Just Eat cuts deal with One Stop as grocery delivery uptake remains strong December 22, 2021 Just Eat has cut a deal with corner shop chain One Stop, as grocery orders continue to show strong uptake through the app. The food delivery giant, which has capitalised on the pandemic-induced shift towards quick online grocery shopping, will be able to ferry around 500 additional grocery items from One Stop stores. Essentials like [...]
London theatres forced to cancel shows after Covid afflicts cast and crew December 21, 2021 London theatres have been forced to shut this week after a wave of Omicron infections hit the capital. Venues have been impacted by cast and crew testing positive for Covid while customers have cancelled tickets for performances. Productions forced to cancel shows include Aladdin, Bring It On, Cabaret, Cinderella, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen [...]
Hospitality bosses say Treasury support ‘borders on insulting’ as firms call for more aid December 21, 2021 Hospitality and leisure bosses have welcomed the announcement of a short-term support package for businesses but called for more. Venues have been hit hard by cancellations as the public stays away from the capital in a last attempt to dodge the highly transmissible Omicron variant before Christmas. After calls from industry bosses, Chancellor Rishi Sunak [...]
Nike revenue hit as Covid factory closures bite but brand ‘increasingly confident’ December 21, 2021 Nike narrowly beat earnings expectations in its quarterly earnings report, after reporting pandemic-related supply chain challenges. In its earnings report for the second quarter, the footwear giant posted just a one per cent increase in revenue from a year before. It put this down to supply chain issues, including “lower levels of available inventory” because [...]
Home transactions up in November as eyes turn to Omicron’s impact on market December 21, 2021 Transaction numbers gained pace in November, up 24.3 per cent on the previous month, following an initial dip after the end of the stamp duty holiday. According to the latest HMRC data, there were 96,290 housing transactions in November, 16.4 per cent lower than November 2020, but up on the prior month. The figure for [...]
Hospitality sector ‘bleeding out’ with looming £1.5bn Christmas Eve rent bill December 21, 2021 A £1.5bn rent bill and the sudden drop in seasonal shopping means the hospitality sector faces a flood of bankruptcies in the new year, according to reports. The £1.5bn payment for rent is due on Christmas Eve, according to the Telegraph, which first reported the news. But a third of pubs, bars and restaurants have [...]
Biscuit maker McVitie’s warns of price hikes December 20, 2021 McVities’ owner Pladis Global has said prices on popular household names could increase as much as five per cent. The company said it had experienced higher costs due to staff absences, increased ingredient costs and higher labour costs. Pladis’s UK managing director, David Murray, said: “Omicron disruption, absenteeism, and the rising cost of business going [...]
One in three nightclubs fear imminent closure without government aid as sector faces Omicron ‘death sentence’ December 20, 2021 One third of nightlife businesses are afraid they will close within a month, without urgent government support, as ministers mull further measures this week. One fifth of firms fear they could lose their entire workforce without more financial aid, according to a survey of more than 500 venues by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA). [...]
Shoppers shy away from West End on ‘critical’ weekend before Christmas as bosses call for urgent support December 20, 2021 Shoppers were deterred from visiting central London’s shopping district last weekend as Omicron infections continue to rise across the capital. Retailers have called on the government for more financial support as businesses have been hit by falling footfall in the crucial trading period before Christmas. It comes after health experts have advised Brits to prioritise [...]
Pints of experience: Wetherspoons opens up board to publican employees December 20, 2021 Wetherspoons has opened up its board to its publican employees, in a bid to bring real pub experience into focus. The British pub chain has hired four employees, who were working under managerial positions from across Manchester to Exeter to join the board as employee and associate employee directors. “A successful pub company depends primarily [...]