for means like flat primark.nt number, but it was not a negative number. >> we will leave it there. let's see with a market makes on tuesday when they get into the depths of the report. we will see how the market takes it. >> we are getting numbers from old mutual, the insurance business. six minutes past 7:00 in london. up by 5% at old mutual at 307.6 billion pounds. the gross sales, 6.2 billion pounds. that economicg activity remains subdued in south africa. growth remains elsewhere robust in africa and on the u.k. retail services market is developing fast. who better to speak to about these numbers than the group finance director of old mutual, ingrid johnson who joins us onset this morning. sittingu very much for to our conversation about coats and whether. let's talk about your business. paint the picture were the strengths and weaknesses have been. quarters been a busy and it has been exciting. it does not matter where you spend your money, but we hope you invest it with us. we have seen quite robust perfor

. >>> it's been another bumpy year for primark. announcing sells of up to nearly $8 billion.ashion retailer has been opening up more branches across europe, including in france and plans to open its first stores in the united states in 2015. >>> finally, french scientists have warned that a decade of shift work could age the brain by more than six years. making it difficult to think and remember. there was some recovery after people stopped working anti-social shifts, but it took five years to return to normal. experts say the findings could be important in dementia, as many patients have disrupted sleep. >>> that's all the business news for this hour. back to you, karin. >> we all know what shift work does to us. thanks very much, alice baxter. stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come, we welcome blondie live frto the "gmt" studio. they're here to talk music and their new exhibition about the early days of punk. >>> you're watching "bbc world news." i'm karin giannone. our top stories this hour, americans are voting in midterm congressional elections, which may s