Brighton’s struggling independent stores: ‘The nation of shopkeepers will go on the dole’

City’s small shops are reaching tipping point amid higher business rates, staff costs and big chains eager to move inIt’s lunchtime at Dormitory, an independent bedlinen store on Gloucester Road in Brighton, and proprietors Sue Graham and Cathy Marriott are peering across the street at the Brighton Sausage Co. They can tell when shoppers have stayed indoors by the number of sausage rolls left in the window. It’s a Tuesday before Christmas – supposedly the busiest time of the year. But there’s still a big pile remaining.“In 10 years’ time, we’re all going to be going, ‘We need shops

Roomba maker iRobot bought by Chinese supplier after filing for bankruptcy

The US company behind the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner has filed for bankruptcy protection and agreed to be taken over by one of its Chinese suppliers.iRobot, which is best known for debuting the Roomba vacuum cleaner in the early 2000s, will be taken over by a subsidiary of its main supplier, Picea Robotics.The Roomba maker, which is listed in the US, said it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware as part of a restructuring agreement with Picea.iRobot’s earnings have come under pressure in recent years, hit by supply chain problems and the rise of cheaper competitors. The company warned earlier this month that it could face bankruptcy

Young people bearing brunt of UK jobs downturn, thinktank warns

Young people are bearing the brunt of Britain’s jobs downturn, according to a report, before official figures this week that are expected to show the UK unemployment rate rising to 5.1%.The Resolution Foundation thinktank said a “jobs deficit” was pushing a growing number of graduates and non-graduates into unemployment as employers reduced hiring.City economists expect the unemployment rate to have edged up from 5% in September to 5.1% in October, in Tuesday’s update from the Office for National Statistics

Green sleeves? Laundry detergent being tweaked owing to gen Z’s love of matcha

It used to be curry sauce, egg yolk and red wine that ruined Britain’s clothes but in a sign of the times laundry detergents are being reformulated to tackle stains left by matcha lattes, Aperol spritz and bubble tea.In a month when year-end gongs are dished out, from BBC Sports Personality to Pantone’s Colour of 2026 (a white called “cloud dancer”), matcha has received the dubious accolade “stain of the year”.The honour has been handed to the Japanese green tea after it topped the inaugural “stains index”. The ranking, compiled by the washing detergent maker Unilever, identified “new and emerging stains based on evolving lifestyles and culture”.To this end, matcha, Aperol and bubble tea top what was an actual laundry list of the country’s hottest stains

Want job security in the age of AI? Get a state license – any state license

When I was in college and didn’t know what to do with my life, my dad offered this career advice: be a certified public accountant. Why?“Because,” he said. “People will always need their taxes done. They’ll always need financial advice. With a CPA license, you can always hang out a shingle and put food on the table

Don’t use ‘boilerplate’ reasons to justify big executive pay rises, UK firms warned

The UK’s largest listed companies have been warned against using “boilerplate” arguments to justify big executive pay increases by an influential group of shareholders.The Investment Association (IA) – whose members manage £10tn of assets – has told pay committees to avoid “benchmarking”: where companies argue higher pay is needed in order to match rivals and avoid bosses jumping ship for larger salaries and bonuses elsewhere.The IA – whose members include Schroders, Legal & General and Aviva – used its annual letter to London-listed companies to say that the “use of benchmarking on its own to justify increases in remuneration is not appropriate, as it can lead to a ratchet effect in the market”.It stopped short of naming any individual company but said it expected “well-substantiated” rationales for pay rises from remuneration committees.“To date, members have observed that some rationale disclosures have not met this expectation, with remuneration committees using boilerplate and generic justifications, often citing ‘competitiveness against peers’ or the need to ‘attract and retain talent’ without any further supporting information,” the letter said