JACKSON, MISS. — Raybern Foods, a maker of heat-and-serve deli sandwiches, will invest $7.1 million to expand its operations in Shannon, Miss. The expansion is expected to create 70 jobs.

“Raybern Foods is proud to continue growing our operations in Shannon and investing in the community we have called home for more than a decade,” said Doug Hall, senior director of business development for Raybern Foods. “This expansion will allow us to increase production capacity to meet growing demand for our products while creating new opportunities for workers in the area. We appreciate the support of the Mississippi Development Authority and Lee County as we continue to grow our business in Mississippi.”

Founded in California in 1978, Raybern Foods expanded to Shannon in 2015. The company’s products include more than a dozen varieties of frozen and refrigerated sandwiches sold in stores nationally. Earlier this year the company introduced frozen sliders in three varieties: cheeseburger smashed sliders, birria sliders, and ham and Swiss sliders. 

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Rolls-Royce has moved forward with a deal to power a new fleet of Airbus long-haul jets for Philippine Airlines.

The FTSE-100 firm will provide 18 engines for nine new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft in a deal worth “hundreds of millions of pounds”.

The agreement, once finalised, also includes a maintenance package, meaning Rolls-Royce will continue servicing and monitoring the engines throughout their operational life, officials said.

The government welcomed the deal, saying it would bring “good quality jobs” to the company’s Derby base.

The order was first announced as a memorandum of understanding at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.

At the time, Rob Watson, president of civil airspace at Rolls-Royce, said the company was “proud to continue strengthening our long-standing relationship with Philippine Airlines”.

While the deal is described as being worth “hundreds of millions”, the precise value has not been confirmed.

Airbus designs and manufactures wings for all its commercial aircraft at its Broughton site in North Wales.

Minister for trade Anas Sarwar said: “This news shows British engineering is flying high with world-class innovation that puts our companies at the front of the pack.

“Building these engines and wings brings good quality jobs to Derby and Broughton, and means UK expertise is at the heart of thousands of flights by one of the fastest-growing airlines around the world.”

The engine involved, the Trent XWB-97, can operate using a 50% sustainable aviation fuel blend, with plans for it to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel in the future.

This order follows Philippine Airlines’s previous order for nine Trent XWB-97-powered Airbus A350-1000 in 2023.

Bosses said they had attracted customers with deeper pockets

Sofa retailer DFS has grown revenue and profits despite an “unpredictable” market, but has warned of lower consumer confidence and footfall in recent weeks.

The Doncaster-based plc, which runs more than 100 shops, said it had delivered growth despite a “subdued” market, with revenue up 2.6% to £1.05bn and underlying profit before tax up from £30.2m to £44.9m. It told investors of record high market share at 40% and order intake growth of 2.6% thanks to more wealthy customers, refreshed product ranges and promotions.

But bosses warned that order intake in the weeks since the end of June was down 2.5% owing to hot weather affecting footfall and upholstery consumer demand in July and August.

Technology-equipped furniture under the Cinesound brand and an expanded ‘Home’ range were said to have helped boost orders, along with a brand partnership with Amanda Holden and associations with Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice. Meanwhile, a showroom refit – including an upgraded Sofology showroom in Bolton – was said to have delivered returns.

Looking ahead, bosses said that even though the market was subdued, they expected to deliver moderate profit growth in the 2027 financial year – in line with analyst consensus of profit before tax and brand amortisation of £48m.

Tim Stacey, group chief executive officer, said: “The performance delivered in FY26 demonstrates the fundamental strength, agility and resilience of the DFS Group. By maintaining disciplined cost management, improving gross margins to 58% and empowering our colleagues through data and technology, we delivered robust earnings growth and significantly strengthened our balance sheet.

“Looking ahead into FY27, market uncertainty continues to influence consumer confidence and footfall, and we remain appropriately cautious regarding the broader macroeconomic environment. However, our scale, culture and technology investments – all fuelled by our new purpose and values – provide us with a clear advantage.

“We remain confident in our ability to outperform the market and deliver moderate profit growth in FY27, where we are comfortable with current analyst profit before tax forecasts. Looking further ahead, we remain fully focused on achieving our medium-term £1.4bn revenue and 8% profit before tax margin targets and create sustained, long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

Exclusive: Google on Thursday announced a new initiative to partner with veterans groups to help 25,000 veterans, service members and military spouses enter the skilled trades, according to an announcement viewed by FOX Business.

Google’s announcement will feature a partnership with several prominent organizations that serve veterans around the nation, including Hiring Our Heroes, Student Veterans of America and the Home Builders Institute.

The move comes against the backdrop of a shortage of workers in the skilled trades amid surging demand driven in part by the artificial intelligence (AI) buildout.

