Money blog: Cadbury's relaunches popular chocolate bar - 20 years after it vanished from shelves | Money (2024)

The cost of playing video games has shot up in the last two decades - but now some UK gamers could soon be entitled to a little cash back.

Valve Corporation, the owner of the Steam PC gaming platform, has been accused of using its market dominance to overcharge 14 million UK gamers and is being sued for £656million.

The legal claim, which has been filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, in London, alleges Valve forces game publishers to sign up to price parity obligations that prevents titles being sold at a lower price on rival platforms.

It claims that Steam charges an "excessive commission" of up to 30% that has led to UK consumers paying too much.

As many as 14 million PC gamers in the UK could have been affected and it claims that, if the lawsuit is successful, they could be entitled to up to £44 each.

"We've seen gaming explode in popularity over the recent years – and it plays such an important role in connecting people and building positive life skills, particularly for children and young people," said digital rights campaigner Vicki Sholtbolt, who filed the claim.

"So it's not good enough that gaming consumers are being taken advantage of and charged over the odds.

"I am bringing this claim on behalf of gamers and their parents to stop this unlawful conduct and help people get back what they are owed."

The claim says people could be eligible for compensation if they purchased a PC game or add-on content from 5 June 2019 on any platform.

The claim is backed by legal firm Milberg London LLP, which brings group action cases against large companies.

Among Steam's best-selling titles as of June 2024 are Apex Legends, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Elden Ring and Helldivers 2.

Sky News has approached Valve for comment.

House prices are expected to stagnate this year, a well-respected forecaster has said.

Capital Economics initially predicted property prices to rise by 2%, but believes 0.5% growth is now more likely, according to The Times.

Its prediction comes amid softer buyer demand due to the rising cost of living and a volatile mortgage market.

"This softening in demand has come at the same time as the most significant sustained increase in supply since 2013, aside from when the housing market reopened after lockdown," Andrew Wishart, senior UK economist at Capital Economics tells the news outlet.

However, he adds that the market could move to "a state of excess supply" in the coming weeks, which could cause prices to dip.

Last week, Halifax released data that showed house prices in the UK dropped by 0.1% between April and May.

Analysts had expected a drop of around 0.2%, while last week, rival lender Nationwide said its measure of house prices rose in May after falling in the previous two months.

In the 12 months to May, prices rose by 1.5%, Halifax said - faster than the median forecast in a Reuters news agency poll for an annual increase of 1.2%.

"Market activity remained resilient throughout the spring months, supported by strong nominal wage growth and some evidence of an improvement in confidence about the economic outlook," Halifax's head of mortgages, Amanda Bryden, said.

The stable picture for property prices over the last three months was likely to give more confidence to buyers and sellers, she added.

Cadbury's is bringing back its Top Deck chocolate bar after it disappeared from supermarket shelves 20 years ago.

If you don't remember the retro treat, it's a bar that is made up of a layer of white chocolate on top of a milk chocolate base.

It first launched in 1993, but was removed from the UK market in the early 2000s.

It had a small resurgence in 2020, when B&M was allowed to sell it exclusively.

Despite chocolate lovers across the country unable to get their hands on it since then, it's remained a permanent fixture in Australia and South Africa.

Cadbury's teased the relaunch on Facebook, and many fans were excited.

"Top Deck, how I've missed you," one person commented.

Another said: "I have waited years to get my hands on Top Deck again, it was my favourite as a kid.

It's set to return this month and will retail for £1.85.

• Which currently discontinued chocolate bar, crisps, sweets - or any other food product - would you like to see brought back, and why? Let us know in the comment box at the top!

ByNick Lester, business news reporter

Shares in Tesco edged up in early trading after the UK's largest supermarket reported a rise in quarterly retail sales, buoyed by easing inflation.

The grocery giant also said its market share was growing at its fastest rate than at any time in the last two years.

With sales trends in line with expectations, Tesco said it expects to deliver an operating profit of at least £2.8bn for the current financial year, holding its targets set in April.

Elsewhere, housebuilder Crest Nicholson has confirmed that it rejected two takeover offers by rival Bellway last month, including one worth £650m.

It said the latest revised unsolicited proposal "significantly undervalued" the group.

Shares in the company jumped 9.3% on the news, while Bellway stocks slid 2.2%.

The bids highlight consolidation attempts among construction firms, as the sector struggles through a period of weak demand due to high mortgage rates.

Earlier this year, Barratt agreed to buy Redrow, while Vistry bought Countryside in 2022.

