the next five years, U.K.'s Minister for Trade and Investment Stephen Green said on Friday.

A NEW ZEALAND aerospace company has opened its first UK office in the North-East.

Cisco is posting an optimistic outlook for the economic recovery of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the UK.

UK business confidence is at its highest in four years.Data from KPMG's Global Business Outlook survey reveals output growth expectations in manufacturing are the highest in its nine-year history.

THE manufacturing sector is continuing to drive the economic recovery in Wales, latest figures have revealed.

Business activity in Scotland rose in February at its strongest pace for 44 months, according to a new survey.

Prudential has reported UK new retail business profits of £257m, up 15% on last year.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is to hold an event this week encouraging the region's business to trade with Canada.

The rebirth of the UK's construction sector is an opportunity for firms in Northern Ireland, where building sites remain almost deserted, an economist said.

INSURER Admiral has posted a 23% increase in its 2010 profits, as strong growth in the UK motor insurance business offset a drop in earnings at its confused.com price comparison site.

AN ONLINE comparison website has enjoyed a 300% rise in post-tax profits. Moneysupermarket.com, based in Flintshire, saw a jump to £7.7million in 2010.

"Our message is simple: Britain is now open for business," Prime Minister David Cameron Taking its title from early speeches by David Cameron, BSR is preparing to publish a Special Supplement 'Britain Open for Business' with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official gazette of the Russian Federation. The supplement to be published in July focussing on British-Russia trade and investment opportunities is the shop window for a BSR project promoting Britain to senior Russian decision makers in government, business and industry across the Russian Federation. The supplement will be produced in cooperation with the Trade Mission of the Russian Federation in the UK. It will be supported by extensive materials in both English and Russian on the BSR web site, www.bsr-russia.com.

Operating profits at British Gas rose 24% in 2010 to £742m, its parent company Centrica has said. The news comes two months after the UK utility announced a 7% rise in domestic energy bills, which it blamed on rising wholesale prices.

Britain's offshore oil and gas industry is enjoying a sustained boom in investment and job creation, according to the sector's annual business survey.

MUMBAI: The UK nuclear business community is very optimistic about nuclear commerce with India in the form of joint ventures.

Sheffield Forgemasters has maintained profit levels despite the global slump in the demand for steel which pulled down turnover by more than a tenth.

DCC has agreed a deal to buy Pace Fuelcare, a British oil distribution business, for €27.7m.

Burberry and Tate & Lyle head list of possible buys for rivals in resurgent corporate sector.

Governor Deval Patrick announced today that leading business executives and senior government officials will take part in the Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission.

Jules Kroll's new American bond ratings business is investigating opportunities in Europe and Asia in a bid to become a global rating agency.

London, Feb 4 (IANS) The UK-India forum was 'fantastically important', said British Prime Minister David Cameron, who hosted the first meeting of the CEOs grouping at Downing Street and discussed ways to improve trade between the two countries.

AS MORE small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) look to extend trade links internationally, Santander Corporate Banking is well placed to guide them through the complex environment of international business.

Santander managed a 15% rise in profits in its growing UK banking business in 2010, but the Spanish group's core continental Europe business dragged down its overall profits.

Belfast is the UK's second most attractive city for foreign investors, the UK Trade and Investment Department has claimed.

Move links with Starbucks, Debenhams, 02 and more but puts Facebook on collision course with Groupon and Google.

Private equity giant assembles 'one of the top five largest funds in history' despite slowdown.

Healthcare manufacturer Philip Kennedy says demand overseas for his products is booming, but uncertainty looms at home.

STEEL production rose by near- ly a quarter in the UK last year as the world economy recovered.

THE Thai firm in talks to buy the Corus steel plant in Redcar may seek a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green will today host the largest trade event ever held for business representatives of all eight Nordic and Baltic countries as well as the UK.

A CO ARMAGH concrete company has won contracts in the UK and Ireland worth almost £1.9m.

A FERTILISER company with a production facility in Middlesbrough is set to be bought by a US firm.

The man expected to be China's next prime minister is in the UK on a visit designed to shape the British-Chinese trade relationship for the next 20 years.

Chief executive Chris Moore believes timing is everything in a market boosted by Britons' newfound desire to eat at home There is no room for stragglers in the pizza kitchen. Every moment counts. The head of the delivery chain Domino's Pizza reckons split-second timing is the very essence of its remarkable success in catering for Britain's seemingly insatiable appetite for stay-at-home comfort food.

