Europe

UK - Trustees of Uniq's pension scheme - which owns 90% of its sponsor - have agreed to sell the sandwich maker for £113m ($178m) to Greencore.

UK - Investors should stock their portfolio with 5% gold in order to best overcome the effects of both inflation and deflation, according to new research by Oxford Economics. World Gold Council.

UK - Companies are needlessly paying £5bn ($8bn) into defined benefit pension schemes because their funding targets are more than 10% higher than necessary, PwC research finds.

UK - The £4.1bn ($6.5bn) London Pension Fund Authority (LPFA) has awarded Dutch fund manager Robeco its first UK contract to oversee its shareholder voting and corporate engagement.

BlackRock hires NEST's Gilbody; Aviva Investors; Liongate; Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa; Ignis; HSBC Asset Management; Towers Watson; Acadian; Cardano; LGIM; Mercer

UK - Lothian Pension Fund has gone out to tender for two investment advisers to sit on its Investment Strategy Panel following the expiration of the current adviser contracts.

EUROPE - The European Insurance and Occupational Pension Authority (EIOPA) will seek industry comments on Europe's IOPRPs directive as it prepares its advice to the European Commission.

UK - Large-scale, collective private sector schemes should be set up in competition to NEST - allowing companies to offer DC without running their own scheme, the incoming chairman of the National Association of Pension Funds says.

GLOBAL - Have you missed the biggest stories in pensions this week? Find out below, as we list the top 10 most popular stories on www.globalpensions.com over the past seven days.

US/UK - Principal Global Investors has acquired a 74% stake in London-based Origin Asset Management for $66m (£40.7m).