Meanwhile, the top-flight FTSE 100 was on course for its fifth consecutive week of declines on Friday as investors wrestled with uncertainty around the outlook for interest rates and political turmoil in Europe.

With Euro 2024 due to get underway tonight, it is an all-too familar problem for many.

The football's on, you've got a drink in hand and your team is just about to score. Just before you get to revel in that spontaneous moment of euphoria, a notification pings on your phone telling you what's happened. Sound familiar?

Well, that's been the situation for almost half of people in the UK due to delays on the stream they are viewing on.

Comparison and switching service Uswitch has found around five million people are at risk of a TV live-lag spoiling a sporting moment because of delay-prone smart TVs.

When watching a live broadcast via a smart TV or digital services such as Sky Go, ITVX or All4, programmes are shown as much as 45 seconds later compared with satellite or terrestrial TV.

If you want to avoid this delay, Uswitch said a simple fix was to watch the games on BBC or ITV via an aerial cable, connected to the wall.

If you are going to stream, the site suggested disconnecting any unnecessary electronics from the internet, checking your router is working properly and minimising casting to other devices.

To stream in HD or above, you will generally need a broadband connection offering at least 25mbps download speeds to avoid buffering.

While no broadcast can ever be truly instant, each option to view has its own slight delay compared with the live event.

You can see how many seconds the lag lasts for each option below...

To avoid having the game spoiled, it also suggests muting app and chat notifications, not looking on social media and shutting the windows so you can't hear your neighbours' reaction.

"While there are a number of excellent digital streaming services, even with the fastest broadband connection and a great streaming provider you're still going to be a little bit behind the live action, and susceptible to dreaded live-lag," saidSabrina Hoque, broadband expert at Uswitch.

"If you're somebody who wants to avoid spoilers at all costs, then using a cable TV connection may be the best option for you, as it will come with the minimum live-lag time. Though at present Virgin Media is the only provider offering this in the UK. "

Every Friday we get an overview of the mortgage market with the help of industry experts. This week finance expertRachelSpringall fromMoneyfactscompare.co.ukoutlines what's been happening in the buy-to-let market...

This week, Santander reduced one of its two-year fixed buy-to-let mortgages by 0.14% and NatWest Intermediary Solutions made selected reductions on fixed and "green" fixed mortgages by up to 0.20%.

Week on week, there have been minor moves to the overall average fixed buy-to-let rates, with the two and five-year rates rising by 0.01% to 5.55% and 5.57% respectively.

Overall, it has been a relatively quiet week for rate tweaks in the buy-to-let sector, but landlords have come up in the news.

The Conservatives launched their manifesto this week ahead of the general election vote, and pledged to eliminate capital gains tax for landlords selling their homes to tenants.

This week, the lowest two-year fix for buy-to-let customers at 75% loan-to-value comes from Metro Bank, priced at 4.19%.

If you are looking to borrow more, then Suffolk Building Society has the lowest two-year fix for buy-to-let customers at 80% loan-to-value priced at 4.79% for second-time buyers and remortgage customers.

A five-year fixed buy-to-let mortgage may be more appealing for you to guarantee your monthly repayments for longer. If you are looking to borrow at 75% loan-to-value, HSBC has a deal for remortgage customers priced at 4.33%.

If you are looking to borrow more, then Virgin Money has the lowest five-year fixed buy-to-let deal at 80% loan-to-value priced at 5.29% for second-time buyers and remortgage customers.

Best Buy alternatives

The lowest buy-to-let rates may carry both a flat product fee and an arrangement fee which is based on a percentage of the mortgage advance, so a Best Buy package may be more suitable if you are looking to save on the upfront cost of any deal. You might also want a deal to cover a valuation or legal fees. A Best Buy buy-to-let mortgage could be the most cost-effective choice in this instance, but it's worth seeking advice before entering any arrangement.

This week, the top package on a two-year fixed buy-to-let deal at 75% loan-to-value comes from HSBC, priced at 4.69%. If you want a loan with a lower upfront fee, then HSBC also has a Best Buy deal priced at 5.08% at 75% loan-to-value.

A five-year fixed buy-to-let mortgage may be more appealing for you to guarantee your monthly repayments for longer. If you looking to borrow at 75% loan-to-value, HSBC has a Best Buy deal priced at 4.39%. If you want a loan with a lower upfront fee, then TSB has a Best Buy deal priced at 4.59% at 75% loan-to-value.

We haven't quite had the summer we were hoping for so far - but there's always hope things will heat up in time for barbecues, picnics in the park and eating outside in the sunshine.

