BT slaps millions of customers with 9 per cent hike in charges on phone and broadband bills January 21, 2022 Telecoms giant BT has said it plans to increase prices by 9 per cent from the end of March for most customers, another sign the cost-of-living squeeze is deepening. The company said those affected will end up paying an extra £3.50 a month – or £42 annually – on average for phone and broadband bills. [...]
High Street takes a Christmas beating as retail sales volumes dropped by nearly 4 per cent in December January 21, 2022 UK retail sales fell in December by 3.7% as the Omicron variant spread and shoppers made Christmas purchases earlier in November due to concerns over supply chain shortages, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes fell by 3.7% for the month, compared with a 1% rise in November. [...]
Amazon Alexa down across the UK, thousands of Brits unable to access smart speaker and other devices January 21, 2022 Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant is down in the UK, leaving users unable to access smart speakers and other devices. According to service status website DownDector, UK users began reporting problems with Alexa at around 7am on Friday, with more than 8,000 reports since recorded. Many users are reporting being unable to wake their voice-activated Amazon [...]
Wagamama owner TRG hikes profit forecast as it warns of slow battle to recover consumer confidence January 21, 2022 Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group has upgraded its profit expectations after strong trade at the end of last year despite Covid uncertainty. The group was affected by Omicron concerns and restrictions, such as guidance to work from home, but said it continued to trade ahead of the market. In a trading update on Friday, the [...]
Four day work week trial shows 100:80:100 model is taking off in UK but same job in less time may power stress and anxiety January 21, 2022 Three lockdowns have made a large number of employees re-evaluate the notoriously tricky work-life balance. The four-day working week is seen as the perfect solution, designed to offer employees flexible hours and increase productivity during working hours. To some large businesses the concept has proven more viable , so could the five-day working week the next traditional policy [...]
French champagne houses sparkle as 2021 sees record sales January 20, 2022 French champagne houses have toasted to record sales worth £4.6bn after demand climbed last year. According to preliminary estimates from the Comité Champagne trade association, sales hit $5.5bn, even though the hospitality sector continued to face lockdown restrictions last year. Some 322m champagne bottles were sold last year, an increase of 32 per cent on [...]
Shoppers rack up £3.3bn buy-now-pay-later debt in Christmas spending spree January 20, 2022 Shoppers racked up £3.3bn of debt using buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) products in a spending spree over the Christmas period, new data has revealed.
Face masks make people look more attractive January 20, 2022 Are you more attractive with a face mask on? The answer may be yes because masks, particularly the surgical kind, make people appear more pretty, according to a new study. The study presented female participants with 40 male faces of “low to high attractiveness” in various states: Partially covered by a cloth mask, a surgical [...]
City Pub Group looks to office workers’ return as pub sector faces soaring energy costs January 20, 2022 Premium pub operator the City Pub Group has said it is hopeful the return of office workers will boost its sales in cities across the country. It said there had been a “significant increase in trade” in the last 10 days, which it put down to an increased consumer confidence. The easing of the government’s [...]
After a week from hell: Shareholders tell Unilever to focus on health to avoid being struck hard by regulatory changes January 20, 2022 Food giant Unilever should focus further on health after a week of fierce criticism for the Marmite manufacturer, a group of major asset managers and shareholders said this morning. The coalition of investors, backed by Share Action, said it is urging the company to adopt ambitious targets to increase the share of healthy foods in [...]