April 9 (Reuters) - 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
- UK's high street retailers and restaurants are being targeted by short sellers, with almost a third of the total positions on the stock market in the consumer sector, a research by Linklaters has found. Potential successors to Martin Sorrell, the besieged chief executive of WPP Plc WPP.L , have been identified in preparations for life after the long-serving boss. Internal candidates have attended board meetings as part of the succession planning and are in contention along with a "constantly refined list of external candidates". Guardian
- The chairman of the Australian owners of Homebase is flying to the UK for a whistlestop tour of its stores this week as the future of the struggling DIY chain hangs in the balance. The Wesfarmers Ltd WES.AX chairman, Michael Chaney, is being accompanied on store visits by the retail turnaround expert Archie Norman. Telegraph
- Deutsche Bank AG DBKGn.DE has ousted John Cryan and promoted Christian Sewing to chief executive following boardroom clashes over the lender's struggling turnaround effort. Former BHS owner Dominic Chappell plans to sue Philip Green and contest a proposed boardroom ban in a bid to repair his "tarnished reputation" and resurrect his career. News
- Moya Greene, the chief executive of Royal Mail Plc RMG.L , is preparing to step down after an eventful eight-year tenure. Barclays (LON:BARC) Plc is preparing to look for a successor to chairman John McFarlane, paving the way for the third change at the top of Britain's second-largest bank since 2012. Independent
- UK economic growth will lag behind all other G7 advanced nations this year, the world's biggest financial firms have warned. https://ind.pn/2H2OMZh
- The number of buy-to-let investors in UK rose to a record high of 2.5 million in the latest tax year, new research by London-focused estate agent Ludlow Thompson shows. https://ind.pn/2H6Zfmo