A DARLINGTON firm of specialist franchise advisors has recorded a 50% increase in enquiries as firms around the country look for new ways to expand their businesses.

UK turnaround specialist Endless has acquired Liberata Limited, a supplier of business processing outsourcing services to the public sector, in the firm's first London deal and its biggest investment to date.

Businesses have reason to be optimistic about a recovery in the UK economy, according to Royal Bank of Scotland.

THE leader of the CBI business lobby group warns in a New Year message of "bumpy times ahead"for British firms - but says the UK economy is likely to keep heading in the right direction.

Business leaders have predicted "bumpy times ahead" for British companies in the new year, but said opportunities for growth will be there for the taking.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI), Thailand's largest hot-rolled steel producer, is mobilising US$1 billion partly through an issue of 5.24 billion new shares to finance the purchase of a steel plant in the UK and expand the facility in the next two years. The acquisition of Teesside Cast Products (TCP) in northern England from India's Tata Steel Group will be completed in the first quarter of next year and lift SSI's sales to three million tonnes in 2012 from this year's 2.3 million, with targeted revenue of 70 billion baht, said president Win Viriyaprapaikit. SSI's board of directors yesterday approved the increase in registered capital by six billion baht ($200 million) as part of its fund-raising plan. The capital increase is subject to endorsement from a shareholders' meeting on Jan 25.

BRITAIN'S corporation tax regime is still out of step with that of other countries despite George Osborne's recent 4 per cent reduction in the headline rate, according to the director of CBI Scotland. Iain McMillan says the government needs to rethink Britain's tax system as the public finances recover because Britain remains at a disadvantage to many European competitors.

Office for Budget Responsibility's borrowing forecast may well be missed, which could leave Osborne with a tricky decision Since October there has been a growing sense that the UK economy is back "on track", as chancellor George Osborne puts it. The third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures revealed the fastest growth in that part of the year for a decade: 0.8%. Meanwhile, directors of large UK companies generally agree that recovery is real, despite the spending cuts and tax increases to come.

• Foreign companies bought $87bn worth of British businesses • British firms spent $39bn on acquiring overseas businesses

Swedish construction group Skanska sees opportunity in 'huge gap between supply and demand' in UK housing market

The UK's economic growth quickened last month, according to a leading think-tank, as a survey indicated that companies' improving optimism could signal the economy is passing a "turning point".

Business connectivity in the UK could become the best in Europe as the government announces a new investment strategy to support the rolling-out of next generation network access.

Tesco has reported improved sales for the third quarter, driven by the economic recovery and efficiency savings.

A NEWPORT company is celebrating after being named the UK's most outstanding business.

Sun Life Financial of Canada, UK is closing to new business.

The Government is set to launch a bid to persuade international companies to stay in Britain by pledging an immediate reform of two corporate taxes that are blamed for driving businesses overseas.

The London 2012 Olympics could bring big business opportunities to Austria, experts said in a conference in Vienna today (Thurs).

UK family businesses are showing signs of being upbeat about the future, with 64% saying they are aiming to expand, according to the UK findings of PwC's latest Family Business Survey.

AFTER narrowly avoiding a Thirties-style Great Depression, the UK economy is headed for a brighter future, a leading Bank of England figure told The Northern Echo yesterday.

The Government's charm offensive on the so-called BRIC nations continues on Wednesday as Vince Cable leads a delegation of 37 business leaders on a three-day trade mission to Moscow. The Business Secretary will be joined by bosses from Britain's biggest companies including Rolls-Royce, British Airways, Rio Tinto and Diageo in a bid to "strengthen ties and promote trade" with Russia.

The government's announcement that most intra-company transfers (ICTs) will be exempt from a cap on migrant skilled non-EU workers is a "good result"for the UK economy, according to John Cridland, CBI director-general designate. Yesterday, Home Secretary Theresa May announced the government is introduce a cap of 21,700 on the number of skilled workers from outside the European Economic Area allowed into the UK.

The number of U.K. business insolvencies fell 17 percent in October from a year earlier as companies' financial positions improved, Experian Plc said.

What do Birmingham airport, the Channel tunnel rail link and the engineering conglomerate Tomkins have in common? They've all been bought by Canadians. The folks north of America's 49th parallel have no qualms about snapping up British assets, but it's a rather more complicated situation when foreign bidders try to enter Canada.

