From the archive: The death of the department store
This week, from 2022: the closure of John Lewis's store in Sheffield after almost 60 years was a bitter blow. As debate rages over what to do with the huge empty site, the city is becoming a test case for where Britain's urban centres may be heading
Written and read by John Harris
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Sky News
38 minutes ago
- Sky News
Trump issues warning to leaders as he arrives in Scotland
Why you can trust Sky News Donald Trump has landed in Scotland for a four-day trip including high-level meetings - praising Sir Keir Starmer as "a good man" but calling illegal migration a "horrible invasion" that is "killing Europe". Crowds gathered at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire amid a major security operation for the US president's visit. Mr Trump told reporters: "I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am... but he's a good man... he got a trade deal done. It's a good deal for the UK." The pair are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Trump left Air Force One to head to Turnberry, one of his Scottish golf courses. Part of the trip will include the opening of another course in Aberdeenshire, billed as "the greatest 36 holes in golf". "There's no place like Turnberry. It's the best, probably the best course in the world. And I would say Aberdeen is right up there," the US president said. " Sean Connery helped get me the [planning] permits. If it weren't for Sean Connery, we wouldn't have those great courses," he added. During the trip, President Trump will also hold discussions with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is keen to secure a trade deal with the US. Mr Trump told reporters there was "a good 50-50 chance" of an agreement with the EU but added there were "maybe 20 different" sticking points. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15% tariff on EU goods and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by 1 August. The US president touched on illegal immigration and gave European leaders a stark warning. "You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore. You got to get your act together," he said. "But you're allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe. Immigration is killing Europe." 1:30 He was also scathing about the installation of wind turbines across the continent. "Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries," he said. "It's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds." Domestically, Mr Trump faces the biggest political crisis of his second term in office over his administration's handling of files linked to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. He faced another round of questions after stepping off Air Force One. "You're making a big thing over something that's not a big thing. I'm focused on making deals, not on conspiracy theories that you are," he said. Mr Trump added that "now's not the time" to discuss a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned accomplice. 17:35 👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 While the president's visit did attract some enthusiastic flag-waving supporters at Prestwick Airport, he is also likely to trigger a number of protests, prompting Police Scotland to call in support from other forces in the UK. The Stop Trump Scotland group has planned demonstrations on Saturday in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dumfries. About 70% of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Mr Trump, while 18% have a positive opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Mr Trump is staying at his Turnberry property on Scotland's west coast this weekend, before travelling to Aberdeenshire on Monday, where he will open a second 18-hole course. He is due to return to the UK in September for a state visit hosted by the King - the first world leader in modern times to undertake two UK state visits.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Salon owner 'ready' for key L'Oréal trademark dispute hearing
A salon owner says she is "ready to fight again" ahead of a crucial hearing in her long-running trademark dispute with global cosmetics firm L'Oréal. Rebecca Dowdeswell attempted to renew the trademark of her Leicester-based business - nkd - in 2022 but the French firm opposed the move.L'Oréal has its own trademark on a series of beauty products called Naked, and claims her use of the name nkd would cause "consumer confusion".The 49-year-old said she was feeling in a "much stronger position", now an Intellectual Property Office (IPO) hearing date had been set for the case. It will take place later this year. The mother of two, from Radcliffe-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, held the nkd trademark name since 2009, and it expired in said she had a six-month window to renew it but forgot, which she described as a "big mistake"."That six-month window ran into the start of Covid and chaos ensued for all businesses - including beauty salons - and I missed the expiry," she previously told the BBC."When I came to re-register the trademark, I was essentially starting from scratch, not renewing an existing one."She said L'Oréal objected on the basis it owned the Urban Decay make-up brand, which has a range of eye shadow