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Scotland has tightened planning controls on large data centre developments. Mandatory environmental assessments above 50MW have been followed by a temporary pause on hyperscale decisions while national guidance is prepared.
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Cardiff Capital Region has backed detailed work on tidal power. Up to £6.4m will fund studies into an Aberthaw lagoon that could eventually generate around 600MW and support a substantial South Wales supply chain.
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LSL has launched a transformation programme targeting £5m annual savings. The property-services group reported higher first-half revenue, profit, and margins while setting out a group-wide efficiency plan.
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UK card fraud losses rose despite falling identity fraud losses. FICO puts 2025 losses at £594.9m, with card-not-present fraud increasing while identity-fraud losses dropped 12%.
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Competition regulators seek views on OCS Group’s proposed Mitie acquisition. The CMA has begun pre-notification information gathering on the £3.1bn deal but has not yet launched a formal Phase 1 investigation.
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Intrepid has closed a $525m fund targeting growth-stage AI companies. The London and Toronto investor is concentrating particularly on the UK-Canada corridor and already holds nine portfolio companies.
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Frasers faces investor opposition over its finance chief’s bonus award. Proxy advisers have questioned a £100,000 discretionary payment to Chris Wootton for delivering a new financing package.
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Small businesses report mounting tax compliance burdens in HMRC survey. A record 10,195 respondents highlighted legislative complexity, service-channel frustrations, and rapidly growing use of AI for tax queries.
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UK grocery sales rose while supermarket unit volumes slipped lower. NIQ says sales increased 1.8% in four weeks to September 5, but volumes declined for the first time since Easter.
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Retail returns failures are leaving online shoppers without proper refunds. A Which? investigation found inconsistent reimbursement of returned goods and standard delivery charges across several major retailers.
