Money news
- Nestle to bring back classic chocolate bar one last time
- Why petrol price should fall in coming weeks
- Ocado to launch robot warehouses
- Up to 600,000 Olympics tickets still up for grabs - here's where
Essential reads
- Ian King:Fears of retirement crisis resurface as number saving enough collapses
- Basically...What is equity? How it works, and how it can be used
- 'I constantly smell smoke from my neighbour's log burner - what can I do?'
- What happens when our gold mines run dry?
- We tried UK's cheapest three-course dinner* - here's what you get for £4 (or £5 if you want to splash out)
- Best of the Money blog - an archive of features
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Nestle to bring back classic chocolate bar one last time
After the revivalof popular Cadbury's chocolate bar Top Deck earlier this year, we asked you which discontinued treat you would like to see brought back - and we got so many responses that we've decided to make a weekly feature of it calledBring It Back.
Every Tuesday, we'll pick one from our comments box and look at why it was so beloved and, crucially,find out whether the companies in question might consider reintroducing them.
The first product in our new series is one that was only discontinued a relatively short time ago - Nestle Caramac.
The gold-coloured confectionary first hit the shelves in the UK in 1959 after being rolled out by its original creator, Mackintosh's.
However, sales had "steadily declined" over recent years, according to Nestle, which bought the brand as part of a takeover in 1998.
It announced it was withdrawing the product altogether in November - triggering a heady combination of horror and distress among its many fans.
Indeed, on asking readers about now discontinued items they most wanted to see back on sale, the Sky News Money blog received a deluge of responses expressing their dismay at the sudden disappearance of Caramac.
Among them was Jacqueline, who said: "Please bring back the Caramac bar!
"It was by far my favourite and there's really nothing like it in the shops any more. I'd do anything to get my hands on one again!"
Hainan Gal, meanwhile, said: "Bring back Caramac! It was totally different to anything else you can get."
In this case, we can exclusively reveal there is some good news for the army of diehard Caramac fans - with the bar to make an imminent comeback, albeit for a limited time only.
Lisa Butterworth, chocolate classics brand manager for Nestle UK and Ireland, told the Money blog: "The calls for the return of Caramac were heard loud and clear, and for this unique bar we wanted to create a special opportunity for fans to enjoy it once more.
"We hope that this limited release gives people the opportunity to savour and stock up on Caramac as a gesture of our appreciation for the longstanding support of our confectionery fans throughout the years."
She said the range will include the classic Caramac single bar, a convenient three-bar multipack and a sharing bag of Caramac buttons.
The confectionery treats will be available in retailers nationwide starting from this month - while stocks last.
She added that since the bar's discontinuation, Nestle has launched a range of new products, including the ice cream-inspired Neapolitan flavour Aero Melts, Munchies Cookie Dough and Milkybar Raspberry Ripple pieces, Rowntree's Randoms Fizzy Cactuz, KitKat Chunky White with Lotus Biscoff and Aero Choco-Hazelnut flavour.
Which discontinued chocolate bar, crisps, sweets - or any other food product - would you like to see brought back, and why? Let us know in the comment box at the top!
New opportunities for savers at Nationwide
Nationwide has launched new savings opportunities for customers with the issue of fixed-rate online bond and fixed rate branch bond schemes - and savers only need £1 to open an account.
The new offer means savers who lock their money away - in this case for a year - have a chance to generate hundreds of pounds.
The new rates are:
- 1 Year Fixed Rate Online Bond - 4.5% AER
- 1 Year Fixed Rate Branch Bond - 4.5% AER
If you have £5,000 to invest, for example, you would earn £225 in interest a year.
Tom Riley, director of retail products at Nationwide, told Sky News the new one-year bond scheme pay an increased rate and are a "competitive option for those who like to save with a high-street brand they know and trust".
"We offer a range of accounts to suit the different needs of savers," he said.
"Some of our best rates are available for those with a lump sum who can lock their money away for a longer period."
