PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Feb 13

Feb 13 - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

Don't invest in Britain, European firms urged

Continental companies should avoid investing in Britain because of uncertainty surrounding withdrawal from the EU, Europe's largest management consultancy has warned. http://bit.ly/2km7Sdv

Made in Britain label threatened by trade deals, exporters fear

The CBI is calling on the government to ensure that exporters can take full advantage of free trade deals after Brexit by maintaining their "Made in Britain" label. http://bit.ly/2km4vTV

The Guardian

UK offshore wind 'will lower energy bills' more than nuclear

Offshore windfarms could provide cheaper power than Britain's new wave of nuclear power stations, Hugh McNeal, the chief executive of trade body RenewableUK has claimed. http://bit.ly/2kmaOqj

Foreign billionaires in London choosing to rent to avoid stamp duty

Foreign billionaires are renting rather than buying luxury homes in London following increases in tax bills on upmarket properties. Lettings that cost more than 3,000 stg ($3,746.10) a week - 156,000 stg ($194,797.20) a year - increased by 28% in the last three months of 2016, according to research by the property data service LonRes. http://bit.ly/2km76x8

The Telegraph

RBS plays down claim it will cut 15,000 jobs

Royal Bank of Scotland Group is preparing to cut more costs and chop more workers, but played down reports it will cut 15,000 staff in the next round of shrinking. http://bit.ly/2km1mDy

Mattress retailer SIMBA Sleep raises 9 mln stg from raft of new City investors including husband of Heineken heir

SIMBA Sleep, the online mattress retailer, has raised 9 million stg from a raft of new investors including fund manager Henderson, broker Numis and Citi banker Michel de Carvalho, whose wife Charlene is the sole heir to the Heineken family fortune. http://bit.ly/2km5Bie

Sky News

Barclays outlines plans to freeze Staley's 8 mln stg-a-year pay deal

Barclays Plc is proposing to freeze its chief executive's maximum pay package for the next three years in a bid to avert a repetition of the remuneration rows which dogged one of Britain's biggest lenders. http://bit.ly/2km1Idm

M&S targets former Next star to spearhead clothing revival

Marks & Spencer Group has approached the architect of Next Plc's transformation into one of Britain's top fashion retailers about a key role at the helm of its perennially struggling clothing division. http://bit.ly/2km2erK