Money blog: US fast food chain opening in UK - but trademark dish may not be served (2024)

Airbnb is sticking its toe in the water of a significant policy change.

The platform is allowing tenants in a small number of properties in London to sublet their homes when they're not using them.

The change has been enacted in three properties owned by US housing company Greystar in London.

Airbnb told the FT it was in "active" discussions with other landlords about them joining the platform, and extending the reach of the scheme across the UK.

Prospective tenants will have to sign a contract with their landlord, establish hosting rules and share a proportion of the money made through the sublet.

Popular US fast food chain Dave's Hot Chicken is apparently worried UK customers won't be able to hack one of its famously spicy dishes as it prepares to open its first UK site.

The chain, founded in LA in 2017, is opening the outlet in London Piccadilly on 7 December, according to The Caterer. It has seen rapid growth in the US, acquiring 200 sites in just six years.

Dave's ultra-hot Reaper chicken requires customers to sign a waiver to try it - but the company says it is "unsure" about whether to add the dish to its UK menu after it left some tasters in tears.

"The decision to include the risky Carolina Reaper is yet to be made," the company said.

Jim Attwood, managing director of Dave's Hot Chicken UK, told The Caterer: "After conducting taste tests here in the UK, we found the Reaper to be so hot that it left participants crying from the sheer heat of the spice mix.

"We are still in discussions as to whether the Reaper will make it onto UK plates. Of course, if the nation truly wants to test the hottest chicken in the world, we could be convinced."

Vauxhall will close its Luton plant in April, the parent company Stellantis has announced.

More than 1,100 jobs at the van-making factory are at risk, but Stellantis said it is hoping to transfer "hundreds" of jobs to the group's Vauxhall site in Ellesmere Port.

It is now in consultation with unions and employees over the proposals, which will also see it invest £50m into the Ellesmere Port factory.

Read the full story here...

It's a luxury most of us can't afford - but British Airways has unveiled its plush new first-class suite which claims to push "the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity".

The new cabin, expected to take to the skies in 2026, features an "ultra-wide" 36.5 inch (0.9m) adjustable seat with a 79-inch (2m) bed.

Passengers can also make use of a "multi-purpose ottoman", 32-inch 4K TV screen, personal luggage space and adjustable mood lighting, as well as space for "buddy dining" when travelling with someone.

British Airways chief customer officer Calum Laming said: "We're incredibly proud to launch the next era of First that pushes the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity, taking into consideration customer preferences and expectations to the finest detail."

The new suite will be introduced in BA's double-decker Airbus A380s in 2026, while it will be reportedly extended to the airline's Boeing 777-X models from 2028.

ByJames Sillars, business reporter

While stock markets have largely shrugged at the prospect of a renewed Trump trade war, his threat to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, along with additional tariffs on China, have taken a toll on European carmakers.

Values - already subdued on the back of weak demand for electric cars and trade disputes with China - took a dive on the possibility of the new US president turning his attentions across the Atlantic.

Volkswagen saw just over €1bn taken from its market value in choppy trading - down by more than 2%.

Shares in Stellantis (whose biggest brands include Peugeot and Fiat) were also among the main losers.

They were down by 4%, accounting for €2bn in market value.

Worst hit was Volvo, owned by Chinese group Geely, which saw its shares decline by more than 3% at one stage.

It meant that more than €2bn was slashed from its own value.

Stock markets were largely taking the threat in the stride, with the FTSE 100, DAX and French CAC each down by around 0.2%.

US futures saw a muted, but positive open for the broad S&P 500.

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ByMegan Harwood-Baynes, cost of living specialist

When you think of Black Friday, you probably think of discount TVs, maybe a half-price pair of boots - but what about a flight to New York?

Katy Maclure has worked for Jack's Flight Club for almost three years, where she spends her days researching cheap flights and finding deals. She now edits The Detour (their weekly travel newsletter) and she's given Money the inside scoop on Black Friday flights...

