The UK has launched a consultation into restricting the sale of vapes, as both major political parties support imposing much harsher rules on the sale of enticing disposable e-cigarettes that have soared in popularity among children (The Financial Times £).
A 12-year-old girl who suffered a collapsed lung and a was put into coma for four days has urged children to never start vaping (The Times £).
Philip Morris International, the tobacco and vaping company behind Marlboro cigarettes, is waging a big lobbying campaign to prevent countries from cracking down on vapes and similar products as part of a global treaty, a leaked email reveals (The Guardian).
The US federal drug regulator has told British American Tobacco’s US subsidiary to halt sales of its menthol-flavoured Vuse Alto vape, the most popular e-cigarette in the US, following a jump in popularity of the product among underage users (The Financial Times £).
Annual sales at Boots, Britain’s biggest high street chemist, grew strongly last year, boosted by demand for skincare products and its essentials range, amid upheaval at its US parent company and uncertainty over its future ownership (The Times £).
The pharmacy giant said that sales in the 12 months to the end of August were 12.5% higher than in the previous year (The Mail).
The owner of Boots is carving $1bn (£820m) of costs out of its business after a sales boost in the British pharmacy chain failed to buoy earnings as much as Wall Street expected (The Telegraph £).
Fidelity International, which holds a 10% stake in Finsbury Food, plans to vote against the 110p-a-share bid from DBAY Advisors recommended last month, according to Sky News.
US private equity group Apollo Global Management has struck a deal to buy Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group for £506m, following a lengthy campaign by activist investors for a shake-up of the dining operator (The Financial Times £).
The 65p-a-share bid values The Restaurant Group at about £506m, although after including debt liabilities that rises to £701m, a multiple of nine times underlying earnings over the past 12 months (The Times £).
The Restaurant Group shares soared by 37.1% to 66.3p on Thursday morning following the takeover bid’s announcement (The Mail).
The group that owns Selfridges and a handful of other upmarket department stores has recorded a £124mn loss since it was set up just over a year ago (The Financial Times £).
Inflation in the United States held steady last month after having risen in August, complicating the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions over the coming months, official figures showed today (The Times £).
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