Business week in pictures

A boarded-up shop in London. The Bank of England said the recession had probably bottomed out, but warned any recovery would be hampered by the reluctance of banks to lend to consumers and businesses Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Inside a store in the impoverished rural town of Glendora, Mississippi in the US. Cash-strapped American consumers avoided splashing out in April, causing an unexpectedly sharp 0.4% drop in retail sales as soaring unemployment, a loss of housing wealth, and tight credit took their toll Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Shareholders ask questions at an emergency meeting of Allied Irish Banks. The chairman of the troubled Irish group, Dermot Gleeson, was pelted with eggs at the meeting, called to decide to accept a €3.5bn injection of capital from the Irish government. The eggs were thrown by Gary Keogh, a pensioner who has lost €18,000 in the banking crisis Photograph: Julien Behal/PA

Buyers look at a line of of Aston Martin cars, including a unique DB7 entirely covered in gold, palladium and platinum, at an auction held at the firm's Newport Pagnell factory. Business is booming at Britain's biggest pawnbroker, H&T Group, but the boost is thanks to the strength of the gold price rather than the recession Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Police block the entrance of the headquarters of steelmaker ArcelorMittal in Luxembourg. Angry steel workers attacked the building during the company's annual shareholders' meeting, setting off smoke bombs and breaking through the front door in protest at temporary layoffs Photograph: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images

MPs called for big pub companies to be referred to the Competition Commission as a result of 'serious problems' in the way their pub tenants are treated, and for a full investigation into whether they push up prices at the bar for drinkers Photograph: Daniel Munoz/Reuters

A bottle of Botox. A joint venture between L'Oreal and Nestle is to launch the first direct rival to the cosmetic treatment Photograph: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP

Sizewell A and B nuclear power stations in Suffolk. British Gas owner Centrica is to help build a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK as part of a deal with French energy firm EDF Photograph: Graham Turner/Guardian

Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King said the supermarket had the 'greatest growth potential' of Britain's big four grocers as the group reported an 11% rise in annual profits. It has run a high-profile campaign that encourages consumers to buy lower-priced own-label alternatives Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

The BT tower in London. The telecoms firm is axing 15,000 jobs over the coming year, roughly 10% of its workforce, as it tries to cut costs after announcing a dramatic plunge into the red Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters