BUSINESS LIVE: B&M enjoys a strong Christmas season; Hays issues a profit warning; GSK will acquire Aiolos Bio

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Companies with reports and trading updates today include B&M, Hays, GSK, Games Workshop, Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Unite Group.

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Me Group shares the top FTSE 350 charts

'Up to 100' Papa Johns branches are at risk of closing in the UK

It has been revealed that up to 100 Papa Johns branches will be closed across the country in the latest blow to the high street.

The chain, which operates 524 branches in the UK, told investors that the 'strategic' restaurant closures of 'underperforming' branches are expected to be closed to cut costs.

BUSINESS LIVE BM enjoys a strong Christmas season Hays issues

Pamela Anderson adds shine to Pandora as sales get a 12% boost

Pandora makes money after linking with Pamela Anderson.

The Danish jewelry group said sales in the last three months of 2023 were 12 percent higher than a year earlier as business boomed over Christmas.

1704793464 202 BUSINESS LIVE BM enjoys a strong Christmas season Hays issues

The rise at trading firm CMC Markets gives Cruddas a £40 windfall

Shares in two city trading firms rose yesterday after a revival in activity late last year.

In a boost for Tory donor Peter Cruddas, his company CMC Markets said it had seen 'an improvement in market conditions' in recent months.

1704793467 170 BUSINESS LIVE BM enjoys a strong Christmas season Hays issues

Boeing shares are hit as planes remain on the ground after a window bursts

Boeing shares tumbled yesterday as the crisis engulfing the planemaker deepened after a large part of a 737 Max plane was ripped off mid-flight.

The company's safety record has been thrust into the spotlight again after a piece of the plane was torn off during an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday, leaving terrified passengers staring at a gaping hole in the cabin at 16,000 feet.

1704793469 85 BUSINESS LIVE BM enjoys a strong Christmas season Hays issues

Boost for BAE as Germans give green light to sell Saudi Typhoon jets

Germany has dropped its opposition to the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia, which could mean a lucrative deal for BAE Systems.

The defense giant signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 to sell the kingdom 48 of the planes – a cornerstone of Britain's defense exports that support thousands of jobs – for a reported £5 billion.

1704793472 473 BUSINESS LIVE BM enjoys a strong Christmas season Hays issues

The FTSE 100 index opened at 7694.19

The pound at 8am was $1.2748, up from $1.2763 at the previous close.