Vivek Mishra works as an Assistant Editor with Eastern Eye and has over 13 years of experience in journalism. His areas of interest include politics, international affairs, current events, and sports. With a background in newsroom operations and editorial planning, he has reported and edited stories on major national and global developments.
BESTWAY Wholesale is marking its 50th anniversary in 2025. Founded in 1975, the company opened its first warehouse in Acton, West London, and has since grown into one of the UK’s largest independent wholesalers.
The business was started by Sir Anwar Pervez. He was awarded a knighthood in 1999 for his contributions to the food wholesale sector. Under his leadership, Bestway achieved £12 million in turnover within its first 18 months, launched the best-one symbol group in 2002, acquired Batley’s in 2005, Costcutter Supermarkets Group in 2020, and Adams Foodservice in 2024.
Managing Director Dawood Pervez said: “It’s incredible to reflect on how far we’ve come – from modest beginnings to becoming one of the UK’s leading wholesalers. This milestone – celebrating half a century in business – is a testament to the hard work, integrity, and entrepreneurial spirit that runs through the business.
“My father’s vision was simple but powerful: to offer greater value through lower prices and better availability – a mission that remains at the core of everything we do today.
“He created a business that is an engine for social mobility and an opportunity for migrant communities seeking to build a life in the UK – offering them purpose, a path to prosperity, and the chance to add lasting value to British society.”
The business was started by Sir Anwar Pervez.getty images
Pervez added: “Thanks to the vision of my father and his family partners, the business rapidly grew through both organic development and strategic acquisitions. Today, we are proud to be the 7th largest family-owned business in the UK and the 13th largest privately owned company.”
Bestway began its anniversary year in January with its annual ‘Thank You’ campaign, offering deals on products in-store and online. It includes 50 weekly trade campaigns with offers, discounts, competitions and promotions. These will conclude in December with a Christmas-themed promotion featuring 50 one-day festive deals.
A celebration event is scheduled for July at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Sir Anwar Pervez and Lord Choudrey. Supplier partners supporting the campaign include Coca-Cola Euro Pacific, Cadbury’s, Red Bull, Carlsberg, Heineken, Mars Wrigley, Walkers, Budweiser Brewing Group, and others.
Trump links India’s high tariffs and trade barriers to new punitive measures.
He warned of an unspecified “penalty” over India’s defence and energy ties with Russia.
Trade talks between the US and India have stalled over market access disagreements.
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that imports from India will face a 25 per cent tariff. He also mentioned an unspecified "penalty" for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian weapons and energy.
The new tariffs will take effect on Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country," Trump said.
Trump cites trade deficit
In another post, Trump wrote in all caps that the United States has a "massive" trade deficit with India.
He said India has "always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE."
Trump did not give details of the penalty he referred to for India’s trade with Russia.
Measures linked to Russia-Ukraine conflict
The announcement comes as the 79-year-old Republican has indicated plans to increase US pressure on Moscow to stop the fighting in Ukraine and negotiate a peace deal.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was giving Russian president Vladimir Putin 10 days to change course in Ukraine or face unspecified punishment.
"We're going to put on tariffs and stuff," he said, but added, "I don't know if it's going to effect Russia because obviously he wants to keep the war going."
India, the world’s most populous country, was among the first major economies to start broader trade talks with Washington.
However, after six months, Trump’s wide-ranging demands and India’s reluctance to fully open its agricultural and dairy sectors have prevented a deal that would protect it from punitive tariffs.
On Tuesday, Trump had said India could face a 20–25 per cent rate since no trade deal had been finalised. The announced tariffs will significantly increase from the current 10 per cent baseline tariff on Indian shipments to the US.
Wider global tariff threats
Trump has aimed to reshape the global economy by using US economic power to pressure trading partners with tariffs and push foreign companies to move operations to the United States.
Talks are ongoing with the European Union, China, Canada and other major partners.
He has also warned that dozens of other countries could face higher tariffs from Friday unless they strike trade deals. Among them is Brazil, which Trump has threatened with 50 per cent import tariffs, partly to pressure the country to halt the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro on coup charges.
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Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy is only available via specialist NHS weight management services
Novo Nordisk loses $70bn (£52bn) in market value after major share price slump
Company cuts annual forecasts for both profit and revenue
Faces mounting competition from Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and unauthorised compound drugs
Executive reshuffle announced as Maziar Mike Doustdar takes over as CEO
UK access to weight-loss jabs remains tightly restricted under NHS guidelines
Novo Nordisk hit by sharp fall as rivals gain ground
Novo Nordisk’s shares fell by more than 20% on Tuesday—its steepest one-day drop—wiping $70bn (£52bn) off its market capitalisation. The crash follows a revised outlook by the company, which lowered its full-year profit and sales expectations amid growing competitive pressure in the obesity drug market.
