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‘She loved Bananagrams’

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‘A glint of mischief’

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It is a testament to how long, varied and celebrated a career Dame Maggie Smith enjoyed that it would be insulting to point to any one defining role. In fact, it is reductive even to consider one particular medium.

For film-goers, there’s her Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). For those who grew up in the 2000s on Harry Potter, Smith, who has died at the age of 89, will always be Professor Minerva McGonagall.

On the small screen, she glowered through Downton Abbey as the indomitable grandmother to a thousand memes, Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham.

But many will argue that it is in the theatre that this most versatile of performers showed off a complete mastery that had critics and audiences enthralled, playwrights crafting their work specifically for her and male counterparts cowering in the wings.

This versatility led to her winning a small mountain of acting awards, including two Oscars, four Emmys and a Tony — the so-called Triple Crown — as well as Golden Globes and Baftas.

Born in Ilford, Essex in 1934, she was brought up in Oxford where, at the age of 17, she made her stage debut playing Viola in Twelfth Night and her professional debut on Broadway four years later, in 1956.

As Smith herself succinctly put it: “One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act, and one’s still acting.” Showing a particular talent for comedy, she appeared in revues and farces, before catching the eye of Sir Laurence Olivier, who recruited her for the National Theatre, where she quickly established herself as his peer, if not his rival.

Her range saw her triumph in plays by Noël Coward while also winning plaudits for the title role in a production of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler directed by Ingmar Bergman. When her Desdemona transferred to the big screen, she received the first of several Academy Award nominations.

Following early screen appearances in The Pumpkin Eater (1964) and The Honey Pot (1967), in 1970 she won her first Oscar, Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and another in 1979 for Best Supporting Actress in California Suite.

Throughout the next decades, she would collaborate with Merchant Ivory, Alan Bennett, Steven Spielberg and Agnieszka Holland on film, as well as appearing in plays by Oscar Wilde, William Congreve and Edward Albee. Peter Shaffer wrote 1987’s Lettice and Lovage specifically for her.

She was married twice, for eight years to actor Sir Robert Stephens — with whom she had two sons, actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens — and to playwright Beverley Cross from 1975 until his death in 1998.

In her later years, she never lost touch with her comic roots, appearing in crowd-pleasers such as Sister Act (1992) with Whoopi Goldberg and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), alongside her close contemporary Dame Judi Dench.

After an 11-year break from the stage, she returned in 2019 in Sir Christopher Hampton’s one-woman show A German Life, in which she played a woman looking back on her youth, when she worked as Joseph Goebbels’ secretary.        

Offstage, Smith made for an entertaining raconteuse on talk shows, whether reciting Sir John Betjeman for Sir Michael Parkinson with her frequent stage companion Kenneth Williams, or disparaging her latest manifestation of fame to Graham Norton. When the latter asked if she had ever watched Downton Abbey, she pursed her lips and drolly replied: “I’ve got the box set.”

She could have a spikiness and wit that Dowager Violet would have enjoyed, once saying of Glenn Close: “That’s not an actress, that’s an address.” Her irreverence was proof that no matter how many titles she received — she was made a Dame in 1990 and a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, only the third female actor to receive such an honour, in 2014 — her character and freedom was as immune to praise and respectability as it was to criticism.

Tributes have come in from King Charles III and British political leaders from all parties, as well as co-stars and directors.

Sir Kenneth Branagh called her “unquestionably one of the greats”, going on to say: “It was an honour to work with Maggie Smith. A privilege to watch her. In tragedy, she made you catch your breath while she broke your heart. In comedy, she could get a laugh from a look or a line at any time she wished. She was sharp and prepared at work, exhilarating company away from it.”

AN EXACT word on your 50p coin could make it worth 700 times more as the rare coin sparks a bidding war on eBay.

The unique coin is said to be a must-have for collectors, selling for a whopping hundreds on the online auction site.

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The rare 50p coin was issued in 2005 and features Samuel Johson’s Dictionary which saw its value skyrocket.

The wording on the back of the coin makes it a unique piece of British decimal coinage.

What adds to this coin’s value is its rarity, making it a sought-after item that collectors are eager to obtain.

