Tesco are planning to launch an online clothing store to sell it own labels. The website would offer thousands of item including the Florence and Fred, Cherokee and My Favourite Things ranges. It is expected to be launched in the autumn and is part of Tesco plan to try and grab a slice of the internet clothing business which currently accounts for around 4% of the total clothing market. Although Tesco enjoys strong sales of its clothing ranges instore, it is currently not possible to purchase these online, but it looks like this is soon going to change.

Police in Hampshire have opened a police station with a difference, it is inside a supermarket. The facility has been opened at the Sainsbury's supermarket in Lordshill Southampton. It will be staffed three afternoons a week and is designed to be used just like a normal police station giving people greater access to the service.

British Gas have announced that they will cut the price of its standard tariff by 10%. The reduction will come into force in February and will affect 75% of customers, that's around 7.5 million homes. The news should come as a welcome announcement for those who have been struggling to pay high gas bills  during the current cold spell. The cuts will mean that an average customer will save about £79 on their bill.

I think you will find that's legal tender is a phase usually heard in England when businesses refuse to accept Scottish banknotes. Although the tender is indeed legal, traders south of the border can refuse to accept Scottish banknotes. However, they may soon have to accept them if a private member's bill is successful. The bill is being launched by Shadow Scottish Secretary David Mundell, it would require all providers of goods or services in the UK which accept Bank of England notes to also accept Scottish banknotes on an equal basis.  Three Scottish banks retain the right to print their own money - the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale Bank but currently these notes are not backed by force of law anywhere in the UK.

Iceland have brought 51 of the former Woolworths stores that closed recently after Woolworths went into administration. The announcement comes only a few days after the last 200 Woolworths stores closed. The move will add to Iceland's existing 682 outlets and is likely to create 2,500 new jobs. A full list of the 51 stores is below.

Alton, Barnsley, Belper, Bethnal Green, Bexhill On Sea, Bicester, Billericay, Blandford Forum, Bodmin, Boreham Wood, Bow, Braintree, Broadstairs, Devizes, Exmouth, Fraserburgh, Frome, Greenford, Hackney, Hailsham, Harold Hill, Haverhill, Herne Bay, Hexham, Highgate, Honiton, Kilburn High Road, Leyton, Malvern, Matlock, Mill Hill, Minehead, Monmouth, Morpeth, Morriston, Newtownards, Palmers Green, Pinner (Rayner's Lane), Palmers Green, Plumstead, Pontypool, Poplar, Portslade, Ringwood, St Neots, Stoke Newington, Strood, Sudbury, Swaffham, Wakefield, Wallington, Whitstable

Train passengers should be able to use their Oyster cards on most of the London rail network by the end of 2009. Currently the Oyster card can be used on London Overground, the London underground, buses, trams and the Docklands Light Railway. However, many suburban rail firms do not yet accept the pay as you go card. The London Mayor Boris Johnson has said that an agreement with most rail companies is near. The one exception appears to be South West Trains which currently has no plans to allow customers to use the Oyster card on its service.

This article suggests that car insurance premiums could rise by as much as 20% this year. This would mean that the average premium for a driver with a full no claims bonus would rise from £400 to $380. The rise is due to an increase in fraud and the high cost of personal injury claims. This article suggests that currently for every £100 spent on premiums the insurer pays out as much £105. Around £30 of each policy paid by the UK 33 million insured motorists also goes to cover the costs of accidents involving those with no insurance.

MCDonald's will become the UK's leading apprenticeship provider within two years offering a total of 10,000 places. The company will offer an on the job qualification which will be equivalent to achieving five A to C grades at GCSE. The qualification will not only teach people how to cook burgers but will also concentrate on developing young people's maths and English ability. A trial which started at 80 restaurants will be extended across all of the UK's 1,200 restaurants with six thousand places being available this year. The courses will also be monitored by Ofsted inspectors.

This article suggests that 38% of small business owners do not expect to survive 2009 because of the current economic downturn. Research which was carried out by the Financial Mail and This is Money found that over half of small business owners had cut back on credit and 66% would be making staff redundant. The results show that small business owners are pessimistic about the coming year but it thought that the reality could be much worse. The Forum of Private Business estimates that as many as 200,000 firms could close next year.