Timelines
How the main stories unfold, day after day: each timeline gathers the articles about one event, with a summary.
- ASOS says a hacker posing as a trusted contact accessed customers' personal data
At around 10am on Tuesday 6 October, users of the ASOS app received a push notification titled 'ASOS HACKED' claiming that hackers had 'fully compromised the Snowflake instance' and threatening to leak it, with a link to the Telegram messaging service. ASOS said it was investigating unauthorised activity involving third-party platforms it uses to communicate with customers, apologised and urged customers to disregard the alert, and its shares fell almost 12% in London. On 8 October, the retailer said an 'unauthorised party' had impersonated a trusted contact to gain log-in details and had accessed some personal information, including names and contact details, while telling customers that payment details and passwords were not compromised. It warned customers about the full extent of the breach after the hackers contacted the BBC, which reported that names, addresses, phone numbers, emails and customer numbers are now in the hands of cyber criminals.
- Eurostar passengers can now book European Sleeper night trains on the same ticket
Travellers can now book a Eurostar train and a European Sleeper night train together in one booking flow, as the sleeper train operator adds London routes to its ticket website. Ticketholders can travel from London to Brussels and beyond, which Metro sums up as falling asleep in London and waking up in Germany.
- Just Eat Takeaway orders return to growth after nearly five years
Just Eat Takeaway's orders have returned to growth after nearly five years. Its owner Prosus said worldwide orders grew 0.1% year-on-year in September.
- VodafoneThree raises its cost-cutting target to £1bn a year by 2032
VodafoneThree, Vodafone's UK business, is accelerating its cost cutting to reach £1 billion by 2032. It has earmarked another £300 million of annual cost cuts on top of its original £700 million-a-year target.
- Tesco sales boosted by online shopping as consumers hunt for 'value'
Tesco's sales were boosted by online shopping as consumers hunted for 'value'. Its online sales surged by 8.4% in the UK, with average grocery orders growing, and sales at its rapid delivery arm Whoosh soared by 37%.
- Canada's Weston family strikes a £6.7bn deal to buy Boots from Sycamore Partners
The billionaire Weston family of Canada has struck a deal to buy Boots for £6.7bn ($8.9bn), in an agreement announced on Wednesday afternoon. Wittington Investments, the company representing the Westons' Canadian operations, said on Wednesday it will buy Boots from its private equity owners, Sycamore Partners. The deal includes Boots' retail operations in the UK and Ireland, Boots Opticians, the No7 Beauty Company, and its Thailand and franchise arm. City A.M. says it scuppers hopes that the high street giant could return to the London Stock Exchange.
- Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 jobs by the end of 2027 as letter volumes fall
Royal Mail is to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of an organisational review, with the cuts focusing on head office and 'support function roles' and the restructure to be completed by the end of next year. The company, which says it is undergoing a 'significant transformation', said letter volumes have declined by more than 70% since their peak. The postal service has been fined a total of £37m since 2023 for missing delivery targets set by Ofcom.
- Flooring firm Headlam cuts more jobs after administration, its shares to be delisted
Flooring firm Headlam has cut more jobs after falling into administration. The firm also confirmed on Wednesday that its shares will now be delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
- Ikea launches second-hand marketplace for its own furniture and homewares
Ikea has launched a second-hand marketplace in the UK on which members of its Ikea Family loyalty scheme can list the retailer's furniture and homewares. Items bought through it cost on average 60% less than new, and some are offered for free. It is billed as a rival to Vinted and eBay, and the UK rollout follows successful pilots in Spain and Norway.
- Grosvenor Casinos owner Rank Group to pay £5m after the Gambling Commission finds failures
Rank Group, the owner of Grosvenor Casinos, is to pay a £5m penalty after regulators identified a series of compliance issues within three of its casino operators. The Gambling Commission's investigation found failures to meet anti-money laundering and social responsibility duties, including duty of care to customers.
- HSBC plans job cuts across its UK wealth business, the Financial Times reports
HSBC plans sweeping job cuts across its UK wealth business as part of an AI push, the Financial Times reported, with reductions in roles affecting managers, specialists and financial advisers. The bank is in the middle of a consultation period with staff over the proposed changes.
- Hostelworld says the Iran war is weighing on long-haul travel demand, and its shares fall
Hostelworld said the Iran war was weighing on long-haul travel demand. Shares in the company dropped by around 7.3% on Wednesday morning as a result, striking their lowest level for almost four years.
- Hollywood Bowl says it stayed 'resilient' as summer heatwaves hit its sales
Hollywood Bowl, Britain's biggest ten-pin bowling operator, said the summer's 'exceptionally prolonged, dry weather' had 'heavily impacted' its trading, with like-for-like sales in the UK down 2.6% in the second half. The chain said it had been able to offset some of the hot weather impact by using dynamic pricing, and its share price rose.
- Jaguar unveils its all-electric Type 01 GT, with prices expected around £125,000
Jaguar has unveiled its all-electric Type 01 GT, nearly two years after its controversial Type 00 concept, with 450 miles of range and prices expected to centre around £125,000. Writing in the Evening Standard, Steve Fowler said the model is taking Jaguar upmarket and now needs buyers willing to spend around £125,000.
- South West Water owner Pennon seeks £550m from investors and plans a dividend cut to fund an overhaul
Pennon, the owner of South West Water, is tapping investors for £550 million through a rights issue and plans a dividend cut amid an overhaul plan. Chief executive Keith Haslett said the rights issue would help support plans for around an extra £1 billion of investment.
- Shell raises its gas production outlook and expects refining margins to grow
Shell said it was forecasting higher integrated gas production between July and September than in its previous guidance, and that its refining profit margins would grow. The energy group is poised to reap major gains from its refining operations after the global surge in fuel prices ramped up its profit margins.
- UAE threatens to pull investments from UK over Man City ruling
The United Arab Emirates has warned that it may halt significant investments in the UK following Manchester City's guilty verdict for breaching Premier League financial rules. The club was found guilty of all 115 charges by an independent commission and has appealed the decision. Etihad Airways, the club's main sponsor, is seeking legal advice against the Premier League. Emirati officials have said the ruling could affect the bilateral relationship between the UAE and the UK. Andy Burnham has expressed concerns about the potential impact on the club and the political implications of the case.
- Paramount and Warner Bros merge to form Skydance
Paramount and Warner Bros have wrapped up their mega deal to create Skydance. The completion comes eight months after Paramount agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery in February.
- Proposed Grangemouth Closure Threatens 400 Jobs
Chemical manufacturer Syngenta, owned by the Chinese state firm Sinochem, plans to cease all operations at its Grangemouth site in the Falkirk area by the end of 2027, putting nearly 400 jobs at risk, just over a year after receiving more than £2 million in Scottish Enterprise funding to expand it. The SNP has criticised Prime Minister Andy Burnham over when he will spend £200 million promised to the industrial cluster. Economy Secretary Flynn said he was 'profoundly disappointed' and that all options to save the jobs will be explored, and the SNP said it could provide 'further funding'.
- Paramount and Warner Bros. merge to form Skydance
Paramount and Warner Bros, two of America's oldest film studios, have completed their merger to form the Hollywood giant Skydance, bringing CNN, HBO and franchises including The Godfather and Harry Potter under one roof. The deal closes Skydance-owned Paramount's $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros.