Sports Direct has moved to criticise Goals Soccer Centres following an abandoned bid to buy the football pitch business.

Mike Ashley's retail firm hit out at the five-a-side-football pitch operator, two days after confirming he had no intention to buy the business.

The retail tycoon claimed Goals "did not truly engage" with the offer process.

Mr Ashley said the fresh statement was in response to reported comments from Goals that it "provided Sports Direct with all of the information they have requested as and when it became available".

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The East Kilbride-based Goals in March saw its share suspended after it reported £12 million of accounting errors.

Sports Direct is the biggest shareholder in Goals with a near-19 per cent shareholding.

Goals, which was delisted from the AIM stock market in September, declined to comment on the Sports Direct statement.

Pub group Fuller, Smith & Turner has agreed a £40 million deal to buy Cotswold Inns & Hotels.

Fuller's said it has taken control of the hotel-focused business which consists of seven freehold country inns, eight freehold cottages and two leasehold bars.

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Cotswold Inns & Hotels, which was founded in 1997 by Michael and Pamela Horton, posted revenue of £17.5 million for the year to September 2018.

The London-listed pub group said the deal will be funded by Fuller's existing banking facilities and is expected to complete on October 31.

Chief executive Simon Emeny said the company expects to see benefits from the acquisition imminently, with the move expected to boost earnings for the next year.

"The inns and hotels being acquired are all iconic, character properties in sought-after locations in the Cotswolds," he said.

Firms in the creative industries fear they will lose their world-leading reputation after Brexit, a new report warns.

The CBI said the sector is facing a series of challenges, including uncertainty caused by the UK leaving the EU and increasing international competition.

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The business group made a series of recommendations to the Government, ranging from boosting the profile of smaller creative companies on trade missions, to tackling copyright infringement.

CBI director-general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said: "Firms in the creative industries contribute more than the oil and gas, automotive and aerospace sectors combined. It's one of the few sectors more resilient to automation and can boost productivity.

"Aside from the economic benefit, the creative sector is a force for good. It has the ability to unite people in an increasingly polarised world, from the millions of people across the country that sit down together daily to watch the best of British TV, to the work our public service broadcasting does in tackling misinformation and 'fake news'.

"The creative industries can be a catalyst for regional growth by playing a central role in regenerating post-industrial towns. Channel 4's new HQ in Leeds or BBC's move to Salford are driving investment, creating jobs and attracting people into the local area.

"Across government, policies around education, immigration and global regulation should be built with this critical sector in mind. Creativity must be considered equally important to numeracy and literacy in all schools."

 

It said the current deal being debated in Westminster is harder than the original one negotiated by Theresa May.

While this could create an improved short-term economic trend, it said "the outlook over the longer-term could be even more challenging".

Investment has been the worst hit area of economic growth in Scotland, with businesses delaying decisions until after Brexit or cancelling them altogether according to the report.