Rank still in the hunt for deals after William Hill rebuffs takeover bid

Business correspondent(es/wp):
Rank “still has the confidence” to look at major deals despite its aborted £3.4 billion joint bid with 888 for rival William Hill, its boss said today.
“I’m still surprised that William Hill did not want to engage with us,” said Henry Birch, who would have become chief executive of the bigger group if the three-way deal had come off.
“I was extremely surprised that they did not understand the rationale of the deal. But we’ve got the confidence to look at deals like this and we will continue to look at deals, particularly the larger ones which involve digital,” he said.
But when asked if a straight two-way merger with 888, which is strong in digital gaming, was on the cards, Birch declined to comment. The bid for Hills came and went in just nine days this month. Birch (pictured) said the costs were relatively low: “The bankers were on a no-deal, no-fee basis.

“It was a short, sharp affair in terms of the number of people involved and it did not distract from getting on with our business. Just myself and a handful of people missed our summer holidays.”
He asserted that Rank can equally well go it alone. “We are halfway through a two-year programme of investing in a business which historically was underinvested,” he said. “We are in a strong financial position with market-leading brands and have a clear strategy for long-term growth.”
Rank today reported a 4% rise in headline annual pre-tax profits at £77.4 million on revenues up just 2% at £753 million.
Profits were dented by the first full year of so-called remote gaming duty, which taxes punters wherever the online operator is based to the tune of £4.8 million, and the national living wage, which added £1.4 million to Rank’s payroll.
Mecca Bingo online saw a sharp fall in profits as it bore the brunt of the new tax and suffered some “stability issues” after it switched to a new technology platform.
The casinos division Grosvenor had a disappointing final quarter of the year to end-June with customer numbers down and the win margin lower. Birch said: “The Euros and uncertainty over the referendum hit the number of customer visits but that was the case across the casino sector. In July and August customer numbers are back up again.”
Birch said the Brexit decision would have little direct impact on Rank because it is so predominantly a UK-facing business. However, it could be hit by lower economic growth and any fall in consumer confidence.
The dividend for the year is raised by 16% to 6.5p a share and they responded with a 7.5p rise to 229p, their highest for two months.

Family of man 'hunted down' and stabbed to death by mob urge witnesses to break silence

crime reporter(wp/es):
The family of a man “hunted down” and stabbed to death after an argument at a boxing match today urged witnesses to break their silence and help get justice for his young daughters.
Luther Edwards, 32, was set upon by a group of at least 15 men as he left York Hall in Bethnal Green. He was stabbed in the chest and left to die on a petrol station forecourt.
The attack took place in front of his sister Naresa Edwards and the mother of his 12-year-old daughter, who were both kicked and punched as they tried to shield him from the knife blows.
Ms Edwards, who held her brother in her arms as he fought for life, today spoke for the first time about the murder to beg for help to catch his killers, four weeks after the attack.
Police arrested and bailed three men in connection with the murder on July 29 but no one has been charged.

Ms Edwards told the Standard: “My brother was my world. He was a good, caring man who loved his two daughters with all his heart — now they will grow up without a father.
“We had the first birthday party for his youngest daughter on Saturday. It should have been happy but it was sad. We want justice for his daughters, for his family and for him.
“He was an innocent man out with his sister and the mother of his daughters when he was attacked.
“We believe people filmed the attack on him and filmed inside the boxing match and we’d ask people to go to the police with those images as they could be what helps to catch those responsible. We are frightened his killers are still walking the streets.”
 His family said today the murder followed an argument at the bar in the boxing venue between Mr Edwards and a stranger which they believed had been resolved.
Mr Edwards, who they said had nothing to do with gangs, had taken his sister and former partner to the venue in Old Ford Road to watch a friend box.
Some 45 minutes later, at about 10.35pm, he was attacked by a group of “ethnically diverse, heavy-set men” as he left the building after the final bout.
The family believe the group had also left the hall after watching the final fight. Despite paramedics’ efforts to save Mr Edwards, he was pronounced dead at around 11.40pm.

The former Lambeth College student, who lived in Clapham and grew up in Stockwell, worked as a HGV driver to provide for his daughters, Nylah, one, and Aaliyah, 12, who has cerebral palsy.
His family said: “A simple argument at a boxing match should not lead  to death, should not lead to a good man being hunted down by a mob, killed in the street and leaving his  family feeling broken. We are bereft, we are grief-stricken and we demand justice for Luther, for those whom  he left behind and for those who  loved him.”
A 31-year-old man was arrested six days after the attack, and two other men aged 23 and 26 were arrested in subsequent days. All have now been bailed until September.

Amazon announces 1,500 jobs by opening a major new warehouse in Essex

Business correspondent(wp/es):
Amazon has announced it will create 1,500 jobs by opening a major new warehouse in Essex.
Located in the dock area of Thurrock town Tilbury, the "fulfilment centre" will become the retailer’s 13th in the UK.
It will be fitted with robotic arms which carry products to and fro staff.
The announcement comes after a spike in online shopping, with UK shoppers spending 16.7 per cent more online this July compared to last year and 1.2 per cent more than this June.
 
