Source: Sharecast
Sadiq Khan has said he will pedestrianise Oxford Street “as quickly as possible”, after two in three respondents to a public consultation backed plans to ban traffic from London’s central shopping area. The mayor’s office said there was “overwhelming public and business support” for the proposals to regenerate the street, whose lustre is slowly returning as department stores muscle back among the sweet and souvenir shops of dubious repute. – Guardian
TSB has been put up for sale as its Spanish owner looks to retreat from the British banking market after a decade. Sabadell is exploring selling off its British subsidiary after receiving interest from potential bidders. The Spanish bank has begun circulating documents to interest parties and granted limited access to one of its data rooms to allow potential buyers to carry out due diligence, the Financial Times reported. – Telegraph
Meta has unveiled plans to introduce adverts on WhatsApp, breaking a promise by the messaging app’s co-founder never to do so. In a major update announced on Monday, WhatsApp said it will roll out paid advertising to its 3bn monthly users over the next few months. The move is in direct violation of the “no ads, no games, no gimmicks” pledge made by Meta following its $19bn (£14bn) acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014. – Telegraph
Businesses intend to lay off staff and increase prices to deal with the £25 billion rise in payroll taxes announced by Rachel Reeves at the October budget, researchers have said. Of 500 owners of businesses with turnover above £5 million, 33 per cent plan to reduce headcount in the coming year, according to a survey conducted in April and May by Censuswide, a pollster, on behalf of S&W, the accountancy firm formerly known as Smith & Williamson. – The Times
