INDIAN conglomerate ITC has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) to acquire 100 per cent of the equity share capital of West Bengal-based Sunrise Foods for an undisclosed amount.
The proposed deal is subject to the fulfilment of a number of terms and conditions set out in the SPA.
Currently, ITC produces a range spices under the Aashirvaad brand. With this acquisition, it plans to scale up its spices business across India.
Sunrise Foods manufactures spices under the trademark Sunrise which includes both basic and blended spices, and is differentiated based on regional tastes and preferences.
The deal is said to align with ITC’s strategic objective of rapidly scaling up its FMCG businesses, while maintaining profitability.
The company says that the deal will bring together the loyal consumer base and distribution strength of Sunrise Foods in ‘focus markets’ and ITC’s sourcing and supply chain capabilities.
ITC is one of India's foremost private sector companies with a market capitalisation of nearly $50 billion and gross sales value of $10.8 billion with presence in FMCG, hotels, packaging, paperboards and specialty papers, agri and IT businesses,
Originally founded as a tobacco company, ITC first moved into F&B around two decades ago.
Victoria’s Secret temporarily took down its website and suspended some in-store services in the U.S. on Wednesday following a “security incident.”
Customers visiting the lingerie retailer’s site were met with a black screen displaying a message that read: “Valued customer, we identified and are taking steps to address a security incident. We have taken down our website and some in-store services as a precaution. Our team is working around the clock to fully restore operations. We appreciate your patience during this process. In the meantime, our Victoria’s Secret and PINK stores remain open and we look forward to serving you.”
A spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret told FOX Business that the company immediately activated its response protocols after identifying the incident. “Third-party experts are engaged, and we took down our website and some in-store services as a precaution,” the spokesperson said. “We are working to quickly and securely restore operations.”
Customers visiting the lingerie retailer’s site were met with a black screen Victoria's Secret
The company generated around $2 billion in digital sales in 2024, accounting for approximately one third of its total revenue.
Following the website outage, Victoria’s Secret’s shares fell nearly 7% on Wednesday.
At this time, the exact nature of the security incident remains unclear, and the company has not confirmed whether any customer data was compromised.
Victoria’s Secret has not disclosed if law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation.
It is also unknown how long the website and services will remain offline as the company continues to address the issue.
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OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
GLOBAL travel-tech unicorn OYO has arranged for five investment banks to meet its key shareholder SoftBank in June, in a crucial presentation that could determine the company's path to public listing, sources said.
The banks include Citi, Goldman Sachs and Jefferies from the global banking consortium, alongside ICICI Securities and Axis Capital representing Indian financial institutions.
SoftBank, which remains one of OYO's largest shareholders, is interested in understanding the key positioning strategies, expected valuation metrics and anticipated investor appetite for the offering.
The high-stakes meeting is scheduled to take place at SoftBank's London office on Grosvenor Street, where the banks will present their IPO strategies to SoftBank's Sumer Juneja.
OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal and his senior leadership team will also participate in the discussions, sources close to the development said.
The Japanese conglomerate's view is considered important for the IPO's timing, given its significant stake in the hospitality startup.
"SoftBank is positive about their portfolio companies such as OYO which have shown strong performance. For OYO, raising primary issuance will lead to a sharp increase in its earnings per share by using the proceeds to prepay some of its debt," said a person close to the development.
OYO is targeting a share dilution of 10 per cent in the proposed public offering, through a combination of primary and secondary components to ensure the lowest possible dilution, since the company is already generating cash, the person added.
According to sources, SoftBank has been encouraging OYO over the past few months to start working actively towards a public listing, since the company has been exceeding the agreed financial milestones such as EBITDA and gross bookings growth.
The London meeting comes as OYO has intensified its thinking about an IPO over the past month, transitioning from informal discussions to active pitch presentations with major banking institutions.
According to reports, the company is considering filing its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) between August and September this year.
The timing of the filing remains flexible, with OYO weighing whether to proceed with FY25 financial results or wait for H1 FY26 results to strengthen its market position.
Reports said that OYO is targeting an IPO launch in the last quarter of the current financial year, positioning itself to capitalise on improved market sentiment and its own operational turnaround.
The renewed IPO push comes after OYO had previously filed and refiled its draft papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2021, seeking to raise more than £780 million through a public offering. The company withdrew those papers in 2024.
