PRESS DIGEST-British Business - January 7

Jan 7 (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

• Rank Group RNK.L, the operator of Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos, has begun a search for a new chief executive after John O’Reilly announced he was stepping down from the top job after seven-and-a-half years.

• American companies, including Microsoft MSFT.O and McKinsey, have paidup to $1 million to sponsor “USA House” at the World Economic Forum in Davos this month, which will host President Trump for the first time in six years.

The Guardian

• Fujitsu’s European boss has told British lawmakers the company is “not a parasite”, after being criticised for continuing to make hundreds of millions of pounds from UK government contracts while refusing to give a compensation figure for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.

The Telegraph

• Faculty, a London technology business that provides AI tools for the public sector and businesses, said it had agreed to be acquired by Accenture ACN.N, the U.S.-listed consulting giant in a $1 billion (739.97 million pounds) deal.

Sky News

• Private equity firm Advent International is spearheading a multibillion-euro takeover bid for InPost INPST.AS, the owner of British parcel delivery firm Yodel.

(1 British pound = $1.3514)