Monday newspaper round-up: Ladbrokes-Coral, BHS, G4S, Sky

The merger between Ladbrokes and Coral could be blocked, analysts have suggested, citing the blocking last week of the proposed merger between O2 and Three by Europe’s competition commission on the ground that it would have cut the number of big players from four to three, an argument supported by the UK's regulator. Industry experts suggest the merger could be undermined by data showing that about three quarters of retail punters place bets only in shops. - The Times

A number of bidders battling for BHS have been told to improve their offers by Tuesday to stand a chance of buying the collapsed high street chain. Administrators have spent the past week assessing several bids for the retailer and are expected to make a decision on a buyer within days. - Financial Times

O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne is exploring a debt-fuelled £8.5bn management buyout attempt following the collapse of CK Hutchison’s takeover bid for the mobile operator. The Irishman, 52, has been approached in recent weeks by potential private equity sponsors aiming to carry out what would be the largest UK leveraged buyout since before the financial crisis. - Telegraph

The governor of the Bank of England was forced to defend his record yesterday as controversy raged over his interventions in the Brexit debate. Mark Carney, 51, said “we get the big calls right” in response to accusations that the Bank had produced inaccurate forecasts. - Times/Telegraph/Guardian

The CBI has cut its growth forecasts as uncertainty grows about the European Union referendum and as Commonwealth countries line up to advise against Brexit. After the Bank of England’s downgrade last week, the employers’ organisation is predicting GDP growth of 2 per cent in both 2016 and 2017, down from its forecasts of 2.3 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively, in February. - The Times

UK workers are being warned to expect meagre wage rises until at least 2020, as weak productivity and new costs such as the national living wage curb employers’ readiness to raise salaries. Even though employment is expected to rise, pay growth is forecast to be just 1.7% over the next year, as an ample supply of labour helps employers hold back on wage rises in a “jobs-rich, pay-poor” economy, said the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD). - Guardian

The break-up of BAA is on course to create £870m of consumer benefits by 2020, the Competition and Markets Authority says in a new report to be published today. Forcing the airports operator to sell Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh produced legal challenges, but the resulting competition has led to more investment and faster passenger growth, the CMA says. - The Times

Sky faces a possible 70% rise in the bill for German football rights in an auction next month, analysts estimate. The broadcaster currently pays €645m (£508m) per season for exclusive rights to Bundesliga matches but amid stronger competition in the German pay-TV business, the annual bill could rise as high as €1.1bn, say specialists at Ampere Analysis. - Telegraph

G4S, the world’s biggest security company, is planning to open mobile or high street banking units in the UK and five other European countries as it moves in on a space many lenders are vacating. G4S’s armoured vehicles and secure locations already transport and store cash for central banks, high street lenders, retailers and public services. - Financial Times

The living wage will force a third of Britain’s local shopkeepers to cut jobs or raise prices, new research into the impact of George Osborne’s policy claims today. The darker outlook for convenience stores is a blow to retailers in general. - Telegraph

The average asking price of a typical first-time buyer home leapt by 6.2% in a month after buy-to-let investors rushed to buy properties before last month’s stamp duty increase, according to figures on Monday. The average for properties coming on to the market in England and Wales with two bedrooms or fewer was £11,298 higher in May than in April, at £194,224, according to data from the property website Rightmove. - Guardian

Chinese nationals have become the largest foreign buyers of US property after pouring billions into the market in search of safe offshore assets, according to a study. A huge surge in Chinese buying of both residential and commercial real estate last year took their five-year investment total to more than $110bn, according to the study from the Asia Society and Rosen Consulting Group. - Guardian

The Church of England has said it fears a looming global economic slowdown with governments relatively powerless to shore up growth, as it revealed a decision to offload a portion of its substantial stock market holdings. The church commissioners, who manage the C of E’s £7bn investment fund, said they enjoyed market-beating returns of 8.2% last year but warned they would struggle to keep up that pace in future. - Guardian

The big four supermarkets in Britain have pledged to save women hundreds of pounds on sanitary products over the course of their lifetimes following the government’s promise to scrap the so-called tampon tax, the Guardian can reveal. Tesco, Asda and Morrisons have written to Paula Sherriff, the Labour MP who led the parliamentary campaign to scrap the 5% VAT on sanitary products, confirming that the price tag will be reduced in line with the abolition of the levy. - Guardian