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Manchester United Football Club is closing in on the appointment of an internal successor to Ed Woodward, its long-standing boss.

Sky News has learnt that the club’s New York-listed parent company could announce within weeks that Richard Arnold, Manchester United’s group managing director, will take over from Mr Woodward.

One insider said that a statement confirming Mr Arnold’s appointment could be made as soon as next month, although they cautioned that the decision had yet to be formally signed off and remained subject to change.

Manchester United's manager David Moyes with Aerofleet CEO Vitaly Saveliev and Manchester United's Group Managing Director Richard Arnold during the press conference at Old Trafford, Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 8, 2013. See PA story SOCCER Man Utd. Photo credit should read: Barrington Coombs/PA Wire
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Richard Arnold

Another source said an announcement would be made “before the end of the year”.

The changing of the guard at the top of England’s most famous club will come at a time of renewed optimism for many United supporters following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus.

The team sits in third place in the Premier League table after an unbeaten start to the season.

If Mr Arnold is formally appointed by the Glazer family, who have controlled Manchester United for the last 16 years, it would make him one of the most powerful figures in British sport.

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Manchester United announced that Mr Woodward would step down at the end of the year in the wake of the European Super League (ESL) crisis which engulfed the Premier League’s top clubs in April.

Mr Arnold is reported to have been vying with at least two other United executives for the top job.

The abrupt withdrawal of six English sides from the ESL was sparked by a wave of fan protests against some of their owners – the most vociferous of which came at Old Trafford, forcing a Premier League match against Liverpool in early May to be postponed.

Many United supporters have been mistrustful of the Glazers since their £790m debt-funded takeover of the club in 2005.

Fans are unhappy about how the club has been run in recent years
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Fans have been unhappy about how the club has been run in recent years

The family floated the company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012, but retained control through a separate class of shares.

Since the ESL fiasco, the Glazers have pledged to introduce an element of fan ownership at the club through a new share scheme.

“The club has been in discussions with MUST [the Manchester United Supporters Trust] regarding a fan share scheme for a number of months and has already sought external legal advice on options,” Joel Glazer, United’s co-chairman, said in June.

“Discussions will now intensify, with the aim of agreeing a plan before the start of the new season.”

That deadline was not met, although an insider said there were now “advanced discussions” about the introduction of such a scheme.

Mr Glazer had previously issued a contrite apology for United’s decision to join the ESL, which has cost it – and the other founding clubs – millions of pounds in fines from the Premier League and UEFA, European football’s governing body.

“We continue to believe that European football needs to become more sustainable throughout the pyramid for the long-term. However, we fully accept that the Super League was not the right way to go about it,” Mr Glazer said.

“In seeking to create a more stable foundation for the game, we failed to show enough respect for its deep-rooted traditions – promotion, relegation, the pyramid – and for that we are sorry.”

The precise timing of a transition to Mr Arnold was unclear this weekend, although an insider said he was likely to assume the title of chief executive rather than Mr Woodward’s executive vice-chairman role.

A former executive at InterVoice, a Nasdaq-listed technology company, Mr Arnold was previously United’s commercial director.

Mr Woodward has been with the club since 2005.

A Manchester United spokesman declined to comment on Saturday on what he described as “speculation”.

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Burberry checks out contenders to replace Murphy as chairman

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Burberry checks out contenders to replace Murphy as chairman

Burberry is kicking off a formal search for a new chairman nearly a year after installing the latest in a string of chief executives charged with reviving the luxury fashion brand.

Sky News understands that Burberry is working with headhunters on a hunt for Gerry Murphy’s successor.

Mr Murphy, who also chairs Tesco, is not expected to step down this year, although the precise timing has yet to be formally determined, according to insiders.

Last summer, Sky News reported that Burberry had commenced a search for a non-executive director capable of taking over from Mr Murphy in due course.

That mandate is now said to have evolved into a more straightforward hunt for a new chair, sources suggested.

Planning for his departure comes as Burberry and other luxury goods manufacturers grapple with the uncertainty of swingeing tariffs amid an escalating international trade war.

The company is now being run by Joshua Schulman, the former Jimmy Choo boss, who was drafted in last July to arrest its decline.

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Mr Schulman replaced Jonathan Akeroyd, who left in the wake of a string of profit warnings.

Shares in Burberry closed on Tuesday at 738.8p, giving it a market value of about £2.6bn.

The stock is down by more than a third over the last year.

A spokesperson for Burberry said: “In the normal course of business, we look at succession planning for board roles as they reach term.”

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Food inflation highest in almost a year – more to come, industry warns

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Food inflation highest in almost a year - more to come, industry warns

Food inflation has hit its highest level in almost a year and could continue to go up, according to an industry body.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a 2.6% annual lift in food costs during April – the highest level since May last year and up from a 2.4% rate the previous month.

The body said there was a clear risk of further increases ahead due to rising costs, with the sector facing £7bn of tax increases this year due to the budget last October.

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It warned that shoppers risked paying a higher price – but separate industry figures suggested any immediate blows were being cushioned by the effects of a continuing supermarket price war.

