An “elusive” trading update and lack of profit guidance unnerved B&M investors, despite the discount retailer scoring record annual sales in the last year (The Times £).

B&M scored record annual turnover last year thanks to store openings and consumers continuing to turn to discount retailers amid cost-of-living pressures. (The Daily Mail)

An EU court ruled on Wednesday that McDonald’s has lost its trademark “Big Mac” for chicken products but kept it for beef, following a long-running dispute with Irish rival Supermac’s (The Financial Times £). McDonald’s has been dealt a blow after one of Europe’s top courts ruled in favour of an Irish fast food chain in a battle for use of the Big Mac name (The Times £).

The small Irish takeaway chain Supermac’s has won a David v Goliath court battle with McDonald’s over the use of the Big Mac trademark, paving the way for it to open outlets across Europe. (The Guardian)

The court ultimately found the evidence was not sufficient to prove McDonald’s had used the contested trademark enough in relation to poultry products (Sky News). The European Court of Justice found that McDonald’s could not show it had made genuine use of the trademark for a continuous period of five years (The BBC).

WH Smith’s expansion into travel hubs across the country is more than offsetting a continued decline in its high street business. (The Daily Mail)

A director of Marks & Spencer is quitting the retailer’s board after being blindsided about the poaching of its new finance chief from another company he chairs. (Sky News)

ABF has staged an impressive recovery as these pressures have eased, rising by 22% in the past three years. With multiple avenues for growth, rising margins and well-supported cash returns, ABF shares should be able to rise further. (The Times £)

How Japan’s biggest brewer aims to attract sober Gen Z. Asahi is also pushing its non-alcoholic and what it refers to as low alcohol offerings - such as alcohol-free beer or drinks with less than 3.5% alcohol - outside of its home market. (The BBC)

The unseen dangers of lead contamination in the UK. As floods intensify, the threat of the toxic metal seeping into the food chain is as big a problem as sewage in rivers. “The often invisible and odourless poison accumulates in waterways, soil and floodplains where it can be consumed by animals or seep silently into homegrown or agricultural food production and then be passed on to humans.” (The Financial Times £)

US discount retailer Dollar Tree has launched a process that could lead to the sale of its Family Dollar chain, almost a decade after it purchased the business in an $8.5bn deal. (The Financial Times £)

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