The auction on eBay revealed that four bidders attempted to snap up the rare coin which eventually sold for a staggering £350.

The seller received 5-star reviews from buyers who left enthusiastic comments praising the rare coin.

“A+ pristine coin as advertised,” wrote one user.

Another commented: ” Great quality for coin collectors at a great price.”

While a third said: “Beautiful coin.”

It comes after a 50p coin proved to be a “true gem” thanks to its key details.

The loose change rattling around in your pocket could be pieced together to form the Royal Shield of Arms design but it seems many people are unaware of this.

Matthew Dent redesigned the UK’s coins 16 years ago and now those designs are being replaced with the new UK coinage for King Charles III.

It was decided in 2005 that the country’s coinage was due an overhaul and The Royal Mint ran a competition for the public to submit their designs for the new-look coins.

Some 4,000 designs were submitted and The Royal Mint Advisory Committee selected Matthew Dent’s Royal Shield designs as the winner in 2008.

The Royal coat of arms details a shield divided into four quarters representing England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Matthew’s winning design replaced Christopher Ironside’s Britannia depiction originally on the reverse of all 50ps.

Matthew said at the time: “I felt that the solution to The Royal Mint’s brief lay in a united design, united in terms of theme, execution and coverage over the surface of the coins.”

Using all the coins ranging from the 1p to the 50p, they fitted together rather like a jigsaw and formed a complete shield – as could be seen on the £1 coin design issued from 2008 to 2015.

The old round pound was then replaced by the 12-sided Nations of the Crown £1 in 2017 and have now been withdrawn from circulation.

However, the definitive 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p shield coins are still in circulation, which means the Royal Shield can still be collected and completed, Change Checker says.

To help you get started you can obtain your own Royal Shield Collector Pack which comes with the Royal Shield 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 20p, so all you need to look for is the 50p in your change in order to complete it.

How to sell a rare coin

If, after checking, you realise you’ve come across a rare coin, there are a number of ways you can sell it.

You can sell it on eBay, through Facebook, or in an auction.

But be wary of the risks.

For example, there are a number of scams targeting sellers on Facebook.

Crooks will say they’re planning to buy the item and ask for money upfront for a courier they’ll be sending around.

But it’s all a ruse to get you to send free cash to them – and they never have any intention of picking your item up.

It’s always best to meet in person when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace.

Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area.

Avoid payment links and log in directly through the payment method’s website.

Most sellers prefer to deal with cash directly when meeting to ensure it’s legitimate.

The safest way to sell a rare coin is more than likely at auction.

You can organise this with The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service. It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.

You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.

You will be charged for the service, though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.

Meanwhile, you can sell rare coins on eBay.

But take into account that if you manage to sell your item then eBay will charge you 10% of the money you made – this includes postage and packaging.

Always keep proof of postage to protect yourself from dodgy buyers who may claim they never received the item.

Send the parcel by tracked delivery if you can as this way they can’t claim it never arrived.

ISRAEL has ruthlessly eliminated Hezbollah’s chain of command one after the other as the Middle East threatens to explode into chaos.

The biggest blow to the terror group came after a pinpoint airstrike blitz targeted General-Secretary Hassan Nasrallah in his underground bunker on Friday.

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Nasrallah, 64, was killed in the deadly missile barrage in Beirut, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Confirmation of Nasrallah’s death would mark a pivotal night for Israel after his 32-year reign as boss where he built up the group as a formidable force in the Middle East.

No official statement has been released by Hezbollah as of yet.

The fighter jet blitz also wiped out several other commanders and officials including Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, the IDF claim.

Muhammad Ali Ismail, the commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit in southern Lebanon, his deputy and “other senior officials” were also taken out.

Israel has wiped out a number of top Hezbollah commanders in airstrikes as they look to continue destroying the para-militant group.

Over the past 11 months, Israel has eliminated nearly all of the terrorist top brass.

Leading many to believe replacing Nasrallah will be a tricky task with a natural predecessor yet to be lined.

The IDF appears to have been tactically hitting Hezbollah chiefs from the ground up in order to prevent them from building back up from a place of stability.