U.K. retail sales rose in October for the first time in three months as consumers bought more sports gear and games and brought forward spending to avoid next year's increase in value-added tax.

Smartphone-maker HTC has announced the launch of HTC Business in the UK - a separate division devoted to promoting and supporting the use of its handsets in a professional environment.

Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke at the launch of the report, offering support for the Group in "realising its vision of UK and Indian businesses collaborating on low carbon opportunities".

Continued collaboration between the UK and China to improve the Intellectual Property (IP) environment is essential for ensuring continued innovation and economic growth, Business Secretary Vince Cable said on November 11, 2010.

British companies are seeking to boost growth further afield than the sluggish home market, China and India being their main targets. As premier David Cameron leads the largest ever trade mission to China this week, accountants Ernst & Young have published an eye-opening report, Competing for Growth.

The UK India Skills Forum (UKISF), formed by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC), will be joining hands with Centum Learning Ltd, a Bharti Associate company and National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) in enabling the Indian joint venture to train 12 million individuals over a 10-year period, in 383 districts of India.

Carrier BT claims its newly opened Customer Innovation Showcase Centre in Beijing can help ambitious UK firms explore the lucrative Chinese market.

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron finished a two-day official visit to China. Trade and economic objectives were earmarked as the key items on the agenda from the outset. The visiting delegation was picked accordingly and, besides the prime minister, also included four Cabinet members - Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Business Secretary Vince Cable, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne and Education Secretary Michael Gove, as well as 43 UK business leaders. The Voice of Russia's Boris Volkhonsky has more details.

UK business levels are moving up, according to research by HSBC Holdings plc (LON:HSBA).

Some of Britain's top private sector leaders have been appointed business ambassadors to promote overseas trade, the government said on Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 Index hit a two-year high as investors were cheered by the US Federal Reserve's move to boost the economic recovery.

For the fifth year in a row, Singapore has placed first out of 183 countries in a World Bank ranking of the countries where it is easiest to do business. Rounding out the top five were Hong Kong, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA.

Demand for new UK workers reached its highest level for nearly a year in October, the recruitment company Reed will say today. Reed's Job Index rose three points to 107 in October, its highest point since the index began at the end of last year.

George Osborne says the economy is growing strongly, but how much of that is down to a construction rally that is already petering out?

UK Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk praised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed Wednesday between the UK and Qatar on the sidelines of HH the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned state visit to UK.

HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad met a number of British businessmen at the Buckingham Palace yesterday afternoon.

FEARS of a double dip recession relaxed yesterday on the back of better-than-expected figures for economic growth.

Spanish wind energy company Gamesa plans to base the worldwide center of its offshore wind energy business in the UK.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said Britain's government is listening to the complaints of business about its proposed immigration cap, which companies say is preventing them from bringing in staff they need.

The number of business travellers heading to the UK from around the world has risen by 3% this year so far compared with the previous year, according to figures released by VisitBritain ahead of this year's Business Travel Show in Dubai.

International Logistics company ASCO Group is expanding its freight management operations into Norway by acquiring a freight forwarding business there in line with its strategy for further geographic expansion.

Alun Thorne speaks to Marketing Birmingham boss Neil Rami about a new era for inward investment in the city

Construction and professional services provider Balfour Beatty is buying Canada-based Halsall in order to widen the geographic base of the Parsons Brinckerhoff professional services business bought last year.

Indian and Scottish business relations will be further enhanced with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) signing partnership agreements with the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) Tuesday.

AN ASIAN Scots businessman has called for a formal business and economic growth strategy with India to ensure Scotland capitalises on Prime Minister David Cameron's "special relationship". Arvind Salwan, managing director of New Media Corp, is launching the India Scotland Business Collaboration (ISBC) as a public-private sector partnership to help accelerate investment between the two countries.

A major consulting firm is bringing almost 50 jobs to Northern Ireland.

Intec, one of the world's leading providers of Business Support System (BSS) solutions, today announced a multimillion dollar contract with a leading Colombian operator to standardize its operations on Intec's Wholesale Business Management Suite (WBMS), including InterconnecT, Intec Roaming and Inter-mediatE. The selection was driven by the need for convergent products able to support the demands of next-generation networks and the services they enable.

An unexpected rise in UK service sector activity in September has given an extra lift to the market.

Manchester has climbed four places in property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield's European City monitor to 12th, overtaking Birmingham as it becomes the UK's most favourable city to do business in.