"I think we can expect something from the big brands - big names like Virgin, and BA," she tells Money - as both have just set their sales live.

"They are prime examples of airlines that love a sale, and they always go head to head, which is quite nice as they cover a lot of the same routes."

When Money looked this lunchtime, BA was offering flights for as little as £39 to places like Barcelona and Nice, discounted city breaks and up to £300 off holidays between now and next October - as long as you book by 2 December.

Virgin Atlantic is promising savings of up to £200 per booking - its blurb says: "Book by Monday 2 December and save £25 off per personplus,save a further £100off when you spend a minimum £3,500 per couple, or £4,400 per family of four."

"We are already seeing deals coming up and they are as good as they have ever been," says Katy.

From the Caribbean to budget Europe

While you may be able to score a decent deal on a flight to the Caribbean, in the UK some of the best offers will be on budget flights.

"We've already seen Jet2's initial offering," Katy says. "And they've got deals that go all the way to the early summer season."

When Money checked, the airline was promising £100 off per person, though that comes with T&Cs as always.

Pegasus, a budget Turkish airline, are one of Katy's favourites - our scan this morning showed 50% off routes.

"Last year the UK routes via Istanbul to different parts of Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East were fares we have never seen before," she says.

Among the deals she scored was a return to Krygstan for £180.

How to find a deal

Signing up for the JFC newsletter will give you instant access to some of the best deals the team finds - but if you insist on doing all the legwork yourself, Katy has some advice...

Generally speaking, offers will start to filter through to search engines like Skyscanner and Google Flights, so set up travel alerts if there is a particular route you want to take.

"However, some in the past have been known to require a code on their website, so that won't be reflected there," says Katy.

"So if you monitor the overall mood of certain routes and notice one or two drops on one or two dates, it indicates there is more going on behind the scenes, so make sure to check the website directly."

Some websites also offer "flash sales", which means their offerings change every day.

"It might be 15% off routes to Spain one day and then 20% off all routes but only if you travel on the 14 February," she says.

And while some airlines will offer deals for a few days, most may not stick around - or there may only be a limited number of seats available at the cheaper price.

"If you think that's a great price or we're telling you that's a great price, I wouldn't hang around until the following week, just in case, because some airlines are just going to go hard. We have no proof that they're going to go further."

Air Lingus, she says, is a "good example of this": "They make it clear they are sale prices, but there are only a few seats available at that fare."

The Irish airline is offering 25% off flights to Europe and Britain.

You can read the rest of the JFC Black Friday predictions here.

ByJames Sillars, business reporter

There's a big focus today on some top consumer-facing brands reporting their progress.

AO World was among shares doing well after it further raised annual profit guidance on the back of strong sales.

The online electricals retailer reported a 30% rise in first half operating profits to £16m but warned it was expecting budget measures, including the employer national insurance contribution adjustments, to add £8m to its direct and indirect cost base in its next financial year.

Its shares were 2.8% up.

Halfords maintained its annual profit guidance as it revealed a 1% dip in first half underlying profit and sales – better than some analysts had feared.

The bicycle sales to car maintenance retailer, which has been suffering amid the continuing squeeze on consumer budgets, said it was also facing a leap in costs from the budget.

Halfords said it was expecting a £23m hit next year.

Its shares were 8% higher.

One other name said it was making some progress fighting back amid the tough economy.

Topps Tiles, the country's largest tile retailer, posted a 50% reduction in adjusted annual profits to £6.3m but reported that sales had returned to growth since the end of September.

The share price was 3.8% higher at the start of trading in response.

The FTSE 100 opened 0.3% down at 8,265.

Catering group Compass was the biggest faller – down by more than 3%.

That is probably explained by a tougher outlook reported by the firm in the publication of its latest results.

ByOllie Cooper, live news reporter

Welcome to the second part of my series on fitness supplements, where I aim to discover whether they help you get ripped, or you're being ripping off.

