Kids birthday parties are pricey. UK parents spend more than £200 on cake, entertainment and party bags each year. Argos has launched a Birthday Club to aid party-stricken parents, offering ideas, tips and 20% off party essentials. Could it become the go-to brand for setting birthdays off with a bang?

In the future will we build our own homes? Will we be pimping our kitchens? How will provenance play a part in interior design? As part of our Expert Outlook 2016 series we speak to three home experts about the future of interiors, Third Age Housing and the ever-changing family unit.

Parents can regret the lack of quality time spent with their kids – a guilt that’s magnified for those who travel for work. Lufthansa is helping parents relieve this guilt by installing recording studios at departure gates in airports. But do kids want a bedtime story sent straight from the terminal?

As the financial sector works to make services increasingly streamlined, mobile money has gained popularity as an easy and secure way to handle cash. Now that apps are more readily accepted, banks are leveraging these platforms to reposition themselves as lifestyle brands.