John Lewis to open VIP lounge at Oxford Street store with free drinks and massages

John Lewis is to open a VIP space at its Oxford Street store in London as part of a drive to lure customers back, after years in which it has lost ground to rivals including Marks & Spencer.The retailer is to unveil the John Lewis Lounge on Tuesday, with access for members of its loyalty card scheme, weeks after reporting group losses had nearly tripled to £88m in the first half of this year.In the area, which the company said would be trialled until Christmas, customers will be served a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or hot drink as well as given hand and arm massages, Waitrose chocolates, and nibbles from the cafe chain Benugo.The company describes the area as “VIP retreat or third space”, a “haven where members can rest and recharge … a moment of serenity”.Rosie Hanley, the brand director at John Lewis, said: “Our new John Lewis Lounge is about rewarding loyalty with a premium experience

A million young people aren’t in a job or training. Britain has a problem | Richard Partington

Almost a million young people are not in education, employment or training. Employers are freezing their hiring plans. Unemployment is at a four-year high. Not all is right in the UK jobs market, and the outlook is getting worse.Typically it takes a full-blown recession to spark the type of growth in unemployment that Britain is witnessing today

Victims robbed of £4bn in ‘insulting’ car loan redress scheme, say claims firms

Victims of the car loans scandal could miss out on more than £4bn in compensation if the City regulator ploughs ahead with plans for an “insulting” interest rate in its redress scheme, consumer groups and claims firms say.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been accused of offering a reduced rate of interest which will be added to compensation from banks for borrowers caught up in the car loan commissions scandal.Claims law firms and consumer groups say borrowers should be offered the same terms as Marcus Johnson: the sole driver whose case was upheld by the supreme court in a landmark case in August.While the terms of the final payout are sealed, Johnson is widely believed by industry experts to have received about 7% interest on his compensation package, after judges ordered the parties to negotiate a “commercial rate”. But the watchdog has proposed a rate of 2

Delivery firm DPD accused of ‘revenge’ sacking drivers who criticised pay cuts

The delivery firm DPD has been accused of “revenge” sackings after workers spoke out against a plan to cut thousands of pounds from their earnings, including their Christmas bonus.The company, which reported pre-tax profits of nearly £200m last year and plays a significant role in the festive rush to have gifts and parcels delivered, has even threatened to withhold money from some staff to pay for the cost of replacing them, the Guardian has learned.DPD confirmed it had dismissed workers after an estimated 1,500 self-employed drivers chose not to take on any work for a three-day period in protest at the plans.It emerged earlier this month that the company had told workers it planned to cut 65p from the rate it pays for most of its deliveries on 29 September.Drivers said the cut, which came to as much as £25 a day, and the loss of a £500 Christmas bonus, was likely to add up to more than £6,000 a year for each worker – and as much as £8,000 for those who take on a lot more deliveries over Christmas

The London consensus is a timely challenge to Trump’s isolationism | Phillip Inman

What replaces neoliberal capitalism is a question at the forefront of Donald Trump’s mind every day.The US president has never much liked those elements of the Washington consensus that celebrate free markets and liberal trade, as we have come to see in both his presidencies.Trump can happily accept the neoliberal agenda when it means privatising government agencies and commonly held assets. He is enthusiastic about deregulation and handing the private sector all the freedom it needs to exploit workers and resources to boost profits.But what Trump’s America First agenda cannot live with is tariff-free trade

‘It’s brutal, they feel very attacked’: budget uncertainty hits Southampton boat show

“What would happen if red wine got on that?” It is a common enough question when perusing a carpet store. But, as it happens, the same query crops up when shopping for a yacht. “Oh, you’d never get it off that decking,” the other half of a young couple replies as they size up one of the £2m triple-decker yachts moored at the recent Southampton international boat show.Top boat manufacturers descended on the port city from across Europe to show off bigger, better and bolder yachts than ever before, as well as lines of smaller sailing and motor boats. But the show, once a must-attend of the season alongside exhibitions in Cannes and Monaco, has shrunk by about 30% this year, according to some vendors’ estimates