In recent times, OYO has streamlined its global operations while strengthening its presence in key markets, including India, the US, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Sources indicated that the company's improved financial metrics and operational efficiency have renewed investor confidence, prompting the fresh attempt at going public.
(PTI)
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Nationwide’s annual pre-tax profits rose to £2.3 billion from less than £1.8 billion a year earlier. (Photo: Getty Images)
NATIONWIDE Building Society will hand £100 each to more than four million members after it reported an increase in profits following its takeover of Virgin Money.
The payment, Nationwide’s third “fairer share” payout, will total about £410 million. It comes on top of £1 billion of cash returned to members in the year to the end of March, and £1.8 billion of benefits passed on through competitive savings and mortgage rates, reported The Times.
Nationwide’s annual pre-tax profits rose to £2.3 billion from less than £1.8 billion a year earlier. This rise was supported by the acquisition of Virgin Money, which formally completed at the beginning of October.
Debbie Crosbie, the chief executive of Nationwide, said the mutual had experienced “an outstanding twelve months”.
“The Virgin Money performance was strong in the six months since our acquisition, with improvements in customer service and a return to growth in mortgage lending,” Crosbie said.
Crosbie had announced Nationwide’s £2.9 billion deal to acquire Virgin Money in March last year, moving it ahead of NatWest as the UK’s second-biggest mortgage lender. Some members had criticised the takeover as they were not given a say in the deal.
Nationwide recently gave 12 million members with a mortgage, current or savings account a £50 payment totalling £615 million, in addition to its second fairer share payment of £385 million last June.
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Retailers such as Currys and The Game Collection are also offering launch bundles
The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 will officially launch in the UK on 5 June, with select retailers preparing midnight openings and special launch events. As demand remains high and stock levels fluctuate, gamers across the country are racing to secure a pre-order ahead of release day.
Smyths Toys will open all of its UK stores at 12:01am on 5 June, offering Click & Collect for those who pre-ordered and a limited number of consoles for walk-in customers. Several branches, including Boucher Road in Belfast, Glasgow, Stockport, Romford and Hull, will open early at 11pm on 4 June to host launch demo events. These locations will allow fans to test the new Mario Kart World before it officially releases, and the first 100 attendees at each event will receive a complimentary goodie bag.
The Nintendo Switch 2 maintains the hybrid design of its predecessor but comes with several hardware upgrades. It features a larger 7.9-inch HDR LCD display, 256GB of internal storage, and a performance boost that supports 4K output when docked. A standout innovation is the new Joy-Con 2 controllers, which attach magnetically and function similarly to computer mice, allowing for more interactive gameplay.
A leaked setup video surfaced online earlier this week, revealing the console’s updated interface and Joy-Con functionality. Although most features remain locked behind a day-one update, the footage suggests that the console is already in circulation ahead of the official launch.
Nintendo
Pre-orders have been selling out rapidly, but a few retailers continue to offer limited stock. The standalone Nintendo Switch 2 is listed at £395.99 on Nintendo.co.uk, while the official Mario Kart World bundle—priced at £429.99—includes a digital copy of the game alongside the console, controllers, dock, grip and cables.
Retailers such as Currys and The Game Collection are also offering launch bundles. Currys is retailing a £579 package that includes Mario Kart World, Street Fighter 6, a Switch 2 camera, a 256GB microSD Express memory card, a carrying case and a screen protector. Meanwhile, The Game Collection has a £609.95 bundle with Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman: World of Assassination, and other accessories. A £644.95 version adds Mario Kart World to the mix.
While the My Nintendo Store frequently sees stock come and go, customers require an active Switch Online membership—currently £5.99 from Cdkeys.com—to complete their purchase. Currys and The Game Collection offer alternatives without this requirement.
- YouTubeYouTube/ Nintendo UK
Other UK retailers, such as Very, ShopTo, Amazon, EE, JD Williams, John Lewis, Kaleidoscope, HMV and Game, have seen fluctuating availability, with many selling out as early as mid-May. Amazon is reportedly restocking intermittently via workaround links.
Beyond the console itself, several accessories and upcoming games are available for pre-order. Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D platformer exclusive to Switch 2, launches on 17 July and is available for £64.99. Accessories like the redesigned £74.99 Pro Controller, £49.95 Switch 2 camera, and £49.95 Nintendo-branded microSD Express cards are also being promoted for early adopters.
