The stockpicker Terry Smith has raised questions about a spree of acquisitions struck by Unilever in a further attack by the star fund manager on the FTSE 100 consumer goods giant. Smith, whose £22.5bn Fundsmith Equity fund is a leading shareholder in Unilever, said the company’s wellbeing and beauty division had bought 27 businesses in the past eight years but in all except three instances had not disclosed the price it had paid. (The Times £)

The huge success of Dove — one of Unilever’s biggest brands, held up as a marketing case study — suggests a bit of female empowerment and body positivity isn’t a stupid way to sell soap. Rather like efforts to make mayonnaise appealing to health-conscious millennials, Smith just isn’t the target market. (Financial Times £)

Amazon plans to shut three UK warehouses, putting about 1,200 jobs at risk and further straining relations with union bosses (The Times £). Amazon is closing three UK warehouses this year, a move that will affect 1,200 staff, as the internet retailing giant cuts costs following a squeeze in consumer spending.(Financial Times £)

The US tech business wants to replace three old warehouses with two major fulfilment centres and admits it will be more difficult to secure new work for some of the workers affected (Sky News). Workers from the large warehouses in Doncaster, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire and Gourock in western Scotland will be offered roles at other Amazon locations. (The Guardian, Daily Mail)

Majestic Wine cut its prices to help families enjoy a Christmas drink amid the spiralling cost of living. The UK’s biggest wine retailer said its bottles were 2% cheaper in the festive period than a year earlier. (Daily Mail)

Byron Burgers has undergone its third restructuring in five years, after customers continued to shun its £13 burgers in favour of new mid-market rivals (The Times £). Nearly half of Byron’s restaurants are to close in the burger chain’s latest brush with insolvency. Ten of its 21 remaining sites will shut their doors permanently as part of a pre-pack administration engineered by Calveton, its owner. (Sky News)

YouTube star KSI has urged people to stop buying his popular energy drink at hugely inflated prices after claims it was being sold for hundreds of pounds. (Sky News)

Lidl, Zara’s owner Inditex, H&M and Next have been accused of paying garment suppliers in Bangladesh during the pandemic less than the cost of production, leaving factories struggling to pay the country’s legal minimum wage. (The Guardian)

Average petrol prices have fallen below 150p a litre for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, the AA motoring group says. (BBC)

The Welsh government is under pressure to block a new mega chicken farm in the Wye catchment, in what campaigners call a “crucial moment in the life or death of the Wye”. (The Guardian)

Waitrose is canning the mini wine bottle in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of takeaway drinks. (The Guardian)

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