The European Commission is proposing to let member states abolish rules that force small firms to submit audit reports to national authorities.

Sony has unveiled a "fundamental" reorganisation of its electronics and games businesses to improve profitability and make the company more competitive – Sony has predicted that it will make a Yen 260 billion (around £1.8bn) loss in the financial year to March.

John Lewis reported another fall in sales in the week to February 21 but it was an improvement on the week before thanks to the half-term school holiday.

An ombudsman to oversee an extended code of practice for grocery giants has been proposed by the Competition Commission and attacked by a leading retail organisation.

Retail stores owned and run by Microsoft are coming to Europe.

The BBC Trust has unveiled proposals that will allow viewers to watch on-demand services such as the BBC iPlayer and other internet content through their TV sets.

Mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse has said around 450 jobs are at risk following a review of its business.

The Government has set up a website to encourage the public to take part in an online debate about its vision for a digital future.

A further 50 basis point cut in the Bank Rate next week to 0.5 per cent is predicted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) as the latest estimate of UK economic growth from the Office for National Statistics shows the recession biting even harder in Britain.

More than 100 million Blu-ray discs (BD) are set to be sold this year in Western Europe, the USA and Japan.

Distributor BBG and Vogel's Products are to stop trading exclusively with each other from March 2 and BBG is to stop representing the brand in the UK from March 23.

Top retail bosses are to ask local government minister John Healey to cut the steep rise in business rates planned for April.

A business group thinks it has found out why banks are still reluctant to lend money to small firms – the Government has imposed a "cap" on its widely-publicised Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG).

Retail sales were 0.7 per cent higher in January than in December, and 3.6 per cent up on a year ago.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has appointed former John Lewis managing director Luke Mayhew to succeed Sir Geoff Mulcahy as its chairman.

Richer Sounds has bought the EmpireDirect.co.uk website from administrators at KPMG.

Tax receipts fell by nearly £7 billion in January shrinking the surplus in the country's public sector finances to £8.4bn, down from £15.3bn a year ago.

Two-thirds of retail chiefs do not expect trade to pick up before the end of the year and the remaining third think it will take until the end of next year before business improves.

The Zavvi name is to disappear from UK high streets this week as the entertainment chain's administrator closes the remaining 18 stores with the loss of 446 jobs.

Loan guarantees and emergency funding should be extended to manufacturers as well as to UK banks, a think tank said.

Chancellor Alistair Darling is being asked to authorise the Bank of England to start printing more money in an attempt to kick-start the economy.

Supermarket group Asda saw its sales grow 7.2 per cent in the last three months of 2008 and pointed out that it has out-performed the market for eleven successive quarters.

Woolworths is set to return to the high street - but under a different name.

The annual rate of inflation fell slightly in January to three per cent.

German consumer electronics company TechniSat is to produce HD digital boxes for free-to-view satellite TV platform Freesat this year.

The recession is still not hitting online spending, which rose 19 per cent in January.

The deputy governor of the Bank of England has admitted that there is a 75 per cent chance that the recession will be worse than the Bank of England predicted last week.

Sky is to replace up to 90,000 Sky+HD boxes following the discovery of a manufacturing fault.

Dmg world media has announced the postponement of kbbreview EXPO incorporating Tile and Stone and Floorstyle, which was due to run at Excel May 10-12, 2009.

A month after the launch of the Government's £1 billion loan guarantee scheme for small businesses only £12 million has been lent to companies.

The UK economy is headed deeper into a recession that will last throughout 2009, warned the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

More than 60,000 businesses have already made arrangements to delay payments of the taxes they owe - a total of £1 billion, so far.

Microsoft is to open a chain of retail stores and has hired former Wal-Mart executive David Porter to head them up.

Department store group John Lewis has reported a 17.1 per cent year-on-year drop in weekly sales.

Fears are growing that the Indesit Company intends to close its washing machine plant in Denbighshire with the loss of up to 340 jobs.

One Woolworths employee refused to give up when the iconic chain collapsed early this year - she is reopening her store under the name Wellworths.

Pioneer is to close its flat-screen TV business and cut a further 10,000 jobs on top of the 5,900 it axed last year.

Sports pay-TV operator Setanta may not survive the loss of one of its two Premier League packages to Sky for 2010 to 2013, warned an analyst.

UK unemployment climbed to 1.97 million in the three months to December, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Supermarket giant Tesco is to publish customer reviews of products sold by its non-food business Tesco Direct.

The UK is facing a deep recession this year and it could be longer and deeper than expected, the Bank of England has warned.

John Lewis is to open a £45 million automated distribution centre in Milton Keynes in May that is said to include eco-friendly features.

Nearly two-thirds of small businesses do not want to see any more cuts in interest rates.

The video-on-demand joint venture between the BBC, ITV and Channel Four known as Project Kangaroo has been blocked by the Competition Commission.

Baugur, the Icelandic group that has stakes in, among others, supermarket chain Iceland, department store House of Fraser and toy shop Hamleys in the UK, has sought protection from its creditors.

Panasonic is to cut 15,000 jobs and shut 27 plants in a bid to combat the global downturn.

Suppliers to American retailers will have to prove they meet safety standards set by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Regulator Ofcom is consulting on plans to move the spectrum used by the UK's digital terrestrial TV companies to harmonise with moves by other European countries to release the 800MHz band as their digital dividend.

Mobile phone operator Vodafone reported a 14.3 per cent jump in group revenue to £10.5 billion in the third quarter to December 31, but most of the boost was due to the strength of other currencies against the pound.