Business
Sweaty Betty offered Middlesbrough trainer £4k for slogan use and silence
Stuart Whincup and
Tom Burgess,North East and Cumbria
BBCA personal trainer has revealed women’s activewear brand Sweaty Betty offered her a settlement of £4,000 over a disputed slogan if she agreed not to further challenge the firm’s use of it, and agreed to keep the deal confidential.
Georgina Cox, from Middlesbrough, said the company used the “Wear The Damn Shorts” phrase from her Instagram posts without crediting her in its latest campaign.
She had used the slogan, and others like it, in a number of posts encouraging women to wear what they wanted, regardless of body shape, before being contacted by the firm, she said.
Sweaty Betty said it “respectfully disagreed” with her claims and said the slogan had been part of its campaign for three years.
A company spokesperson said: “We have offered and continue to offer to meet with Ms Cox as we remain committed to resolving this matter constructively and reaching a fair and amicable resolution.”
The fitness trainer said she came up with the slogan for her younger sister in 2020 and the words quickly went viral.
In 2023, she was approached by a Sweaty Betty marketing executive, who said the firm was planning a campaign “with similar messaging as your Wear the Damn Shorts post a few years ago” and asking if she was happy for it to do so.
Georgina CoxMs Cox was subsequently paid £3,500 to promote the campaign in social media posts.
The company contacted her again the following year before its new campaign, but did not do so before the third year, she said.
“The third year they just omitted me completely, I didn’t know it was happening,” she said.
“I was so hurt in that moment because nobody had reached out to me.
“They’re meant to care about women, they’re meant to support them and empower them, and I’ve never felt less empowered than I have this year.”
Ms Cox’s lawyer sent the company a legal “cease and desist” letter, asking that it stop using the phrase, but she said the response described her as “bitter”.
She had also been threatened with legal action for defamation after posting about the situation online, she said.
Georgina CoxMs Cox said she had been “terrified” and the stress had affected her physically and mentally.
“They are such a big company and I am just one woman and to be threatened by them is incredibly scary,” she said.
The fitness influencer said she had not been sleeping, her hair was falling out and she was having panic attacks.
She wanted an apology from the company and a pledge from them to pay the influencers they work with, such as her, fairly, she said.
In correspondence with Ms Cox, Sweaty Betty said it was willing to offer £4,000 as a final settlement, provided she agreed the firm would continue to use the slogan, she would not challenge this use, she would not make any public statements about the firm, and the terms of this settlement would be confidential.
The company said: “We have great respect for the community Ms Cox has built around body confidence and empowerment, and were surprised and saddened to find ourselves in this situation.
“‘Wear the Damn Shorts’ has been part of our campaign for three years, and we chose it because it perfectly captures what Sweaty Betty stands for.
“While none of us has exclusive legal rights to this phrase, we have always aimed to respect Ms Cox’s association with it.
“Since she first raised her concerns earlier this year, we’ve been in regular contact.”
UK investment bank Peel Hunt has given some support to under-pressure Chancellor Rachel Reeves over last week’s Budget as it said efforts to boost the London market and invest in UK companies were “positive steps”.
Peel Hunt welcomed moves announced in the Budget, such as the stamp duty exemption for shares bought in newly listed firms on the London market and changes to Isa investing.
It comes as Ms Reeves has been forced to defend herself against claims she misled voters by talking up the scale of the fiscal challenge in the run-up to last week’s Budget, in which she announced £26 billion worth of tax rises.
Peel Hunt said: “Following a prolonged period of pre-Budget speculation, businesses and investors now have greater clarity from which they can start to plan.
“The key measures were generally well received by markets, particularly the creation of additional headroom against the Chancellor’s fiscal rules.
“Initiatives such as a stamp duty holiday on initial public offerings (IPOs) and adjustments to the Isa framework are intended to support UK capital markets and encourage investment in British companies.
“These developments, alongside the Entrepreneurship in the UK paper published simultaneously, represent positive steps toward enhancing the UK’s attractiveness for growth businesses and long-term investors.”
Ms Reeves last week announced a three-year stamp duty holiday on shares bought in new UK flotations as part of a raft of measures to boost investment in UK shares.
She also unveiled a change to the individual savings account (Isa) limit that lowers the cash element to £12,000 with the remaining £8,000 now redirected into stocks and shares.
But the Chancellor also revealed an unexpected increase in dividend tax, rising by 2% for basic and higher rate taxpayers next year, which experts have warned “undermines the drive to increase investing in Britain”.
Peel Hunt said the London IPO market had begun to revive in the autumn, although listings activity remained low during its first half to the end of September.
Firms that have listed in London over recent months include The Beauty Tech Group, small business lender Shawbrook and tinned tuna firm Princes.
Peel Hunt added that deal activity had “continued at pace” throughout its first half, with 60 transactions announced across the market during that time and 10 active bids for FTSE 350 companies, as at the end of September.
Half-year results for Peel Hunt showed pre-tax profits jumped to £11.5 million in the six months to September 30, up from £1.2 million a year earlier, as revenues lifted 38.3%.
Peel Hunt said its workforce has been cut by nearly 10% since the end of March under an ongoing savings drive, with full-year underlying fixed costs down by around £5 million.
Steven Fine, chief executive of Peel Hunt, said: “The second half has started strongly, with the group continuing to play leading roles across both mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets mandates.”
Business
Gross GST collections for November stand at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore; up 0.7 per cent – The Times of India
GST collections: The Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for the month of November came in at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore. This is a rise of 0.7%, according to official data.SBI Research in a report in November had estimated that the gross domestic GST collections may come around Rs 1.49 lakh crore for November 25 (returns of October 25 but filed in Nov’25), a YoY growth of 6.8%.“Coupled with Rs 51,000 crore of IGST and cess on Import, the November GST collections thus could cross Rs 2.0 lakh crore, driven by the peak festive season demand led by lower GST rate and increased compliance while most of states experience positive gains,” SBI Research had said.This story is being updated
New Delhi: Several crucial deadlines have been extended in December 2025, including ITR for tax audit cases, ITR filing and PAN and Aadhaar linking. These deadlines will be crucial in ensuring that your financial affairs operate smoothly in the months ahead.
Here is a quick rundown of the important deadlines for December to help you stay compliant and avoid last-minute hassles.
ITR deadline for tax audit cases
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has extended the due date of furnishing of return of income under sub-Section (1) of Section 139 of the Act for the Assessment Year 2025-26 which is October 31, 2025 in the case of assessees referred in clause (a) of Explanation 2 to sub-Section (1) of Section 139 of the Act, to December 10, 2025.
Belated ITR filing deadline
A belated ITR filing happens when an ITR is submitted after the original due date which is permitted by Section 139(4) of the Income Tax Act. Filing a belated return helps you meet your tax obligations, but it involves penalties. You can only file a belated return for FY 2024–25 until December 31, 2025. However, there will be a late fee and interest charged.
PAN and Aadhaar linking deadline
The Income Tax Department has extended the deadline to link their PAN with Aadhaar card to December 31, 2025 for anyone who acquired their PAN using an Aadhaar enrolment ID before October 1, 2024. If you miss this deadline your PAN will become inoperative which will have an impact on your banking transactions, income tax return filing and other financial investments.
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