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For those looking to travel with their new console, Nintendo offers an all-in-one carrying case for £66.99, as well as a simpler £20.99 case and screen protector combo.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 midnight launch in the UK just days away, those hoping to secure a unit on release day will need to act fast, either by attending one of the midnight store openings or securing a final pre-order online. The console's enhanced hardware, innovative controller design and backwards compatibility make it a significant step forward for Nintendo’s hybrid gaming platform.
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FX2 could well become a preferred workhorse for independent filmmakers, documentarians, and hybrid professionals
Sony has unveiled the FX2, the latest addition to its FX compact cinema camera line-up. Positioned between the FX3 and FX30, the FX2 merges cinematic capabilities with improved stills performance. It inherits its core from the Sony Alpha a7 IV, including its 33-megapixel back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor, but features the compact FX series body and workflow optimisations.
The FX2 is designed to deliver high-quality oversampled 4K video from 7K capture at up to 30p, with an additional 4K 60p mode via a Super 35mm (APS-C) crop. This S35 4K option sets the FX2 apart from its FX3 and FX6 counterparts, which cannot record 4K from a crop due to their lower-resolution 12MP sensors.
The Sony FX2 is a unique proposition in Sony’s cinema lineYouTube/ Sony Europe
In terms of video quality, the FX2 supports 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording using codecs including XAVC S, XAVC S-I and XAVC HS, and offers Sony’s colour profiles such as S-Log3 and S-Cinetone. An external 16-bit RAW output is also supported through the full-size HDMI port. The camera uses a dual base ISO system (ISO 800 and 4000 in S-Log), with Sony claiming over 15 stops of dynamic range.
Improved stills capabilities
Although part of the FX line, the FX2 introduces enhanced still photography functionality. It uses a mechanical shutter (in addition to electronic), allows for 10fps burst shooting, and supports Sony α system flashes. It also includes the option to shoot stills using Log profiles, aligning still and video workflows. These features highlight Sony’s acknowledgement of a growing demand for hybrid content creation in professional settings.
Body design and ergonomics
The FX2’s body is nearly identical to the FX3, maintaining its compact, modular structure, internal active cooling system, and multiple mounting points that may negate the need for a cage. However, it introduces one notable addition: a tilting 3.68 million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF), a feature largely absent in modern mirrorless and hybrid cinema cameras. This tiltable EVF supports angles from 0° to 90°, catering to a wide range of shooting scenarios.
- YouTubeYouTube/ Sony Europe
The FX2 also comes with a 3.0-inch vari-angle LCD, though its resolution is lower than that of the FX3 and FX30. Connectivity options include a USB-C port, full-size HDMI, and dual card slots (1x CFexpress Type A/SD and 1x SD).
Sony has equipped the FX2 with a Fast Hybrid Autofocus system enhanced by an AI processing unit. Autofocus tracking extends to humans, animals, birds, insects, vehicles and aircraft. The 5-axis in-body image stabilisation supports various modes, including Dynamic Active, promising up to 5 stops of compensation.
Comparisons with FX3 and FX30
When placed alongside its FX siblings, the FX2 finds itself in a distinct position. Compared to the FX3, it offers higher resolution and better stills performance, though it sacrifices 4K 120p capabilities in favour of S35 4K 60p. Against the FX30, the FX2 brings a full-frame sensor and wider dynamic range (15+ stops vs 14+), while also featuring an EVF which the other models lack.
All three cameras share the BIONZ XR processing engine, dual native ISO design, active cooling, and support for XLR audio via the included handle (in applicable kits). Media compatibility, codecs, and colour profiles also align across the models.
Price and availability
Sony is positioning the FX2 competitively in the market. The camera will be available in two configurations: body only for $2,699.99, or with the XLR handle for $3,099.99. At this price point, the FX2 offers a compelling blend of resolution, video capabilities, hybrid ergonomics, and audio flexibility, making it an attractive option for videographers, hybrid shooters, and content creators.
Sony’s cinema line
The Sony FX2 is a unique proposition in Sony’s cinema line, delivering a strong balance between video performance and stills capabilities. Its 33MP sensor, oversampled 4K video, S35 recording options, and professional audio interface provide a versatile toolset for a wide range of creators. With the addition of a tiltable EVF and a form factor optimised for rig-free use, the FX2 could well become a preferred workhorse for independent filmmakers, documentarians, and hybrid professionals.
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