Monday newspaper round-up: BT Group, Business rates, Small business

One of Britain's biggest shopkeepers has joined the call for Tory leadership candidates to prioritise a shake-up of 'outdated' business rates. Iceland boss Richard Walker urged the next prime minister to promise a 'root and branch' reform of the tax. He said the levy is penalising bricks and mortar retailers and, without a fundamental change, the High Street will 'continue to decline'. - Daily Mail

Half of smaller suppliers are still being paid late by their clients, triggering calls for the government to increase efforts to clamp down on the practice. As two key initiatives to address the problem stall, figures from the Federation of Small Businesses show that between April and June half of the 1,300 small business owners and sole traders surveyed for its quarterly research reported being paid late, while one in five said the issue was getting worse. - The Times

BP is to invest up to £50 million in a new global battery research and development centre in Britain. Planned to open by the end of 2024, the facilities will be located at the headquarters for its Castrol business in Pangbourne, Berkshire. They will help to advance the development of leading fluid technologies and engineering for hybrid and fully battery electric vehicles, with the aim of bringing the industry closer to the tipping point for mainstream electric vehicle adoption. - The Times

Waitrose is removing best-before dates from nearly 500 fresh food products in an effort to reduce food waste. From September, the staff-owned supermarket chain will scrap the dates on packaged fruit and vegetables, including lettuce, cucumber and peppers, to encourage consumers to use their own judgment about when food has gone off. The move is expected to cut food waste by preventing people from throwing away products that are still edible, the retailer says. - Guardian