Good morning. Directors of the Bargain Booze-owner Conviviality are likely to need a stiff drink tonight after a gruesome week for the retailer. Having already cancelled the dividend and revealed that it had “discovered” an unexpected £30 million tax bill due at the end of the month, this morning it capped things off by announcing that it was in talks with advisers regarding the possibility of an equity fundraising to recapitalise the business. The company insists that suppliers and customers remained supportive and says that talks with lenders are continuing. No such ugly surprises were in store over at the pubs giant Wetherspoons, which has published a solid, albeit cautious, outlook for the rest of the year, warning of higher costs including pay, taxes and…

Source: The Times March 16, 2018 09:00 UTC