The man potentially poised to take over from Nasrallah was killed at the end of July.

Fuad Shukr, who Israel said was responsible for a deadly rocket attack on Golan Heights that killed 12 children, was assassinated by the IDF on July 30.

Shukr was identified as Nasrallah’s right-hand man and was one of Hezbollah’s key military officials since the organisation was founded over four decades ago.

The United States sanctioned Shukr in 2015, accusing him of playing a key part in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut.

Last Friday, Hezbollah was again plunged into chaos after losing two kingpins and 14 commanders in a fierce strike.

Ibrahim Aqil – a terror master on the US most wanted list for 40 years – was the biggest scalp claimed in the IDF blast on southern Beirut.

Aqil, who had a $7 million bounty on his head, was regarded as the second in command of the Lebanese terror group.

Hezbollah later confirmed Ahmed Wahabi, commander of its elite Radwan Force, had also been killed.

Wahabi was the head of the terror group’s “central training unit,” and was previously top brass in the elite Radwan Force which fought in Syria.

Senior officer Talal Hamiya was named to takeover from Aqil alongside Karaki – the commander who was also eliminated alongside Nasrallah, according to the IDF.

Israel’s attacks have followed a pattern of slowly advancing up the chain of command with several men who worked under Karaki being taken out in the months prior.

Taleb Abdullah, the commander of the Nasr regional division, and Muhammad Nasser, the commander of the Aziz regional division were killed in airstrikes in Lebanon, on June 11 and July 3.

The chilling rise of terror boss Hassan Nasrallah

By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter

ISRAEL has claimed to have killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a series of massive aircraft strikes that rocked Lebanon.

If true, his death would mark a huge shift in the Middle East crisis, with Hezbollah being left incredibly weak and Iran losing its grip on its biggest terror proxy.

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Here we we take a look at Hassan Nasrallah’s life and his rise as the biggest terror boss in the Middle East.

Born in 1960, Nasrallah belonged to a poor Shia Muslim family who grew up in the slums of Sharshabouk in Beirut.

While growing up, he moved to south Lebanon to study theology and became a devout follower of Islam.

In 1982, Nasrallah joined Hezbollah shortly after it was formed as a political and paramilitary organisation.

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Over the years, the fundamental Islamist rose through the ranks leading Hezbollah in multiple conflicts against Israel.

It was under Nasrallah’s stone-cold leadership that Hezbollah became a regional military power before being deemed an Islamic terror organisation by many countries including Britain and America.

He made Israel the prime enemy of the terror group – and sought for its destruction.

The terror chief has deeper ties with other Shia-based terror outfits like the Houthis and Hamas in a bid to wipe Israel from the world map.

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Nasrallah holds the title of Sayyed, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad.

He was regarded as an influential Islamist figure in the Middle East and had countless followers in the region.

For many years Nasrallah kept an extremely low profile and was never seen in public, fearing an assassination at the hands of the Israelis. 

The ‘death of Hassan Nasrallah’

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is believed to have personally signed off Friday’s attack after learning about Nasrallah’s secret hideout.

His spies are said to have discovered the General-Secretary was set to convene a meeting of his surviving leaders at the underground HQ.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halev said “a lot of preparation” was behind the attack.

He said: “It was the right time, [we] did it in a very precise way.”

Before warning Israel was set to continue with their targeted assaults across the border.

“This is not the end of our toolbox, we have to be very clear. We have more capacity going forward,” Halev added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi hit back and accused Israel of using US “bunker buster” bombs in their attacks on Beirut.

Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy research director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut labelled Nasrallah as a “legendary figure” for many in Lebanon.

He told Reuters how his death would be a huge issue for Hezbollah: “The whole landscape would change big time.

“He has been the glue that has held together an expanding organisation.”

Nasrallah led Iran-backed Hezbollah during the last war with Israel in 2006 and has been a thorn in his enemies side ever since.

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He oversaw a massive rebuild of the group’s military machine to become the most heavily armed terror group on Earth.

Just days ago he pledged to carry on fighting Israel armed with a terrifying arsenal of 150,000 missiles and drones.