And if you're partial to a glass of rose with your al fresco meal, our regular wine expert has given us his top supermarket picks.

Tom Tryon (@vinetribe) is the founder of online wine community Vinetribe, which gives recommendations to make wine more accessible for everyone.

He spoke toMoney reporter Emily Meeto give his recommendations...

Sainsbury's

Ile de Beaute Rose, Taste the Difference (£10.50). Elegant and fresh rose with some nice texture, but not overly floral

Discovery Collection Bandol Rose (£16). Super dry, super minerally, with just a touch of spice

Tesco

Cupiolo Pinot Grigio Blush (£9). Delicate and fragrant rose from northern Italy

M&S

M&S Found Susumaniello Rose (£9). Juicy and very slightly sweet. A really good rose for food

Myrtia Moschofilero Assyrtiko Rose (£9). Fresh red fruit, well-balanced and with a bit of body to it

M&S Rose Pet Nat Brut (£15). So much fun. Has the little tingle and sourness of a natural wine. It bursts with raspberry

Aldi

Unearthed Chiaretto di Bardolino Rose (£7.99). Very decent northern Italian rose with juicy cherry flavours

Specially Selected Rosorange Rose (£9.99). A fun wine to try. Lots of complexity, golden flavours, orange peel and tropical fruit

Athlon Assyrtiko Syrah Rose (£9.99). Slightly fuller than a Provence style, but with the same characteristic herbal notes

Waitrose

La Carezza Pinot Nero Veneto (£11.99). Delicate red fruit - a serious challenger to Provence

Morrisons

The Best Vinho Verde Rose (£8). Loads of fun, bursting with fruit and Portuguese sunshine

For more personalised recommendations, you can use Tom'sSupermarket Wine Finderapp to see wines in your local store, matched to your tastes and meal plans.

It can be hard to balance the demands of eating well without spending a lot.

In this series, we try to find the healthiest options in the supermarket for the best value - and have enlisted the help ofSunna Van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health, who went viral on social media for reviewing food in the search of healthier choices.

In this series we don't try to find the outright healthiest option, but help you get better nutritional value for as little money as possible.

Today we're looking at ice lollies - so you'll be ready for the sunnier days ahead (fingers crossed).

"While the temptation to grab a lolly is strong, there's a healthier and equally satisfying option you might be overlooking," Sunna says.

Let's start with the top brands, and have a look at how much sugar is in each one:

Del Monte 100% Juice 75ml -15g of sugar or almost (four teaspoons)

Calippo Orange Mini 80ml -14g of sugar (3.5 teaspoons)

Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles 65ml -11.5g of sugar (almost three teaspoons)

Fab 58ml -10g of sugar (2.5 teaspoons)

Twister Mini 50ml -8.6g of sugar (just over two teaspoons)

Mini Milk 35ml -4.1g of sugar (one teaspoon)

Little Jude's 35ml -2.7g of sugar (under half a teaspoon)

A note on free sugar

Free sugar is what we call any sugar added to a food or drink.

"You may be surprised to see a 100% juice lolly at the top of the above list, but fruit juice is still classed as a free sugar and acts in the body the same way as an added sugar," Sunna says.

What to consider

Size comes into the different amount of sugar per lolly, but even if you had two Mini Milks or Little Jude's you'd still be eating less sugar than if you have one of the others.

But there's another important point here: "Portion control matters, and we often find that if it's in front of us, we'll have no problem eating the whole thing, but you'd be surprised how little you need to hit that sweet tooth craving," Sunna says.

Making the switch from sugary lollies like Calippo or even Del Monte 100% Juice to Mini Milk or Little Jude's might seem small, but it's a big step to healthier habits.

"It's a win-win situation: you get to enjoy a refreshing treat while slashing your sugar intake," Sunna says.

For context, if you traded Del Monte for Little Jude's, you'd drop your sugar content by 82%.

"An 80% drop in your sugar per lolly is huge and to put that into perspective you can cut out over three teaspoons of sugar for each one you have.

"Assuming you have one lolly a day across - hopefully - 30 days of sunny weather this summer and you'll find yourself saving over 90 teaspoons of sugar from your diet."

How much sugar can we eat?

The NHS daily recommendation for sugar intake is 30g a day for adults, 24g a day for seven to 10-year-olds and 19g a day for four to six-year-olds.

"If these lollies are for your child, consider that one Calippo will provide 73% of your four to six-year-old's daily sugar intake (or 58% if your child is above seven)."