The fall pushes Novo Nordisk behind European luxury brands LVMH and Hermès in the rankings of the continent’s biggest listed companies, just weeks after reclaiming the top spot.
Profit warning and weaker sales forecast
The Danish drugmaker revised its 2025 guidance, with sales now expected to grow between 8% and 14%, down from 13% to 21%. Projected profit growth was similarly trimmed to 10%–16%, compared to the earlier range of 16%–24%.
The downgrade is attributed to several factors, including increasing demand for cheaper compound drugs—unlicensed versions of Novo’s injections—as well as competition from Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 rival, Mounjaro (Zepbound in the US).
Leadership shake-up at a critical time
Novo Nordisk announced that Maziar Mike Doustdar, currently leading international operations, will assume the role of chief executive. He will be tasked with reviving flagging demand, especially in the crucial US market.
Doustdar pledged to “increase the sense of urgency and execute differently”, aiming to “turn the picture around” in the US where market share is slipping.
Mounjaro closes in on GLP-1 dominance
GLP-1 drugs, designed to mimic hormones that regulate appetite and satiety, have become central to the growing global demand for weight-loss treatments. A recent head-to-head clinical trial, funded by Eli Lilly, showed Mounjaro delivering 20% average weight loss over 72 weeks—outperforming Novo’s Wegovy, which delivered a 14% reduction.
In May, Eli Lilly surpassed Novo Nordisk in its share of the US GLP-1 market for the first time.
Legal battles and regulatory hurdles
Novo continues to challenge unauthorised versions of its obesity jabs in court. Despite intervention by the US FDA to limit the proliferation of these compound drugs, Novo claims that mass production persists under claims of customisation and personalisation.
The company says these imitations not only pose regulatory risks but also endanger patient safety.
Limited NHS access in the UK
In the UK, Eli Lilly has gained an advantage with approval for Mounjaro to be prescribed through GP surgeries. In contrast, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy is only available via specialist NHS weight management services.
Strict eligibility applies: patients must have a BMI over 40 and at least four related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes or sleep apnoea to qualify.
Novo’s UK chief, Sebnem Avsar Tuna, recently called on the government to broaden access, suggesting the UK could “be a role model” in tackling obesity through innovation.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has echoed support for wider use, stating that access should be “based on need and not the ability to pay”. The government is now piloting accelerated schemes for rollout of such treatments.
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Artist’s impression of Tata Steel’s state-of-the-art Electric Arc Furnace facility being built in Port Talbot. (Image credit: Tata Steel)
TATA STEEL has appointed engineering firm ABB to provide electrification and process technologies for its Port Talbot site in South Wales. The project is part of Tata Steel’s £1.25 billion plan to transition to low CO₂ steel production.
The investment includes the construction of a 320-tonne capacity Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), expected to be commissioned in 2027/8. The UK Government is supporting the project with £500 million. Tata Steel said the transformation would reduce CO₂ emissions from the site by almost 90 per cent, equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the UK’s total direct emissions.
Under the contract, ABB will supply high- and low-voltage switchgear, power and distribution transformers, digital control systems, and its ArcSave® electro-magnetic stirring system, also known as Consteerrer®. The system will be delivered under a wider agreement with technology partner Tenova.
Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel, said: “We’re looking forward to ABB helping us to positively impact the transformation at Port Talbot Steelworks, a site undergoing critical change for the future of UK steelmaking. Their proven technologies and expertise will support our evolving production processes on site, enabling resource and cost efficiencies for the long-term. We’re looking forward to driving this project forward.”
Frederik Esterhuizen, Global Business Line Manager for Metals at ABB Process Industries, said: “Our team has an established relationship with Tata Steel and Tenova and we know that together we can shape operations to benefit how low CO₂ steel is made, safely and sustainably. Our aim is to work with our customer and the various suppliers involved in the project to ensure the timelines for commissioning are met and that the region can continue its rich heritage in steelmaking into the future.”
The commissioning of ABB’s technologies is scheduled to align with the EAF’s startup in 2028.
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Concerns raised by businesses and news outlets over declining referral traffic
Google rolls out optional AI search tool in the UK using Gemini platform
‘AI Mode’ replaces link-heavy results with conversational summaries
Concerns raised by businesses and news outlets over declining referral traffic
AI Mode already live in the US and India; rollout in the UK underway
Google has yet to finalise how ads and revenue will work under the new model
AI Mode arrives in the UK: A shift in search experience
Google is rolling out a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search feature in the UK, offering users conversational-style responses instead of traditional lists of links. The optional tool, named “AI Mode”, is powered by Google’s Gemini platform and has already launched in the US and India.