Ian Geddes, UK head of retail at Deloitte, said: "The online market now accounts for 14.2 per cent of all retail sales, 1.6 percentage points more than 12 months ago.
"Not only does this indicate a step up in online spending, but retailers also appear to be on the right path when it comes to engaging with the online consumer."
Tilbury, due to open in 2017, will require operations managers, engineers, HR and IT workers and Amazon said it is currently scouting for the positions.
This year alone, the online giant will create 3,500 positions

Person struck by train at east London Tube stop

staff correspondent(es/wp):
A person has been struck by a train at Mile End station.
Emergency services including police, fire and ambulance crews were called shortly before 1pm to reports of someone on the tracks.
A British Transport Police spokesman confirmed a person was hit by a train but no further details were immediately available.
Pictures taken from the scene show a funeral van outside the station.

The station reopened just after 2pm.
Transport for London warned travellers of severe delays on the Central line following the reopening.

The delays have affected West Ham supporters travelling to Stratford for the club’s first home game at the Olympic Stadium against Bournemouth.
The club retweeted an update from the Central line Twitter feed and added: “Important info if you are travelling to the game via the @centralline

Eight new night bus routes to launch to coincide with 24-hour Underground start date

staff correspondent(es/wp):
Eight new night bus services are to be launched this weekend to help Night Tube passengers complete their journey home.
The services will primarily link with the northern end of the Victoria line and the eastern end of the Central line, both of which will run through the night on Friday and Saturday for the first time.
Areas to benefit include Walthamstow, Stratford, Leytonstone, Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Ilford. There will also be a 24-hour service on the E1 bus that links Greenford and Ealing.
The announcement comes as Transport for London confirmed it had abandoned plans to reduce the frequency of the 94 night bus, between Piccadilly Circus and Acton Green, and the N91 between Trafalgar Square and Cockfosters.

TfL has also put on hold a reduction in frequency to a further 15 services that it predicts will see fewer passengers as a result of the Night Tube.
Passenger numbers will now be monitored to see whether demand has dropped as a result of the all-night running of the Tube. TfL plans to extend Night Tube services by the end of the year onto the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

From Friday night, these routes will operate 24 hours a day from the first time:

• 34 (Barnet Church to Walthamstow Central)
• 123 (Ilford High Road to Wood Green)
• 145 (Leytonstone to Dagenham)
• 158 (Stratford to Chingford Mount)
• 296 (Ilford Broadway to Romford)
• E1 (Greenford Broadway to Ealing Broadway)
• W3 (Finsbury Park to Northumberland Park)
• W7 (Finsbury Park to Muswell Hill Broadway).

The new services will run every 30 minutes throughout Friday and Saturday nights, other than the W7, which will run every 20 minutes. A further seven new night bus services have already been introduced.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The routes will go hand-in-hand with the Night Tube to help Londoners get to and from their front door throughout the night. It’s another key step in helping everyone travel quickly and safely at night, and another boost to unlocking the full potential of our night time economy.

Team GB climb to second after five golds on day nine

sports  reporter(wp/es):
Max Whitlock won Britain's first ever gymnastics gold and later doubled that tally as he clinched podium top spot in both the floor and his favoured pommel horse apparatus.
It came as Jason Kenny beat fellow Briton Callum Smith in the men's sprint final to take his personal Olympics tally to five across three Games, while Justin Rose won golf gold and Andy Murray retained his crown with victory over Juan Martin del Porto in an epic tennis final.
Murray won 7-5 4-6 6-2 7-5 to become the first tennis player ever to win two Olympic gold medals in singles.
And Great Britain's five-gold haul lifted them above China in the medals rankings as the Games entered day 10.

in Dagenham ordered to pay almost £13,000 after selling knives to teenager

business correspondent(es/wp):
A Poundstretcher shop in Dagenham has been ordered to pay almost £13,000 after selling a set of knives to a teenage girl.
The store was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay costs of more than £5,000 by Romford Magistrates after being found guilty of selling the £2.99 set of knives to the 15-year-old.
The shop in Merrielands Retail Park, Merrielands Crescent, was brought before the court by Barking and Dagenham Council following an undercover test purchase operation last year.
The court awarded costs awarded costs of £5,221.50, plus a £120 victim surcharge, to the local authority.  
Councillor Laila Butt, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: “Barking and Dagenham remains among the safest boroughs in the capital and we intend to keep it so. 
“We are certainly not complacent, which is why we are working closely with the police to clamp down hard on irresponsible traders who sell knives to young people. 
“We take a zero tolerance approach to any irresponsible trader selling knives to youngsters.
"This huge fine sends out a clear message to any business that they will pay dearly for not taking their social responsibility seriously.”