Not sure what AER means? We explained everything you need to know in our Basically... series recently:
Olympic bosses sue Prime drinks | IKEA expands click-and-collect | Asda strike
Logan Paul and KSI's Prime energy drinks brand is being sued by theUS Olympic and Paralympic Committee fortrademark infringement.
In its lawsuit, the committee alleges the brand used trademarked Olympic phrases and symbols on a special edition of its hydration drink, which features Olympic gold medallist and NBA forward Kevin Durant.
Lawyers say this was "wilful, deliberate, and in bad faith".
The lawsuit comes a year after the brand faced scrutiny over itspotentially dangerous levels of caffeine.
IKEA is set to launch 100 more click-and-collect points at Tesco stores across the UK.
More than 90% of consumers will be within five miles of a collection point when it is complete.
The Swedish retailer recently announced it had opened its 100th mobile pick-up point after national roll-out began in 2022.
More than 150 employees at an Asda store in Cambridgeshire are set to walk out for a second time next week over poor working conditions.
The GMB union confirmed that workers at the superstore in Wisbech will walk out from 3am to 10pm on 2 August.
Staff carried out their first strike in March this year.
Pension problem: Fears of retirement crisis resurface as number saving enough collapses
It's no secret that many Britons do not save enough to live off in retirement.
The bad news is that the number of people falling into that category is rising.
The annual retirement report published today by Scottish Widows, the life company, reveals that the percentage of people not on track for even a minimum retirement lifestyle has risen from 35% to 38% during the past year.
That equates to an extra 1.2 million people.
The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) defines a minimum retirement lifestyle as covering all the needs of a retiree "with some left over for fun and social occasions" - a holiday in the UK, a meal out once a month and "affordable leisure activities about twice a week".
It estimates the cost of such a lifestyle to be £14,400 for a single retiree or £22,400 for a retired couple.
The PLSA assumes retirees qualify for a full state pension, which rose to £11,500 a year at the start of the current tax year, with retirees currently qualifying for the state pension at the age of 66.
This is due to rise to 67 between May 2026 and the end of 2028.
The report, based on interviews in March and April with 5,072 people saving for retirement and deemed to be representative of the UK population, suggests that most people would like to retire at the age of 62 but just over half, 54%, think they will have to work longer than they would like - on average by seven years.
Just over a quarter of those quizzed, some 27%, said they don't feel they will ever be able to retire.
You can read the rest of my analysishere:
The middle-class holiday destination that sells Europe's cheapest beer
A middle-class getaway favourite has been found to sell the cheapest beer of Europe's top holiday destinations.
A 330ml bottle of beer costs just £1.74 in Italy's Puglia resorts - the cheapest of 16 destinations analysed in the annual Post Office holiday report, produced with TUI.
Resorts in the Algarve have the second cheapest beer, at an average of £2.04, whilefive cities charged more than £5 for a bottle (Dubrovnik, Paris, Dublin, Stockholm and Nice).
While Puglia was cheap on beer, it was found to be one of the most expensive destinations overall for a general family holiday.
Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at the Post Office, said: "Even though sterling is stronger now than last July, price inflation across Europe means that families need to allow for increases in meals, drinks and other tourist costs in their spending budget."
Phillip Iveson, commercial director at TUI UK & Ireland, said: "It's clear that it's not just the UK that is impacted by the cost of living."
'If Barbie can be blind and cool, anyone can feel confident in their blindness'
The first blind Barbie has been released by toy company Mattel as parts of its expanding collection of inclusive dolls.
The blind doll has features that allow accessible play for children with sight loss as well as representing a visually impaired woman.
It comes with a cane with a marshmallow tip, sunglasses, textured, vibrant fabrics and Velcro fastenings on clothing.
Blind broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards was the first blind person in the UK to meet the new Barbie.
She told Sky News the Barbie was "amazing".
Ms Edwards, who lost the sight in her right eye at the age of 11 before losing her remaining sight at 17 due to a rare genetic condition, said when she lost her vision she was "so worried about holding a long white cane".