Kantar Worldpanel, which tracks trends and prices, said spending on promotions reached its highest level this year at almost 30% of total sales over the four weeks to 20 April.

It said that price cuts, mainly through loyalty cards, helped people to make the most of the Easter holiday with almost 20% of items sold at respective market leaders Tesco and Sainsbury’s on a price match.

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Its measure of wider grocery inflation rose to 3.8%, however.

Wider BRC data showed overall shop price inflation at -0.1% over the 12 months to April, with discounting largely responsible for weaker non-food goods.

But its chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said retailers were “unable to absorb” the surge in costs they were facing.

“The days of shop price deflation look numbered,” she said, as food inflation rose to its highest in 11 months, and non-food deflation eased significantly.

“Everyday essentials including bread, meat, and fish, all increased prices on the month. This comes in the same month retailers face a mountain of new employment costs in the form of higher employer National Insurance Contributions and increased NLW [national living wage],” she added.

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Five hacks to beat rising bills

While retail sales growth has proved somewhat resilient this year, it is believed big rises to household bills in April – from things like inflation-busting water, energy and council tax bills – will bite and continue to keep a lid on major purchases.

Also pressing on both consumer and business sentiment is Donald Trump’s trade war – threatening further costs and hits to economic growth ahead.

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A further BRC survey, also published on Tuesday, showed more than half of human resources directors expect to reduce hiring due to the government’s planned Employment Rights Bill.

The bill, which proposes protections for millions of workers including guaranteed minimum hours, greater hurdles for sacking new staff and increased sick pay, is currently being debated in parliament.

The BRC said one of the biggest concerns was that guaranteed minimum hours rules would hit part-time roles.

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Inside the Vietnamese factory preparing for the worst since Trump’s tariff threat

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Inside the Vietnamese factory preparing for the worst since Trump's tariff threat

On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, factory workers at Dony Garment have been working overtime for weeks.

Ever since Donald Trump announced a whopping 46% trade tariff on Vietnam, they’ve been preparing for the worst.

They’re rushing through orders to clients in three separate states in America.

Sewing machines buzz with the sound of frantic efforts to do whatever they can before Mr Trump’s big decision day. He may have put his “Liberation Day” tariffs on pause for 90 days, but no one in this factory is taking anything for granted.

Staff have been working overtime
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Staff have been working overtime

Workers like Do Thi Anh are feeling the pressure.

“I have two children to raise. If the tariffs are too high, the US will buy fewer things. I’ll earn less money and I won’t be able to support my children either. Luckily here our boss has a good vision,” she tells me.

Do Thi Anh
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Do Thi Anh

That vision was crafted back in 2021. When COVID struck, they started to look at diversifying their market.

Previously they used to export 40% of their garments to America. Now it’s closer to 20%.

The cheery-looking owner of the firm, Pham Quang Anh, tells me with a resilient smile: “We see it as dangerous to depend on one or two markets. So, we had to lose profit and spend on marketing for other markets.”

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You asked, we listened, the Trump 100 podcast is continuing every weekday at 6am

That foresight could pay off in the months to come. But others are in a far more vulnerable state.

Some of Mr Pham’s colleagues in the industry export all their garments to America. If the 46% tariff is enforced, it could destroy their businesses.

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Doubts US will start making what Vietnam delivers

Down by the Saigon River, young couples watch on as sunset falls between the glimmering skyscrapers that stand as a testament to Vietnam’s miracle growth.

Cuong works in finance
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Cuong works in finance

Cuong, an affluent-looking man who works in finance, questions the logic and likelihood that America will start making what Vietnam has spent years developing the labour, skills and supply chains to reliably deliver.

“The United States’ GDP is so high. It’s the largest in the world right now. What’s the point in trying to get jobs from developing countries like Vietnam and other Asian nations? It’s unnecessary,” he tells me.

But the Trump administration claims China is using Vietnam to illegally circumvent tariffs, putting “Made in Vietnam” labels on Chinese products.

There’s no easy way to assess that claim. But market watchers believe Vietnam does need to signal its willingness to crack down on so-called “trans-shipments” if it wants to cut a deal with Washington.

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Vietnam can’t afford to alienate China

The US may also demand a major cutback in Chinese manufacturing in Vietnam.

That will be a much harder deal to strike. Vietnam can’t afford to alienate its big brother.

Luke Treloar, head of strategy at KPMG in Vietnam
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Luke Treloar, head of strategy at KPMG in Vietnam

Luke Treloar, head of strategy at KPMG in Vietnam, is however cautiously optimistic.

“If Vietnam goes into these trade talks saying we will be a reliable manufacturer of the core products you need and the core products America wants to sell, the outcome could be good,” he says.

But the key question is just how much influence China will have on Vietnamese negotiators.

Anything above 10-20% tariffs would be intensively challenging

This moment is a huge test of Vietnam’s resilience.

Anything like 46% tariffs would be ruinous. Analysts say 10-20% would be survivable. Anything above, intensely challenging.

But this looming threat is also an opportunity for Vietnam to negotiate and grow. Not, though, without some very testing concessions.

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