Sunday newspaper round-up: Barclays, Battersea, Retailers

(ShareCast News) - Barclays has come under attack from top investors over its plummeting share price and "confusing" turnaround plans. Britain's second-biggest bank by assets is braced for an onslaught at this week's annual meeting, with shareholders set to vent their spleen over its dire performance. Chairman John McFarlane is understood to have held discussions with several large institutional investors in an attempt to calm feelings ahead of the meeting on Thursday. - The Sunday TimesBattersea Power Station Development Company is considering downsizing its apartments amid waning demand for luxury homes in the capital, as the firm's chief executive denied the flats are failing to sell. Plans for three and four-bedroom apartments in later phases of the scheme could be changed to one- and two-bedroom units, although formal planning permission has not yet been submitted. - The Sunday TelegraphBritain's retailers are still 'on the ropes' according to a leading accountancy group. In its latest report on profit warnings, EY said the number remained 'remarkably high' across all businesses in the first three months of the year. But store groups stood out as the worst hit with eight stock market-listed retailers saying profits would be lower than expected - the most since 2011. In the past six months one in five listed retailers have issued a profit warning. - The Mail on SundayTata's UK steel business has been reducing its £1m-a-day losses steadily for the past few months and is close to making an operating profit again for the first time in more than a year. Senior sources say the business, centred on Port Talbot, was headed for a profit even before its Indian parent put it up for sale last month. The news comes as the hunt to find a buyer intensifies, with the Government saying it is willing to take a 25% equity stake to help secure a sale, and the emergence of a management buyout bid. - The Sunday TelegraphSports Direct has become the latest household name to be scrutinised over its offshore links after it emerged that part of the retail empire was connected to a business in Panama. It has also emerged that the Panamanian company, which helped fund Sports Direct's joint venture in Iceland, is owned by the family of disgraced Icelandic businessman Jon Asgeir Johannesson. The latest revelations from the cache of documents leaked from law firm Mossack Fonseca show a series of investments that link the Icelandic group to Luxembourg, and ultimately Panama. - The Mail on SundayBHS is battling to raise £100m to pay staff wages and continue trading, with 10,000 jobs at risk at the struggling department store chain. The retailer is still trying to obtain emergency funding almost four weeks after creditors approved a survival plan that involved landlords accepting deep cuts to the rent on stores. BHS denied speculation on Friday night that it was on the brink of falling into administration. A spokesman said it was "business as usual" at the company and it was "on track" with talks over funding. - The GuardianClose to 1,000 jobs are at risk at 116-year-old tailoring brand Austin Reed, where administrators could be called in as early as next week. The retailer, founded in 1900 by Austin Leonard Reed and famous for its suits, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. This gives the company, which also owns the Viyella and CC (previously Country Casuals) fashion brands, protection from creditors for 10 days before it potentially tips into administration. - The GuardianQuindell founder Rob Terry has risked fanning the flames of controversy surrounding his former company by alleging that the drastic results restatements the scandal-hit business made were "stupid" and claiming he profited by as much as £30m from his investment in it. - The Sunday Telegraph