"I used to hate my cane but now I go on red carpets and I glitz and glamour it and I match it to my outfits and now we've got representation in the most popular doll in the world.
"If Barbie can be blind and be cool and look amazing, anyone can feel confident in their blindness too."
Up to 600,000 Olympics tickets still available - here's where to get them
With only days before the Paris Olympics begins, hundreds of thousands of tickets are still up for grabs.
Among them are seats for thewomen's 200m and men's 100m finals.
Organisers have confirmed that between 500,000 and 600,000 tickets for more than 20 sports were going back on sale before the Games start on Friday.
Seats from around £248 are available for the men's 100m final and tickets for the women's 200m final and going for £164.
Tickets for the closing ceremony are more expensive, with the cheapest tickets selling for £505 and the most expensive priced at £1,347.
Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet has dismissed any suggestion a lack of interest is affecting ticket sales.
The Olympics begins on 26 July and will last for two weeks, concluding on 11 August with the closing ceremony.
You can nab your tickets here.
Why petrol price should fall in coming weeks
By James Sillars, business reporter
There's renewed hope for drivers around fuel pump prices now that the school holidays are in full swing across the UK.
Brent crude oil costs have now fallen by $5 a barrel over the month to date.
Coupled with a stronger pound versus the oil-priced US currency, it should mean that pump costs will ease in the coming weeks if the drop in oil prices is sustained.
It's all being put down to lower-than-expected demand in the global economy.
The FTSE 100 has been a bit topsy-turvy recently.
The gains of yesterday have been put under pressure in early dealing today, with the index 0.4% lower at 8,164.
Miners are leading the decline.
Among the gainers, Compass is at the top of the pile.
The catering firm's shares are up 3% after a second upgrade to its annual performance expectations.
What is equity? How it works, and how it can be used
Basically, equity can be used in the business and property sphere - but for homeowners, equity refers to how much of your home you actually own.
So to work out the amount of home equity you have, you subtract the amount left on your mortgage from the value of your home. You'll then be left in either positive or negative equity.
For example, if your property is worth £300,000 and you have £200,000 left to pay on your mortgage, your equity is £100,000.
Once you've put a deposit down on your home, you have immediate equity.
Equity will fluctuate as house prices go up or down, and as you pay off your mortgage. It can be used to help you climb the property ladder to a bigger home or to free up money to downsize, if your next property ends up being a cheaper purchase.
In business terms, equity is the amount that would be returned to a company's shareholders if the business liquidated its assets and paid off its liabilities
To work out the amount of shareholder equity a company has, its liabilities (debts or obligations it needs to fulfil in the future) are subtracted from its assets (eg, cash and investments).
For example, a business with assets of£100,000and liabilities/debts of£20,000has£80,000in equity.
Shareholder equity is sometimes referred to as a company's net worth.
How is shareholder equity used?
Shareholder equity is one of the first things bankers and analysts look at when evaluating a company's financial health.
Investors may also look beyond market prices when considering whether to buy or sell stock in a company and use shareholder equity to help them determine the real return being generated.
All this means it's a good idea for firms to regularly assess their shareholders' equity.
Read other entries in our Basically series...
Former Tory chancellor plots £600m bid for Telegraph
By Mark Kleinman, city editor
Nadhim Zahawi, the former Conservative chancellor, is assembling a £600m bid for The Daily Telegraph that could up-end the auction of some of Britain’s most influential media assets.
Sky News has learnt that Mr Zahawi, who left parliament in May after opting not to stand again in his Stratford-on-Avon seat, has approached a number of billionaire backers about helping to finance an offer for the daily newspaper, its Sunday sister title and The Spectator magazine.
City sources said the Reuben family, which owns a vast swathe of property assets and a stake in Newcastle United Football Club, was among those to have been sounded out by Mr Zahawi in recent weeks.
The former cabinet minister, who also spent time as business secretary, education secretary and as the government's vaccines minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, is said to believe the Telegraph has significant scope to boost its profitability by expanding in the US.
Read more here.
