Starbucks held talks with the Government on Friday but has refuted claims it threatened to withdraw £100million investment in new UK branches after criticism of its tax affairs.

Hilco wants to rescue about half of the 223 stores in the UK as it looks to repeat the strategy that has seen it turn around HMV's Canadian arm, which it bought in 2011.

EasyJet chairman Sir Michael Rake is to step down, despite surviving a clash with the airline’s founder last year and delivering a recent surge in the share price.

The move came days after the supermarket giant reported a 2.5 per cent drop in sales that left it trailing the growth of rivals.

Davos has been labelled the 'sigh of relief' event this year. There will, however, be few people breathing a sigh of relief in Madrid or Athens or indeed Paris or Toulouse.

Out of the ten stocks in our experimental portfolio, eight have risen in price over the past quarter and the other two have fallen only slightly.

KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young are expected to infuriate MPs by refusing to identify which organisations they have advised.

The Business Secretary’s decision is the first sign that the Government is responding to high street concerns that rates continue to rise while rents in many areas outside Central London are in decline.

The number of UK stock market listed companies warning over profits leapt to 86 in the fourth quarter, taking the total to 287, the highest since the credit crunch and banking sector meltdown in 2008.

What is it about business that – just as it should be on its very best behaviour – it manages to pull the stinkiest rabbit out of an increasingly putrid hat?

Those women born between April 1953 and July 1953 who are due to reach their State pension age between April 2016 and 2017 have been hit by a cruel double-whammy of policy changes.

There are a few important rules for the planning and delivery of difficult fiscal decisions and, based on present form, the Treasury is likely ignore all of them.

Sterling was 'slaughtered' on the global currency markets after official figures showed the UK economy shrank by 0.3 per cent in the final quarter of 2012 - leaving it on the brink of a triple-dip recession.

The value of new equity release plans jumped 17 per cent in 2012, according to a new study. Janet Wainwright chose to start an equity release plan with Stonehaven, drawing a lump sum to clear her debts.

Our foster girl stole my wife’s jewellery and other saleable items, worth in all about £8,500. But our insurance company says we are not covered for theft by foster children.

A serious accident on the slopes could rack up a bill of £3million. One skier thankful she had winter sports cover is Jane Francis, 60, from Alfriston, East Sussex.

Ministers are examining plans being advanced by Tory backbenchers to ensure that the first £2,500 of taxable income is taxed at 10p in the pound rather than the current rate of 20p.

The firm, based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, provides low-cost, energy-efficient lighting to public and private businesses around the world.

The winner of Financial Mail’s inaugural Made In Britain awards is proof that the shock of redundancy can be turned into triumph.

Banks and building societies generated revenues of £8.8billion from current accounts in 2011 – the equivalent of £139 per active account, figures revealed today.

Most leisure companies are failing to grasp the benefits of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter even though they could boost sales, according to research by Barclays.

Bettering its existing market-leading balance transfer card by a month, the product will go live on its website on Monday and comes with a 3.5 per cent fee, reducing to 3.2 per cent after a partial refund.

Households are finding themselves forking out on average £189 in interest payments alone each month on top of capital payments made on their borrowing.

The total balance owed by consumers on all personal loans fell to £34.5billion in December, the lowest figure seen since August 1999 and almost half its pre-financial crisis peak.

Is it worth opening a First Direct account to grab the switching incentive and savings rate? Lee Boyce takes a look at how it stacks up.

Mark Zimmerling found a card he believed cleared had a sting in the tail - and would end up costing him more than £100 in sneaky charges months down the line.

Mortgage rates are back at record low levels - with five-year fixes below 3 per cent and two-year fixes below 2 per cent. So is now the time to fix?

It has announced this morning its closing the existing cash Isa accounts and moving customers to its Direct Isa account, giving savers a 1.75 point boost.

Experienced entrepreneur, adviser and mentor Andy Yates says there is a growing entrepreneurial revolution that could change society.

Monday sees the end of a government review into whether regulations limiting the remit of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) should be lifted.

Get your tax affairs in order and earning a living from home could be a tempting prospect, especially when factoring in the cost of childcare.

Interest-free periods on top balance transfer cards now average at 23.2 months, so those struggling with a financial hangover this January can save themselves hundreds of pounds as they get back on their feet.

The great-grandmother was left without money and unable to pay her bills over Christmas after the bank froze her account when she attempted to rearrange her finances following the death of her husband Reuben.

Steve Asfour, head of sales trading at Fox Davies, reckons the stock market could begin to pull back shortly as money comes off the table.

Amid all the clamour of past wrongdoing it is easy to forget that the banks are failing to do the basics well, writes Alex Brummer (pictured).

Michael O’Higgins' Dogs of the Dow strategy picks the highest yielding blue-chip stocks, surmising they have been over-sold.

We pick our five favourite cash Isas for savers. This is essential Isa reading and is kept up-to-date throughout the year