Business & Technology
Pilates brand signs as sponsor for Horspath Cricket Club
Horspath Cricket Club is teaming up with STRONG Pilates, a global fitness brand that has opened its doors in Stanton St John.
The deal is a significant development for the Home Counties Premier Cricket League club.
It ensures the continued provision of inexpensive cricket for adults, women, and juniors, including girls, while also facilitating the improvement of club facilities.
Horspath plans to collaborate with STRONG Pilates on activities that support both the club and the sponsor.
These activities include team-focused training and recovery sessions, matchday and club events, and exclusive offers for Horspath families and members to join STRONG Pilates.
Already, the men’s and women’s sections have enjoyed fitness sessions at the brand’s studio.
The cricketers set aside net practice and fielding drills for one evening to participate in Pilates, cardio, and strength training.
Australian-founded STRONG Pilates, launched in 2019, make sessions accessible for beginners yet challenging for experienced athletes.
The fitness regimes, which aim to build core strength, mobility, control, and conditioning, offer benefits specifically tailored for cricketers, such as supporting recovery and enhancing stability, movement quality, and durability.
The sessions complement other training as well as matchday demands.
The UK arm of STRONG Pilates is led by ex-professional cricketer John Hastings, with England hero Stuart Broad serving as an official ambassador.
Director of Cricket Will Eason said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome STRONG Pilates Oxford as our new principal sponsor for the next three years.
“The financial support will help us to continue to grow both on and off the pitch, as well as providing some exciting ideas working together with all our members.
“It was great to come to the studio and link up with STRONG.
“It was a lot more intense than we thought it would be, but it was absolutely brilliant.
“There was a really good camaraderie between the instructor and the guys.”
Director of Women’s Cricket Munaza Dogar led her squad into a fitness session, after which she stated: “The evening was a great opportunity for the women’s side to connect away from the cricket pitch prioritising our health with a focus on building strength.
“We are grateful to STRONG for an intense yet incredibly fun session. We’re looking forward to our fixtures with renewed energy.”
Under the fresh partnership, Horspath’s men’s team triumphed over Wargrave with a 56-run victory at home over the weekend, while the women enjoyed a 40-run win over Oxenford.
Business & Technology
Rosa’s Thai is giving away 4000 free Pad Thais to students
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
Business & Technology
Historic coin company enters administration after 20 years
The London Mint Office, which distributes commemorative coins and medals, appointed administrators on July 31 after 20 years in business.
The company’s website now displays a message confirming the appointment of Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP as joint administrators.
A spokesman for Alvarez and Marsal said: “On July 31 2026, Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of The London Mint Office Limited in administration (the “Company”).
“Regrettably, the Company’s liquidity challenges have led to a number of immediate redundancies. We are supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?
“The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.”
The announcement confirms that it is no longer possible to purchase coins or medals through the company’s website.
The London Mint Office operates a distribution centre in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it employs a significant number of people.
Administration is a formal insolvency process triggered when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
An insolvency practitioner is appointed to manage the company’s affairs and may attempt to restructure the business or sell off assets to repay creditors.
What happens when a company goes into Liquidation?
Founded in 2006, The London Mint Office describes itself as “one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of historic, commemorative, and collector coins.”
It is part of Samlerhuset AS, a Norwegian company based near Oslo and one of Europe’s largest distributors of commemorative coins and medals.
Samlerhuset’s website states that it offers “provide a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world.”
The London Mint Office has advised anyone with an interest in the company’s assets to contact the administrators at INS_THLMOL@alvarezandmarsal.com.
Business & Technology
Warning of new rules for Aldi and Lidl after watchdog review
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that both discounters should be added to the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which currently applies to Asda, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
This order is designed to prevent large grocery retailers from using land agreements to block competitors from opening nearby stores, often through restrictive covenants or exclusivity terms.
Juliette Enser, executive director of competition enforcement and markets at the CMA, said: “We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries.
“To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too.
“This is about allowing shoppers to choose where they spend their money and levelling the playing field for all major supermarkets.
“Today’s proposals are provisional and we welcome views before deciding the best way forward.”
The CMA’s review found that Aldi, Lidl GB, and Lidl NI now meet the criteria of ‘Large Grocery Retailers’ (LGRs) due to their store footprint, nationwide presence, procurement model, and the breadth of their grocery range.
Aldi and Lidl were originally excluded from the 2010 order as ‘limited assortment discounters’, offering a smaller selection of products compared to traditional supermarkets.
However, the CMA’s provisional findings indicate that this is no longer the case.
All three now operate large grocery stores, each with more than 1,000 square metres of shop floor space, and offer a full range of products, though with less category choice than some competitors.
They also purchase goods directly from suppliers through integrated wholesaling.
With the UK grocery market estimated to be worth £215 billion, Aldi and Lidl are now ranked among the top five retailers by market share.
The CMA is seeking feedback from stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
Aldi and Lidl could join the other supermarket chains later this year.
The CMA is inviting views until 5pm on Monday, September 7, 2026, and will issue its final decision in the autumn after reviewing responses.
If the discounters are included under the order, they will be prevented from using land agreements to limit competition from other supermarket chains.
The CMA aims to ensure competition across the grocery sector to give shoppers more choice and competitive pricing by removing obstacles to new store openings.
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