Nasrallah’s closest allies over in Iran are also yet to comment on the chiefs condition but did slam Israel for their regime earlier today.

Professor Fawaz Gerges, chair of contemporary Middle Eastern Studies at the London School of Economics, told Sky News: “Benjamin Netanyahu has declared all-out war against the entire axis of resistance – including Iran.

“This is a decade-long war… Hezbollah will bide its time.”

Despite this sources close to Israel say his death could halt the conflict from erupting across the Middle East.

Hezbollah’s revenge plot

The Iran-backed terror group have reportedly been stocking up on their weaponry in preparation for an escalation.

Iran is said to have particularly helped to bolster its arsenal by supplying light weapons, anti-tank missiles and long-range unguided missiles to Hezbollah, report US and regional sources.

A former Hezbollah officer described the south as “boiling,” as he claimed “we have everything the Iranians have”, say Ynet News.

Reports also suggest that Hezbollah has been expanding its tunnel network in southern Lebanon to help relocate fighters across the country.

Nasrallah hinted at these preparations last week when he described the coming days as a “historic opportunity” for his men to fight against Israel.

In a chilling declaration, he said: “We’re waiting for their tanks. When they come, they’re welcome.”

Inside the terror tunnels, Hezbollah fighters can reportedly move unseen, store weapons, and launch ambushes, creating a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the IDF.

They can also move into a much larger network of bunkers, missile silos, and command centres, deeply embedded in civilian areas.

These tunnels – which can stretch for miles – link critical positions, allowing Hezbollah fighters to emerge, strike, and then vanish back underground before Israel can respond.

Inside Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah

By Oliver Harvey, Chief Feature Writer

MORTAL enemies Hezbollah and Israel are on the verge of open warfare, risking a deadly wider conflict in the troubled region.

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After decades of bloodshed, the powerful and well-armed Islamist militia has tentacles stretching across the globe.

With Iran’s ayatollah as its puppet master, Hezbollah says it has 100,000 fanatical fighters at its call.

Analysts estimate it has as many as 500,000 rockets and ­missiles trained on Israel.

Military expert Professor Michael Clarke told me: “Hezbollah are a formidable force. They’re very well equipped. They’ve got more tunnels than Hamas had.

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“The tunnels in Lebanon are burrowed out of rock, and hard to destroy. They have around half a million projectiles that they can fire at Israel.

“If they chose to fire off great ­salvos of these things, a thousand or so at a time, three or four times a day, they are likely to overwhelm Israeli air defences.”

Hezbollah first made their name as a terrorist outfit in 1982 when Israel invaded its northern neighbour Lebanon to root out the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In the bloody fighting, Israel occupied the south of the country and Shia Muslim militias took up arms against the invaders.

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Seeing an opportunity to extend its influence, Iran provided funding and training to the group which became known as Hezbollah — meaning Party Of God.

Hell-bent on destroying Israel, it was soon wreaking havoc.

In 1983, it launched a suicide bombing of barracks in the Lebanese ­capital Beirut, ­housing US and French troops, ­leaving more than 300 dead.

The same year, another Hezbollah terrorist drove a van packed with explosives into the compound of the US Embassy in Beirut, killing 63.

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The terror group — which is also a political party providing education and health care — developed a taste for ­kidnapping, too.

Then in 2006, a separate full-blown war was triggered by a deadly cross-border raid by Hezbollah.

It was supposed to be a pushover for Israel’s well-trained regular armed forces against a guerilla army.

But as the Israeli tanks rolled into Lebanon they were quickly met with firm resistance.

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Hezbollah had tunnelled deep into Lebanon’s craggy hillsides and built well- fortified positions amid its towns and villages.

Rather than the ragtag ­irregulars the Israelis expected, they faced highly trained and well-armed troops with night-vision goggles and sophisticated communications.

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The architect, collector and art patron Luca Bombassei is sitting comfortably on a long, pale sofa in the 15th-century Palazzo Contarini Corfù in Venice, just around the corner from the Accademia art gallery. He is surrounded with art and design, but there is a surprising diversity in his taste. Above him hangs a traditional painting — Canaletto’s “Architectural Capriccio with Classical Ruins” (1723) — and opposite that is a massive contemporary piece, “Life of Forms” (2017) by the American artist Nathlie Provosty.

