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<\/p>\nPOP star Taylor Swift is turning out to be a big hit for Travelodge.<\/p>\n
Her Eras Tour has sparked a flood of bookings at the budget chain\u2019s hotels near her gig venues.<\/p>\n
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Travelodge said its rooms in Edinburgh, Liverpool and Cardiff were already booked up for next June \u2014 along with those near Wembley.<\/p>\n
News of the boost came as the chain posted record results \u2014 with sales rising by 22.4 per cent to \u00a3478.7million.<\/p>\n
The cost of living crisis has prompted more visitors to opt for cheaper overnight stays.<\/p>\n
The Eras Tour began in March in the US \u2014 where it has generated around \u00a380million in hotel room revenue.<\/p>\n
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Taylor, 33 right \u2014 whose hits include Anti-Hero and Shake It Off \u2014 is the latest female star to give the economy a lift.<\/p>\n
Official figures show Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s ongoing Renaissance World Tour propelled spending on concert tickets and in restaurants and hotels during her UK gigs. <\/p>\n
During the month of her concerts, recreational and cultural spending rose by 6.8 per cent.<\/p>\n
The Barbie film, starring Margot Robbie, was credited with saving cinemas after taking $1billion worldwide. <\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Vue International reported more than 2,000 of its UK screens were full on the opening weekend.<\/p>\n Victoria Bateman, economist at the University of Cambridge and Author of Naked Feminism, said: \u201cBetween Barbie and the shock-wave inducing concerts of Taylor Swift and Beyonc\u00e9, female stars and their fans have been coming to the rescue of the entertainment industry and, with it, the wider economy.\u201d<\/p>\n THE boss of computer chip giant Nvidia became \u00a33.3billion richer overnight as the company\u2019s shares soared on the back of a doubling in sales.<\/p>\n CEO Jensen Huang saw his 3.5 per cent stake in the company leap by as much as ten per cent from \u00a333billion.<\/p>\n It came after Nvidia said it had made \u00a310.6billion in sales in the three months to the end of June, beating Wall Street forecasts by some \u00a31.6billion.<\/p>\n The business has made more in the last three months than in the whole of 2020.<\/p>\n Sales have surged on the back of a boom in interest in generative artificial intelligence following the arrival of ChatGPT.<\/p>\n \u201cA new computing era has begun,\u201d said Taiwan-born Mr Huang, 60.<\/p>\n Nvidia is already valued at more than $1trillion, along with tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet,<\/p>\n BARCLAYS <\/strong>up 1.50 to 144.54<\/p>\n BP <\/strong>up 2.45 to 473.60<\/p>\n CENTRICA <\/strong>up 0.30 to 144.80<\/p>\n HSBC <\/strong>up 4.30 to 589.10<\/p>\n LLOYDS <\/strong>up 0.26 to 42.13<\/p>\n M&S<\/strong> down 0.40 to 214.90<\/p>\n NATWEST<\/strong> up 1.60 to 225.60<\/p>\n ROYAL MAIL<\/strong> down at 0.40 to 214.90<\/p>\n SAINSBURY\u2019S<\/strong> up 0.90 to 258.60<\/p>\n SHELL <\/strong>up 13.50 to 2,366.50<\/p>\n TESCO <\/strong>up 1.90 to 255.20<\/p>\n PRET has doubled discounts on its Club Pret subscription from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.<\/p>\n The scheme also offers five free coffees a day.<\/p>\n Earlier this year Club Pret membership rose from \u00a325 to \u00a330. <\/p>\n Energy, staff and ingredient costs mean popular treats such as its tuna baguette now costs \u00a34.25, up from \u00a32.99.<\/p>\n Pret said its subscription offer drove record sales in May and June, with 17.8million customer redemptions.<\/p>\n ONE of the biggest UK holiday parks, Haven, has toasted a 32 per cent rise in summer bookings this year compared to pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n They had a fresh \u00a3170million investment from private equity owner Blackstone.<\/p>\n Managing director at Haven, Simon Palethorpe, said Brits were \u201clooking for good value\u201d.<\/p>\n They also had a 12 per cent surge in guests staying with their dogs.<\/p>\n \u201cLots of people got pets in the pandemic, and don\u2019t want to pay a kennel when they go away\u201d, Mr Palethorpe said.<\/p>\n JOHN Lewis is hiring 10,000 staff in preparation for Christmas.<\/p>\n The retailer said it would be recruiting 8,400 seasonal workers and another 1,700 permanent roles. <\/p>\n They warned staff may not receive a bonus this year as profits come under pressure.<\/p>\n THE North Sea\u2019s biggest oil producer, Harbour Energy, has swung from a $1billion profit to a $8million (\u00a36.3million) loss on the back of the government\u2019s windfall tax.<\/p>\n Harbour Energy said the tax on North Sea producers and the energy profits levy pushed its tax bill from 40 per cent to 102 per cent.<\/p>\n Boss Linda Cook said the tax excessively \u201cimpacted UK-focused firms\u201d.<\/p>\n She vowed to increase UK investment to take advantage of tax breaks, before government policy changed.<\/p>\n SAUDI Arabia and Iran have been accepted into the BRICS group in a move that has raised eyebrows about the economic alliance that considers itself a counter to Western powers.<\/p>\n BRICS is the name given to the nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.<\/p>\n However, the addition of new members with controversial human rights histories has prompted calls for democratic countries, such as South Africa and India, to cut ties with undemocratic members.<\/p>\n Mark Dixon, founder of Moral Rating Agency, which campaigned for businesses to pull out of Russia, said: \u201cThis expansion plan is an attempt by China and Russia to undermine the West.\u201d<\/p>\n Chinese president, Xi Jinping, said \u201cthis membership expansion is historic\u201d.<\/p>\n Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt and the UAE are also set to be members in January.<\/p>\n Mr Dixon said China and Russia should instead be lumped in with Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, which all have human rights abuses. <\/p>\n He said: \u201cThat union would have the acronym CRANKIES, their false values fit the word\u2019s meaning\u201d.<\/p>\n RECRUITMENT company Hays has said that it will have to axe hundreds of its own employees due to a weakening jobs market.<\/p>\n Hays, which employs around 13,000 people, said that it would have to cut the number of its consultants by around three per cent to rein in its costs.<\/p>\n Hays is often seen as a barometer of how confident companies are to hire more staff. <\/p>\n The company also named a new boss, insider Dirk Hahn, to replace outgoing boss Alistair Cox.<\/p>\n<\/picture>\nBritish chip-maker Arm snubs London and aims for New York stock exchange listing<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
<\/picture>\nWilko beauty brand loved by shoppers on the brink of administration<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pwnnm6-new-crest-nicholson-homes-740384028.jpg\")
<\/picture>\nBritain\u2019s property sector woes deepen as huge firm warns of drop in profits<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
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<\/picture>\nWarning for thousands of pensioners over access to retirement cash<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
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<\/p>\n\u00a33BN DAY FOR TECH GIANT CEO<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nSHARES<\/h3>\n
PRET UPS DISCOUNT<\/h2>\n
STAYCATION RISE<\/h2>\n
<\/h3>\n
OIL TAX STRIKES<\/h2>\n
BID OVER NEW ADD TO BRICS<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nRECRUIT JOBS CUT<\/h2>\n
Read More on The Sun<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nBig Brother star unrecognisable 22 years after show success<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nSuperdrug shoppers rush to buy discontinued designer perfume for just \u00a39<\/h3>\n