City Moves for 20 January: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? January 20, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Real estate and construction companies appear to be bustling in the capital with new projects and appointments across the UK. This week, Cromwell, Redrow and Savills boosted their firms with new appointments and [...]
Online sales soar as Dixons Carphone covers wounds of festive store closures January 20, 2021 British retailer Dixons Carphone has seen sales rocket during Christmas as online growth of 121 per cent balanced out store closures. Like-for-like electrical sales increased 11 per cent over the festive period as shares rose by 2.8 per cent, the group announced on Wednesday. Dixons Carphone, who trade as Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse [...]
Germany warns of border closures amid fear of COVID-19 mutations January 19, 2021 By Andreas Rinke and Christian Kraemer BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany may need to consider border crossing curbs if other European countries do not act to halt the spread of the coronavirus, particularly its new, more transmissible variants. “We can do anything we like, but we will not succeed if [...]
Paperchase secures more time in race to avoid collapse January 19, 2021 High street stationary chain Paperchase has secured more time in its race to avoid collapse, after the retailer was forced to line-up administrators due to the negative impact of coronavirus restrictions on sales. The company has filed a second notice of intention to appoint an administrator, giving the firm an additional ten days to negotiate [...]
Pubs left in the dark again as government fails to deliver thousands of lifeline grants January 19, 2021 The British Beer and Pub Association has today revealed that 3 in 4 wet-led pubs have still not received the Christmas grant promised to them by Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister personally announced the £1,000 one-off payment at the start of December to help drink-driven pubs that were forced to close during Christmas. However, as [...]
Oxford University given £100m to launch fight against antibiotic resistance January 19, 2021 The University of Oxford has been given £100m for a new institute focusing on resistance to antibiotics, one of the largest donations in its history. The gift will help combat the global issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is one of the world’s greatest healthcare challenges. The funding has been delivered by chemicals giant INEOS [...]
China’s Covid-19 outbreak worst since March 2020 January 19, 2021 China is battling the worst outbreak of Covid-19 since March 2020, with one province posting a record daily rise in cases, as an independent panel reviewing the global pandemic said China could have done more to curb the initial outbreak. State-backed tabloid the Global Times today defended China’s early handling of Covid-19, saying no country [...]
Phil Neville tipped to become coach of David Beckham’s Inter Miami after leaving England Women with immediate effect January 18, 2021 Phil Neville is stepping down as England women’s team manager with immediate effect and expected to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Neville, 43, has been in talks with the Major League Soccer men’s side, who have a vacancy since sacking manager Diego Alonso this month. The Football Association said it would shortly appoint an interim [...]
Govt gets 123 complaints over tendering of public procurement contracts January 18, 2021 The government has received 123 official complaints over the tendering of public procurement contracts, commercial law firm EMW said this morning. The research follows scrutiny of government procurement practices throughout the pandemic, with questions being raised over how PPE contracts have been awarded during Covid-19. Principal at EMW James Geary said: “Covid PPE contracts have [...]
Former Hong Kong lawmaker rejects HSBC explanation over frozen bank accounts January 18, 2021 Former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui has renewed his criticism of HSBC despite the bank’s CEO expressing regret for freezing his bank accounts. Noel Quinn, HSBC chief executive, had written to Hui last week explaining that the bank was unable to operate the accounts and was instructed to act by the police. Hui, who fled [...]