“The idea was to create a dialogue between the two works, there are so many details in the Canaletto and then the Provosty is just all-black,” he says. Beside him on a table stands a sculpture by Ettore Sottsass of the Memphis Group of postmodern designers.

The place almost dictates the art as much as the owner. In the adjoining library, a wall is covered with Venetian glassworks from the 1920s to the 1960s, displayed on shelving by Italian architect and designer Osvaldo Borsani. “When you live in Venice, you notice the special light that reflects through them,” Bombassei says. “They make me feel more Venetian!”

Bombassei was born in 1966 and lives between his flat in Venice, a masseria (fortified farmhouse) in Nardò, Apulia, and Milan, where his architectural practice specialises in the restoration of historical houses. “In Italy, there is a not a big distinction between architect and interior designer,” he says. “As I am a collector myself, I understand what it means to build a home around art, I have that sensitivity.”

He was brought up surrounded by art; his parents, the majority shareholders in the brake-disc company Brembo and collectors of traditional Italian art, still have an apartment in the neo-Gothic Casa dei Tre Oci on the island of Giudecca in Venice. As a young man he had to go through the cultural institute it housed at the time to get home in the evening. “My friends thought it was just incredible to live above a museum,” he laughs.

Bombassei’s Venetian home reflects the diversity of his taste, and he says he likes changing his mind and experimenting so that he can become “a better interior designer”. Along with the Canaletto and the Provosty, there is a portrait by Alex Katz (“East Interior”, 1979), an untitled Anish Kapoor wall sculpture from 1999 and Jenny Holzer’s 1987 LED piece “Laments: I am a man . . . ” which stands almost three metres tall, with red and yellow diodes spelling out the title. In his all-grey bedroom are a Sottsass Totem, a colourful stack of bulbous shapes, and a mushroom-like Gae Aulenti lamp. It is all shifted around regularly: “I always have a hammer and nails on me!”

Bombassei’s first love is Sottsass, of whom he has considerable holdings — from objects and furniture to limited editions. The designer, who experimented with colour, patterns and shapes and made furniture, glass and ceramic objects, was also an architect who worked in Milan. “He and his [Memphis] Group represented a period of innovation and they changed the way we think about design, bringing an artistic vision to design.” Together with Milan and Memphis, “Sottsass is my triangle of love.”

In Milan, Bombassei’s office is lined with wood panelling by Piero Fornasetti, a recreation of the decor originally in the Milanese apartment La Casa di Fantasia, designed by Gio Ponti for the Lucano family in 1952. In trompe l’oeil they show books, postcards and medallions on a floral background. The ensemble was bought at auction at Phillips in London in 2019 for £225,000.

And then there is his home in Nardò, which he says gives him the space to commission large-scale works of art — not least an enormous yellow-and-blue work by the Swiss artist Olivier Mosset (“Wall Painting”, 2019), covering the roof. “When you walk on the roof you feel you are inside the work and at the same time you can see a 15th-century tower in the distance.”#

As well as overseeing his practice, Bombassei presides over the Venice International Foundation, which both helps safeguard the artistic heritage of Venice and promotes contemporary art. I am rather surprised by this — we meet during the Biennale, when the city is awash with contemporary art — but he explains that most Venetian foundations focus on what he calls the past-past. “We support the near-past, for example by sponsoring [this year’s Francesco] Vezzoli exhibition in the Museo Correr. Most people don’t see the wonderful Carlo Scarpa installations on the upper floor, so this encourages them to go up to see them as well as the Vezzoli,” he says.

What are his plans for the future? He looks a bit baffled, admitting that he hasn’t really thought about this. “I am so curious, I fall in love with new places and things all the time,” he says, so for the moment, he continues to plan, design and buy. As he says, “Collecting is a sort of addiction.”

lucabombassei.com

A MUCH-LOVED bargain shop chain is pulling the shutters down on one of its stores in just a few hours.

The Original Factory Shop confirmed the closure of another location in Kent.