Tim Chadwick, Google’s data center operations area lead for Ohio and Indiana who served in the U.S. Navy for 21 years, said in the company’s announcement that the initiative is “making it easier for veterans to make career transitions to high-growth careers like mine.”

GOOGLE PARTNERS ON AI TRAINING FOR THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS

Google is partnering with veterans groups to help veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses access pathways to careers in the skilled trades. (Noah Berger)

“As a leader for Google’s data centers in Ohio and Indiana, I know there’s a major need for these types of professionals,” Chadwick said.

“Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of skilled trade roles open across the U.S. just waiting to be filled. These are jobs like master electrician, lead pipefitter, and project manager – high-growth careers that offer long-term financial stability.”

“But beyond just the growing need, these roles also make the most of the kinds of skills veterans and military families know better than anyone – skills like problem-solving under pressure, teamwork, and getting a job done right,” Chadwick wrote.

GOOGLE LAUNCHES GLOBAL STUDY OF MILLIONS OF AI CHATS TO UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The skilled trades are seeing a surge in demand for workers amid the AI buildout. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images)

Cory Boatwright, president and CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA), said in a statement to FOX Business that the group’s “work with Google took us to 11 states to host 22 roundtables, and one lesson that stood out was that veterans want more pathways to meaningful careers.”

“We’re broadening what ‘student veteran’ means to anyone continuing their education in pursuit of something more: a degree, a certificate, a skilled trade. The student decides the path and what is meaningful to them,” he said.

“Our job is to make sure their pursuit is successful and leads somewhere great – skilled trades are an important part of that equation, particularly as states and employers look for talent to fill critical workforce needs,” Boatwright added. “If we weren’t thinking about skilled trades, then we’d be left behind.”

GOOGLE COMMITS $1B TO NORTH CAROLINA DATA CENTERS AS AI DEMAND SURGES

Google’s new initiative comes after previous moves to boost veterans in the workforce, grow the skilled trades and advance access to AI. (Marlena Sloss/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Google’s announcement follows a move to co-found the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades with BlackRock, Ford and Carhartt to train 1 million workers in the skilled trades by 2030.

It also comes in addition to prior investments such as a $15 million partnership with the electrical training Alliance (etA) to put AI-powered learning tools on the trade floor, and a $4 million grant to Student Veterans of America to bring career certificates and AI courses to veterans nationwide.

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The North East firm has now completed 18 acquisitions in the last seven years

North East estate agency group My Property Box has expanded into the North West after acquiring the residential sales and lettings arm of H&H Land & Estates.

The undisclosed deal establishes the firm as one of Cumbria’s largest estate agencies, with a presence in Carlisle, Penrith, Cockermouth, and Kendal. It also represents a significant geographical expansion beyond the company’s current North East and North Yorkshire heartland.

The deal is My Property Box’s 18th acquisition in seven years, backed by a multi-million-pound investment secured in 2024 from growth capital investor BGF.

H&H Land & Estates will continue to operate its specialist land agency and rural property business across the North of England and southern Scotland. Its operations includes the sale and management of farms, estates, land, smallholdings and rural property, alongside its land management, valuation and professional consultancy services. Director of sales and lettings Pauline Carrera-Silva and the existing H&H team, including branch manager Paul Doyle, will transfer to My Property Box, providing continuity for clients.

Ben Quaintrell, founder and CEO of My Property Box, which has offices in Darlington, Newcastle and Northallerton, said: “This is a significant acquisition for My Property Box. It takes us into the North West for the first time, gives us an immediate presence across Cumbria and makes us one of the county’s largest estate agencies.

“We’re acquiring an established business with an experienced team and considerable local knowledge. For H&H clients, it will very much be business as usual. They’ll continue dealing with the same local team, backed by the additional resources and expertise of My Property Box, and we’re committed to maintaining the high standard of service they have come to expect.”

Richard Rankin, chief executive of H&H Group plc, said: “This sale is an important part of the continuing growth and realignment of H&H Group as we bring our businesses together and deliver on Rural Matters: our increased focus on agriculture and the rural economy.

“My Property Box is a successful, ambitious and growing regional business with specialist expertise in residential property sales and lettings. We believe it is the right home for the business and will provide the team with an excellent platform from which to develop and flourish. The continuity offered by the existing team moving across to My Property Box will also ensure that clients continue to receive the personal and professional service they know and value.

“I would like to thank the whole residential sales and lettings team for everything they have contributed to H&H Land & Estates. We are delighted to have found such a positive way forward and wish them every success as part of My Property Box.”

Burnetts Solicitors provided legal advice to H&H Group, with Weightmans acting for My Property Box.