I've enlisted the help of performance nutritionistAndrew PettsandArj Thiruchelvam, personal trainer and head coach at Performance Physique, to analyse 12 different supplements every lunchtime over the next two weeks - and today we're honing in on three:Collagen, glutamine and BCAAs.

Collagen

Collagen makes up our connective tissues like ligaments and tendons in the body.

"For athletes who put a lot of stress on joints and their connective tissues, collagen intake is essential to recover from the stress and help to protect these tissues," Andrew explains.

It's basically a blend of different amino acids (protein) that are formed in our body to replenish connective tissue cells.

It's also been linked with better quality skin and nail health.

Meat, dairy, soy, eggs, fish, beans, nuts and gelatine are good natural sources of collagen.

"If you are recovering from a ligament or tendon injury, an ageing athlete or gymgoer/recreational sports person, or have a number of events/training days in a short period, supplementing collagen (alongside vitamin c, copper and zinc) could help your recovery," he adds.

But you can also provide your body with the amino acids it needs by simply consuming enough protein, so you could save your money by doing that.

"Currently the evidence suggests collagen supplementation won't do much for gym goers and one studyshowed it wasn't effective and is vastly inferior to whey protein," Arj says, rating it just 3/10.

Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid - a building block of proteins that plays a key role in many bodily functions - and was considered a key sports supplement in years gone by.

"Supplementing additional glutamine was considered to be effective at buffering, reducing muscle soreness and improving performance, but studies do not support this," Arj explains.

He rates it 5/10, given that some studies suggest it offers gastro-intestinal support.

"There is once again a question of need, when it comes to extra supplementation," Andrew says.

"From that point, it's an individual's choice but I'd be saving money and putting it toward my shopping budget. 4/10."

BCAAs

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) powders are marketed as a brilliant way to recover.

But the science isn't clear, our experts say.

"Some of the research rank them as effective by providing energy for the body, with leucine being a prominent ingredient to stimulate muscle growth, but other research shows no effect," Andrew says.

"If people are consuming enough protein then they should be getting enough BCAAs into their body through eating real food," he adds, scoring it 4/10.

"BCAAs have been identified as having only a small benefit for those with reduced intake, such as vegans," Arj says.

They "appear to be inferior to normal protein sources" because they rely on the other amino acids in order to work effectively, some studies show.

"They're a waste of money for those who don't follow a restricted diet," he adds, also scoring them 4/10.

A "surprising" reduction in mortgage rates by Barclays could encourage others to follow suit, brokers have said.

The high street bank has announced cuts of up to 0.2 percentage points on some of its residential mortgage deals from tomorrow.

They include:

• Two-year fixed deal at 75% loan-to-value (LTV) with a fixed £899 product fee - reducing from 4.46% to 4.36%
• Two-year fixed, 85% LTV, £899 product fee - reducing from 4.94% to 4.84%
• Two-year-fixed, 90% LTV, no fee - reducing from 5.49% to 5.39%
• Five-year fixed remortgage deal at 60% LTV, £999 product fee - reducing from 4.37% to 4.17%
• Five-year fixed remortgage deal at 85% LTV, £999 product fee - reducing from 5.27% to 5.07%

Mortgage rates have been on an upward curve in the last month or two on the expectation base rate cuts from the Bank of England will be more gradual than previously expected - as it waits to see if October's budget proves inflationary.

Industry insiders therefore welcomed Barclays' decision.

Justin Moy, managing director at EHF Mortgages, told Newspage: "This is a somewhat surprising announcement from Barclays, as the mortgage market showed little scope for any form of rate cuts before Christmas.

"Whilst these reductions are not going to be enough to tip the economy back on an even keel, they will be encouraging to borrowers and suggest that improvements may be on the horizon."

Meanwhile,Mike Staton, directorat StatonMortgages,said: "They won't be the only lender that reduces rates before the end of this year. Christmas always seems to be a good time in the industry with rate reductions not uncommon," he said.