Friday newspaper round-up: UK shoppers, Heathrow, Frasers

As the cost of living crisis builds up UK shoppers are slashing their budgets in almost all areas. But there is a notable exception – the money spent on clothing is above pre-pandemic levels, the return of weddings, holidays and socialising fuelling a boom in “revenge spending” or buying those treats missed over months of pandemic lockdowns. Shoppers are forking out almost a fifth more on clothing than last year, research from Kantar for the Guardian has found, taking the value 1% ahead of the 2019 figure. - Guardian

Ministers have issued an ultimatum to the chief executive of Heathrow, calling on him to provide a plan to resolve the airport’s staffing problems, it has been reported. John Holland-Kaye has until midday on Friday to assure ministers that the airport has sufficient workers for security screening and to assist disabled passengers, according to a letter from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) director general for aviation, maritime and security and the chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) seen by the Daily Telegraph. - Guardian

Mike Ashley’s Frasers has banned staff from working from home on Fridays after some employees were caught posting too often on social media. The retailer, which owns Sports Direct and House of Fraser, has ended its flexible Friday policy and asked staff to be in the office all week. An internal memo, sent by the company’s operating chief, said “Frasers Friday” had become “an unproductive day of the week”, the Sun first reported. - Telegraph

Homeowners with solar panels are missing out on hundreds of pounds due to rules that let energy companies underpay them for power. After months of rocketing electricity prices, a three-bedroom household with solar panels should now be able to make more than £400 a year by selling spare solar power to the grid. But under the export tariffs offered by some energy companies, they would receive as little as £22, analysis shows.- Telegraph

Europe may have to ration energy this winter if Russia cuts off the gas while Britain will also face “really, really high prices”, senior energy leaders have warned. The bosses of Shell and National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) both issued stark warnings about the bleak winter ahead, after President Putin threatened that sanctions could result in catastrophic consequences for energy markets. - The Times