Financial news

2017’s top business stories

The rich got richer and the poor piled on more debt as shockwaves from the Brexit vote continued to reverberate in 2017.

Billionaire George Soros dismissed Donald Trump as a “con-man”, while Britain’s biggest chicken supplier was revealed to have been fiddling its food safety records.

Airlines had a turbulent year, from the sad death of Simon the giant rabbit to Ryanair’s shock cancellation of thousands of flights after it messed up its pilot rosters.

Based on the number of page views, here are our 10 most popular business stories of 2017.

1. Hard times for Whole Foods: ‘People say it’s for pretentious people. I can see why’

A “pretentious” American grocery group nicknamed “Whole Paycheck” made it to the top of our most-read list in 2017, as takeover rumours swirled around the once high-flying, organic-focused retailer.

Shoppers loved Whole Foods’ products, but not its prices: “When you’re shopping for the cheaper, more afofrdable things, you’re reminded of the things you can’t afford,” said one.

A consumer backlash had led to six straight quarters of declining sales by April. Two months later online giant Amazon swooped in with a $13.7bn takeover in a bold move seen as a game-changer for the entire food retail sector.