Gordon Brothers Eyes Rescue Deal for Struggling Wilko
Specialist investor Gordon Brothers is reportedly in talks to save the ailing family-owned retailer Wilko. Known for backing British high street names like Laura Ashley, Gordon Brothers may fund a major restructuring at Wilko. This could mean widespread store closures and significant job cuts as the chain fights to survive.
Wilko recently confirmed plans to appoint administrators, putting up to 12,000 jobs at risk. Insiders say the chances of a successful rescue by Gordon Brothers are still up in the air.
Premium Bonds Odds Improve for First Time in 15 Years
National Savings and Investments (NS&I) has boosted the odds of winning Premium Bonds prizes — the biggest improvement in over 15 years. The chance to win a prize now stands at 1 in 21,000, improving players’ chances significantly.
- The number of £100,000 prizes has risen from 77 to 90.
- This is a huge jump from just six prizes in May last year.
- Monthly £1 million jackpot winners remain steady at two.
NS&I CEO Dax Harkins said the changes keep savings attractive while balancing the interests of savers, taxpayers, and the wider financial sector.
Zoom Tightens Privacy Rules Over AI Data Use
Zoom has updated its terms of service to tackle rising privacy concerns around its use of AI. The video conferencing giant faced backlash after its AI features—launched in June—raised fears that customer calls were being mined without explicit consent.
In a late Monday update, Zoom added a clear statement: “Zoom will not use audio, video, or chat customer content to train our artificial intelligence models without your consent.”
The company seeks to reassure users that their calls and chats won’t be used for AI training unless they opt in, after experts highlighted vague language in the original terms.