palettes called added: "There has never been any evidence of consumer confusion. In 15 years of trading, no-one has ever said 'are you the same brand as Naked by Urban Decay?'"Ms Dowdeswell told the BBC the matter was due to be decided by the government's IPO, but that hearing had been IPO blamed the delay on "very significant" caseloads, in part due to said before Brexit, trademarks could be registered with either the European Union (EU) or the UK, or Brexit, 1.4 million trademarks that were with the EU transferred over to take effect in the to the BBC, Ms Dowdeswell - who has spent more than £30,000 contesting L'Oréal's opposition - said she had "enjoyed" a temporary break from the proceedings. "When I came to re-register them post-Covid, L'Oréal logged its objections and I've been having to defend myself for the last three years," Ms Dowdeswell said."It's been really stressful to deal with, but I've enjoyed metaphorically putting it away and having a break from it."In hindsight, I realised how much of a toll it took on me last year. On me personally with my family, my young children and with the business."I am ready to fight again. I think L'Oréal thinks I'm just going to go away - and I'm not." In response, a spokesperson for L'Oréal said: "We are wholly committed to resolving any misunderstanding there might have been with Rebecca Dowdeswell."From the beginning of our exchanges with her lawyers in 2022, we have communicated an offer that supports her business aspirations whilst respecting our longstanding trademark rights."We look forward to resolving this matter in a mutually agreeable way."The IPO confirmed a hearing date had been set for 5 added a decision would usually be expected about nine months Dowdeswell added: "To coin a phrase that L'Oréal knows very well, I've often asked myself - 'is it worth it?'"
Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
It's great to be here, I love standing on the soil of Scotland, Trump says
Ian Murray told the PA news agency what the US President's first words were after disembarking from Air Force One in Prestwick. The UK Government minister was the first person to greet the president in Scotland as he begins his visit to the country. Speaking after meeting the American leader, Mr Murray told PA: 'The president came off the flight, and I said, 'Mr president, welcome to Scotland – the home country of your dear mother', and he said, 'It's great to be here, I always love standing on the soil of Scotland'. 'I said, 'I hope you're looking forward to a bit of downtime with some golf this weekend', and he said, 'Yes'. And I said, 'Well, we've whipped up a bit of a wind for you to make it a bit more competitive', and he went, 'I'm looking forward to it'.' Mr Murray said Mr Trump was given a warm reception as he got off his presidential plane. Hundreds gathered on the Mound overlooking Prestwick Airport for the president's arrival. A Trump flag was flown while a few spectators wore 'Make America Great Again' hats, although many of those attending were locals and aviation enthusiasts, including some who had travelled from England. Mr Murray said: 'Spotters hills, as it's called, where all the plane spotters come to Prestwick, was absolutely full. 'You could see that from the tarmac and as Air Force One came in, people were snapping away on their photographs. 'To see all that happening is quite a spectacle in itself. 'It's really good to have that kind of focus on Scotland.' Mr Trump will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip to discuss the UK-US trade deal as Britain hopes to be spared from the president's tariff regime. The Scottish Secretary said: 'Really, the purpose of this weekend, the purpose of greeting the president off the plane, the purpose of the Prime Minister's relationship with the president is to build that close relationship, to make sure that that old alliance is nurtured, and to do that for the benefit of the national interest, which is about jobs and growth here in the UK, and particularly Scotland.' Mr Trump will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney during his trip as he opens a new golf course in Aberdeenshire. Before flying to Prestwick, Mr Trump said in Washington that he was 'looking forward' to meeting Mr Swinney, describing him as a 'good man' – the same phrase he used for the Prime Minister after landing in Scotland. Asked about the president's relationship with the UK, Mr Murray said: 'The Prime Minister has taken a very pragmatic approach to the relationship with the president of the United States, because it's in our national interest to do so, whether it be on defence, security, trade, cultural, historic ties. 'It's a historic alliance, and that alliance has to be nurtured and continue through to the future, because it's quite clear that our relationship with United States is good for jobs and growth here in Scotland and across the UK. 'The Prime Minister knows that, and knows that working very closely with the US is in our national interest.' Asked about protests, which are expected across the country, Mr Murray said people had a right to demonstrate, adding: 'Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to protest is a key cornerstone of both countries, America and the UK, and the right to be able to protest if they so wish to so.'