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The discounter, known for its bargain prices, is closing its branch in Deal today, Saturday 28.

TOFS said the site, labelled “brilliant” by shoppers, will be shutting at the end of September.

The retailer thanked local shoppers for their support over the years.

A spokesperson from The Original Factory Shop said: “After the landlord informed us that they were redeveloping our Deal store, we were unable to renew the lease.

“We want to remain in town and our property team would consider any alternative suitable sites. We are working hard to support all of those colleagues that will be affected and seeking to redeploy them across our business.”

The shock closure has left several local customers devastated, although the trader maintains around 190 branches nationwide.

One Facebook user said: “Such a terrible end to such a popular store.

“Obviously, this has not been a business decision as business was good, but another sign of the times.”

A second wrote: “Another piece of history and friendly staff gone.”

A third commented: “I love this shop. I go to Deal, from Dover, regularly the main reason being the factory shop.

“Don’t think I will be shopping at Deal much after it closes.”

Another posted: “Oh no another brilliant shop closing but why? Love that shop.”

While a fifth said: “Such a shame. It was affordable and you could always get something good.

“Now probably destined for townhouses and artisanal deli’s selling £4 sourdough bread.”

“That’s awful news,” another declared.

The closure is down to the building being redeveloped and the chain being unable to renew the lease.

After the Deal store closes, three of The Original Factory Shops will remain in Kent: Tenterden, Biggin Hill and Headcorn.

Other The Original Factory Shop closures

The Deal store closure is not the only one to be announced by The Original Factory Shop this year either.

It has already pulled the shutters down on seven stores in recent months:

• Brightlingsea, Essex
• Bodmin, Cornwall
• Chepstow, Wales
• Fakenham, Norfolk
• Harwich, Essex
• Mildenhall, Suffolk
• Padiham, Lancashire
• Taunton, Somerset

It comes after the retailer, known for selling everything from clothing to homeware and stationery, shut a number of branches last year.

But it’s not all bad news, as it has been opening stores across the UK too, as it shakes up its presence on the high street.

The full list of stores that have opened since August 2023 includes:

• Kirkintilloch – opened August 24
• Stonehaven – opened August 31
• Blandford Forum – opened August 31
• Haddington – opened September 7
• Wetherby – opened September 7
• Nairn – opened September 14
• Ashbourne – opened September 14
• Castle Douglas – opened September 21
• Penrith – opened September 21
• Inverness – opened September 28
• Attleborough – opened September 28
• Ayr – opened October 5
• Ringwood – opened October 5
• Perth – opened October 12
• Lanark – opened October 19
• Peterhead – opened October 26

Retail woes

Other retailers, such as Homebase, Boots, and Clarks, have been reducing the number of their high-street branches.

Rising rents, energy bills, and the cost of living have also caused many retailers to fail.

Several big retailers have fallen into administration in the past year, including Wilko, Paperchase, and most recently, The Body Shop and Ted Baker.

The Body Shop collapsed into administration on February 13, putting its almost 198 branches at risk of closure.

Since then, it has closed down 82 locations.

However, it’s not all bad news for the high street, as several other retailers and hospitality venues have plans to expand.

Beer giant Heineken announced plans to invest £39million to help reopen 62 previously shuttered British pubs.

Aldi has announced that it will open 35 new UK stores.

The openings form part of Aldi‘s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.

The supermarket is set to invest £550million in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.

Aldi said each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average.

In recent months, Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores as it seeks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

B&M plans to open “not less than” 45 brand new stores across the UK in each of the next two consecutive years.

Purepay Retail Limited, the parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM), and Peacocks, has said it wants to open 100 new high-street stores over the next 18 months.

It has yet to give the exact locations where it will open the 100 stores or when they will open.

One of the UK’s favourite bakery chains, Greggs, has exclusively revealed to The Sun plans to open more outlet branches by the end of 2025.

Home Bargains, which was running just under 600 branches as of last June, has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.

The major discounter has stopped short of saying when it wants to reach the 1,000 store target, however.

Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.

Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.

The brand opened two new stores in March, and a further three new shops will open this month.

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