Chancellor George Osborne today made a dramatic pledge to "do everything" to make Britain the most competitive place in the world to do business.

Sales on Britain's high streets were much higher than expected this month, rising at their fastest rate in six years as consumers defied the grim economic outlook.

UK business investment rose 0.7 percent in the second quarter of the year compared to the previous quarter, powered by a rise in manufacturing spending, data released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed on Tuesday.

Lloyds TSB Middle East, part of one of the world's largest banking groups, and the British Embassy's UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) the UK government's international business development body have travelled from the UAE to Britain in order to advise businesses on setting up in the Middle East.

Business ISP Andrews & Arnold ( AAISP ) has revealed that it will launch its own mobile data ( Mobile Broadband ) service in October 2010, although this is still subject to final confirmation with the carrier. The product will consist of 3G data SIM cards that allow full IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity using AAISP IP address space and routing.

Associated British Foods, the food and retail group owned by the Weston family, announced 13 September that trading for the second half had risen substantially and that it expected strong full-year results for the year ending 18 September.

Confidence levels among businesses in the transport & storage sector increased in Q3 2010 while the outlook across the whole economy weakened, states the latest ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence Monitor (BCM).

In order to assist the Indian financial sector on setting up regulated business within the United Kingdom (UK), Deloitte and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) released a guide for India Inc. to this effect.

Globally renowned cutting tool manufacturer, the Tungaloy Corporation is delighted to announce that it has now opened a new facility in Birmingham to service the UK marketplace. The Japanese company has been successfully producing high specification cutting tools, indexable inserts, and additional industrial products for over 70 years.

Historically, companies' dividend payments have been much more stable than their profits.

The UK economy grew at its fastest rate in nine years in the second quarter, helped by the struggling construction sector bouncing back after the big freeze.

The U.K. economy expanded faster than previously estimated in the second quarter in the biggest growth spurt since 2001 as companies rebuilt stocks and construction work surged.

Each of this year's 30 finalists in the 3i Private, Grant Thornton Mid-Cap and Coutts & Co Large-Cap Business of the Year categories offer insights into the approaches and industry sectors that have defied the recession over the last year.

EXPERIAN has reported a big 33 percent reduction in business insolvencies for June 2010 compared to last year.

Business groups have given cautious approval to the Coalition Government's efforts to cut the deficit and restore public finances during its first 100 days in power.

The number of companies being wound up dropped sharply in the second quarter as Britain continued to haul itself out of recession, but experts warn that liquidations could soon rise again as public sector cuts bite. The government's Insolvency Service said today that there was a 19.1% fall in company liquidations on a year earlier to 4,080. That was a slight rise on the first quarter of 0.5% but generally liquidations have been falling over the last year. At the same time, personal insolvencies appeared to have peaked and posted their first quarterly fall since the end of 2007. They stood at 34,743 - up 5% on a year earlier.

Skandia UK posted a 65% rise in new life business during the first half of the year, driven by a strong jump in pensions sales. New life business, on an APE basis, climbed to £193m over the half, compared to £117m in the corresponding period last year. The rise was primarily driven by a 66% jump in pensions new business, to £153m.

The big five banks in the UK this week reported combined profits of £15 billion in the first six months of 2010 in sharp contrast to the massive losses reported last year. Despite the fact that UK taxpayers now stand on a £6.7 billion paper profit on investments in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Bank there is still concern about the level of liquidity in the UK business and consumer markets. So are UK banks doing enough?

Aviva recorded a 21% jump in operating profit in the first half of the year, with the insurer declaring 6% dividend increase.

The U.K. house-price recovery will continue through 2014 as low interest rates and a shortage of supply buoy the market, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said.

We've always enjoyed Indian imports, but the sub-continent's own market is now soaring - and the PM hopes it will rescue our economy. India has been a cheap supplier of goods to the West in recent decades, but as its own economy grows, the direction of trade is turning.

Government ministers and business leaders from India and the UK have taken part in a summit to discuss opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries. Prime Minister David Cameron, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Chancellor George Osborne and a number of Indian government ministers attended the summit in Delhi, India, this morning. Mr Cameron told delegates that Britain's universities, strong science sector, and expertise in defence and civil nuclear power were among the reasons that other countries should consider investing in the UK.

The gap between electricity prices in the U.K. and the Netherlands is set to narrow next year as utilities complete the first cable linking the two nations.

A hotel serving Liverpool John Lennon airport has proved its level of service is among the best by coming in the top 10 of a UK business travel poll.

