Feb 2 - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
The Times
One of Britain's biggest retailers, Matalan, has been placed in Lloyds Banking Group's LLOY.L business support unit, which was set up to help troubled companies. It is understood that the heavily indebted fashion and homewares retailer approached Lloyds late last year and asked to be placed in the bank's support unit.
Clydesdale Bank Plc has cleared the final big legal hurdle for its planned stock market flotation and separation from National Australia Bank. The demerger from its parent was approved by the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, Monday, allowing conditional trading in the shares of CYBG, the new entity covering the operations of Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks, to begin Tuesday.
The Guardian
The founder of easyJet Plc EZJ.L has opened a discount food store that is selling everyday groceries for 25 pence each. Stelios Haji-Ioannou has launched easyFoodstore in an attempt to take advantage of the fast-growing discount market in the UK, which is led by Aldi and Lidl. Telegraph
BT Group Plc BT.L has revealed a management shake-up ahead of its 12.5 billion pounds takeover of Britain's biggest mobile company, EE, having also posted its best quarterly revenue growth in more than seven years. Plc EZJ.L passengers could be served waste water produced by their plane's fuel system, after the airline unveiled plans to trial zero-emission hydrogen technology. News
Morrisons MRW.L has announced plans to cut the cost of more than 1,000 "staple" products - in a move likely to add fuel to the ongoing supermarket price war. The UK's fourth-largest grocer will slash the prices of many items, including fruit and vegetables, by an average of 19%. new projects in UK have been given 20 million pounds ($1.44 million) to research and develop driverless car technology. The money will be used to help improve the communications systems between vehicles and the urban environment - including "talking car technologies." Independent
The wealthy Indian Gupta family, which owns Liberty House Group and Simec, is looking at plans to float a minority stake in its international steel-to-industrial empire that could value the business at $1 billion.
($1 = 0.6934 pounds)