With only one lolly, you're consuming a significant chunk of your daily sugar allowance, so it's worth considering your choices and choosing a healthier option.

The nutritionist's view - fromNichola Ludlam-Raine, dietitian atnicsnutrition.com...

"While it's true that too many ice lollies is not great for physical health, enjoying the odd one from time to time is ok.

"The sugar in fruit juice does indeed fall under the daily limit for 'free-sugar', but fruit juice also provides key nutrients including vitamin C - an essential antioxidant for immune health.

"The advice, though, is to prioritise whole fruits where possible and to have no more than 150ml of fruit juice a day (less for children).

"This is why I like to freeze left-over fruit smoothies (fruit and milk blended), which contain more fibre (and other nutrients), than simply fruit juice alone.

"Looking at nutrition labels can be a great education, and it may help some people to choose healthier options.

"However, the ingredients list for me is key when choosier more nutritious varieties - milk-based lollies such as Mini Milk and Little Jude provide protein as well as calcium and iodine, but may not be suitable for children with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) or lactose intolerance.

"In this situation a homemade smoothie lolly (using oat milk and fruit), or fruit-based lolly would be better - for example the 100% juice lollies or smaller fruit lollies from Pip Organic."

Read more from this series...

Malaga has followed other big Spanish cities in halting or limiting new holiday flats.

The decision has been made in a bid to crack down on an excessive number of tourist flats, with the number of tourist lets in Malaga rising from 846 in 2006 to more than 12,000 in 2024, a 14-fold increase.

Plentiful sunshine, bustling bars and restaurants, a series of new art museums and a thriving tech sector have attracted digital nomads to Malaga, making it a rival to cities like Barcelona for younger workers.

That popularity has come at a price, however. The average rental price in the city now stands at€14.32 (£12.10) per square meter, an increase of 3.2% over the last quarter, according to Spanish estate agents Sun Properties.

Many locals have seen their homes turned into lets for holidaymakers because the owners earn more on these short lets, prompting protests around the city.

In response, Malaga's council has banned any more properties being turned into tourist accommodation.

"We recognise the role [tourist flats] have played and play in the recovery of certain areas of the city, but we do not want them to exceed numbers that could be very high," Francisco de la Torre, the mayor of Malaga, told reporters.

Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Valencia have also taken similar steps.

Sainsbury's has become the first retailer in the UK to offer an electric vehicle charging loyalty scheme.

Customers using the Smart Charge service will be able to collect Nectar points for doing so.

Rolling out today, the system allows customers to gain one Nectar point for every £1 spent on charging their car.

Smart Charge is an ultra-rapid EV charging network with more than 400 charging bays.

"With bays in more locations than ever before, and Sainsbury’s stores conveniently placed far and wide, it has never been easier for EV drivers across the UK to access ultra-rapid facilities, and now they can reap the benefit of Nectar points too," saidPatrick Dunne, Sainsbury's director of property, procurement & EV ventures.

London's new DLR trains have been delayed due to "challenges" discovered at the testing stage.

This could mean the reduced service in place could continue for longer than expected.

In total, 30 new trains have been built and are in various stages of testing, according to the Transport for London's Commissioner's June report.

It says work is continuing to prepare the first train, which is now expected to be operational in late 2024 - it was originally due to launch in March.

Issues were noticed in the "integrated testing and operational proving phase", the reports says.

"While we have experienced some challenges with this phase, we continue to work collaborativelywith our suppliers and operator to mitigate this."

By 2026, the DLR is still on track to have 54 new trains, which will be feature USB ports, air cooling tech and real time operational information.

Arran Rusling, TfL's head of programme for DLR rolling stock replacement, said:"Our programme of rigorous testing continues of the new DLR fleet to ensure the trains can enter service safely and reliably.

"As part of this, we encountered some complex challenges, which means we will now start to introduce the new trains into passenger service later this year."

US interest rates are to be cut just once this year, according to updated forecasts from its central bank.

The cost of US borrowing was kept at a more than 20-year high despite news yesterday that inflation, the rate of price rises, fell to the lowest level in more than three years at 3.4%.

The Federal Reserve published new guidance from its interest rate-setting committee, which expects just one rate cut this year. Just three months ago, three cuts were anticipated.

While the UK's interest rate-setters at the Bank of England don't give rate forecasts like the US, market expectations are for three rate cuts this year, according to Refinitiv market data.

The first of those cuts is expected to be in September. It was previously hoped the first cut in more than four years would happen in May - but interest rates were held at 5.25%.