Paris 92100 , France. The new office will offer the full range of Copernicus international services including the business to business matchmaking service "Connecting Markets"and the acclaimed market entry support of the Interim Key Account Manager Service.

The U.K. consumer services sector saw its best volumes in over two years in the three months to February, while activity in the business and professional services sector also stabilized, a survey released Monday finds.

The U.K.'s dominant service sector expanded sharply to an over three-year high in February, boosted by strong new orders and business activity, data showed Wednesday, adding to evidence that first-quarter gross domestic product grew at a faster pace than in the final three months of 2009.

Britain was one of the few European countries to record a rise in house prices in 2009 according to a new report, giving further impetus to signs of a sustained recovery in 2010.

UK manufacturers are becoming gradually more confident about the economic outlook, a fresh study by the Engineering Employers Federation and business advisers BDO claimed.

Gordon Brown has announced plans for the UK and Spain to work together to boost the skills and employment opportunities of young people.

The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Nick Anstee, will be visiting Bahrain next week with a team of 14 leading British financiers to boost business between the UK financial sector and the kingdom.

A trade delegation comprising 21 companies from the southeast of the United Kingdom arrived in Saudi Arabia Saturday on a visit to Riyadh and Jeddah that will continue until Mar. 11.

On 3 February, 2010, UK Trade & Investment hosted the inaugural Investor Relations Business Meeting at the British Embassy in Moscow. The event was organised by UK Trade & Investment and PR Newswire Europe in partnership with Finance & Investment Markets Players Club (KIFIR).

Deutsche Bahn AG, Germany's state- owned train operator, expanded its reach in Britain's privatized rail market with a seven-year contact to run streetcars in northeast England.

The vast majority of UK businesses need to be aware that they fall under a new set of regulations which recently came into force, warns Kings Hill-based solicitors Vertex Law. The Provision of Services Regulations 2009, a set of rules which integrate the EU Services Directive into UK legislation, now cover companies offering any sort of economic activity in return for payment.

U.K. house prices will increase by about a fifth in the next four years as banks step up lending and interest rates remain low, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said.

The Netherlands remains an ideal location for European distribution from a cost and quality perspective, and is also a good location for a green supply chain. This can be concluded from the latest update of the benchmark study ‘High quality, competitive costs, Benchmarking the Netherlands as Gateway to Europe’, in which different logistics hot-spots in Europe are compared in terms of their attractiveness as location for European distribution centres.

BON ANNOYAGE France was recently voted the most unwelcoming country in Europe. Our 'friends' across the channel were named and shamed as most the hostile natives on the continent in a poll of 3,000 British tourists. Germany emerged as the second most unfriendly country and Belgium was third. Spain was fourth and Turkey was fifth. Three quarters of those polled said they had been subjected to rudeness in France while two thirds said they had experienced the same thing in Germany.

European industrial orders rose more than economists forecast in November on demand for goods such as steel and car parts.

The U.K. economy most likely exited its longest recession on record in the fourth quarter as the Bank of England bought bonds to stimulate bank lending and kept its benchmark interest rate at a record low.

Beazley Group said it plans to open an office in Oslo, Norway to service energy business for the Beazley syndicates at Lloyd's.

Most small companies seeking to tap overseas markets know they'll have to navigate foreign laws, taxes and regulations. But they also need to figure out how to avoid cultural blunders.

Britain's second largest online fashion retailer, M and M Direct, is preparing to launch operations in Germany.

Tesco, the supermarket behemoth, today reported its strongest Christmas in the UK for three years as customers redeemed an extra £34 million of Clubcard vouchers. Total UK sales in the six weeks to January 9 jumped by 8.3 per cent compared with the same period last year - or 8 per cent excluding petrol - while like-for-like sales excluding petrol and including VAT increased by 5.1 per cent in the period, or 4.9 per cent adjusting for VAT.

Deutsche Bank AG, Germany's biggest bank, posted a fourth straight quarterly profit, buoyed by a tax gain, and said 2010 got off to a "promising"start as trading rebounded in January.

Business Secretary Vince Cable is leading a delegation of 50 British companies next week to India, one of the world's most dynamic economies, to strengthen the enhanced partnership between the two countries and co-chair trade talks.

LONDON -- U.K. house prices posted their largest year-on-year gain for nearly two years in December but business confidence slipped to its lowest level for eight months, underlining the fragility of the British economic recovery.