Unlike Google’s standard search layout, AI Mode delivers summarised answers directly within the results page, with significantly fewer external links.
Conversational responses, fewer clicks
The tool is not intended to replace Google’s main search engine, which handles billions of queries daily. However, experts say the growing integration of AI into search is raising concerns, particularly among organisations that rely heavily on referral traffic from search results—such as retailers, advertisers, and news publishers.
According to the Daily Mail, traffic from Google to its website has reportedly dropped by around 50% across both desktop and mobile platforms since the AI Overview feature was introduced.
Google’s Hema Budaraju, product lead for search, acknowledged the uncertainty around how advertising and business visibility will function in AI Mode but suggested that the tool allows users to express more complex queries naturally.
“These kinds of questions didn’t happen before,” she said. “Now you made it really possible for people to express anything a lot more naturally.”
How AI Mode works
AI Mode appears as both a tab and an option within the search bar. Users who enable it will see AI-generated summaries based on their queries, with links appearing further down the results page. During a demonstration, Google used the example of someone looking for strawberry picking spots for a young family. The AI-generated response included a broad geographical range and only a few links, which were placed lower in the display compared to standard search results.
Though the BBC was unable to test the feature directly due to the UK rollout still being phased in, the tool is part of Google’s broader response to changes in how users phrase and interact with search queries.
Ms Budaraju cited a shift in search behaviour:
“About two years ago, if you spilled coffee on your carpet, you would have searched for ‘clean carpet stain’. Now, it’s more like, ‘I spilled coffee on my Berber carpet, I’m looking for a cleaner that is pet friendly’.”
Concerns from publishers and campaigners
The shift has prompted concern from publishers and advocacy groups. A study commissioned by Foxglove, a campaign organisation, found that users only clicked a link in one out of every 100 searches when an AI-generated summary appeared. Google disputes the study’s methodology.
Rosa Curling, director of Foxglove, argued the feature negatively impacts journalism:
“What the AI summary now does is makes sure that the readers' eyes stay on the Google web page. And the advertising revenue of those news outlets is being massively impacted.”
AI summaries are often derived from existing reporting, but critics say readers no longer click through to original articles—further undermining revenue streams.
Environmental and regulatory context
Google generates more than two billion AI Overview summaries daily in over 40 languages. However, the feature is not currently available in the European Union, where digital regulation restricts its deployment.
There are also concerns about the environmental cost of AI. Large-scale AI systems require significant energy and water resources to run vast data centres.
In response, Google reiterated its commitment to sustainability.
“We are constantly, as Google and as Search, evolving sustainable ways to serve technology,” Ms Budaraju said.
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Barclays' trading results followed those of Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs, which also reported strong earnings from volatile markets.
BARCLAYS reported a 23 per cent rise in first-half profit, exceeding expectations, as increased trading activity driven by US president Donald Trump's trade tariffs boosted its markets business.
The bank said on Tuesday that pretax profit for January to June reached 5.2 billion pounds, above the analysts' forecast of 4.96 billion pounds.
Barclays announced a share buyback of 1 billion pounds and a half-year dividend of 3 pence per share, amounting to 1.4 billion pounds in total capital distributions to shareholders. This marks a 21 per cent increase from the previous year.
The bank’s investment unit supported the results despite a shift in spending towards its domestic retail and corporate banking business. "We remain on track to achieve the objectives of our three-year plan, delivering structurally higher and more stable returns for our investors," CEO CS Venkatakrishnan said.
Jonathan Pierce, an analyst at Jefferies, noted that the results were ahead of expectations and indicated Barclays' 2026 target for a return on tangible equity of more than 12 per cent appears achievable.
The bank said the financial impact of Britain's investigation into banks' disclosure of motor finance commissions could differ significantly from the 90 million pounds it has already set aside. Lenders are awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling on the case, expected on Friday.
Barclays' trading results followed those of Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs, which also reported strong earnings from volatile markets. The British bank’s equities income rose 25 per cent, compared with an average 18 per cent rise among the top five US banks, according to Reuters calculations based on company statements.
Revenue from trading fixed income, currencies and commodities increased 26 per cent for Barclays, compared to an average 14 per cent rise at its US rivals Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Investment banking fee income from advising on deals fell 16 per cent for Barclays, while its Wall Street peers recorded an average gain of 13 per cent.