Home office hazards: Shoffices and pizza oven related fires jumped during lockdown August 18, 2021 Insurer Zurich has warned that outbuilding fires – in sheds, garages and conservatories – rose by 16 per cent last year when national lockdowns resulted in a surge in people turning their sheds into offices, or ‘shoffices’. New data revealed through freedom of information requests by insurer Zurich to UK fire authorities have shown that [...]
Franco Manca’s Fulham Shore eyes expansion despite sliding revenue August 17, 2021 Hospitality group Fulham Shore, which owns Franco Manca, has seen its annual revenue nearly sliced in half due to the restrictions on restaurants for most of the year. The group pulled in £40.3m in revenue in the year to 28 March, after it had plunged 41.3 per cent from the £68.6m it raked in last [...]
Godfather of Sudoku: Maki Kaji dies aged 69 after battle with cancer August 17, 2021 Sudoku creator Maki Kaji, whose life’s work was spreading the joy of puzzles, has died aged 69. He had bile duct cancer. Known as the Godfather of Sudoku, Kaji created the puzzle to be easy for children and others who did not want to think too hard. Its name is made up of the Japanese [...]
Ocado sales dip as pre-pandemic habits return, supermarket data finds August 17, 2021 The UK’s return to normality has been accompanied by a return to pre-pandemic shopping habits, with online and overall grocery sales declining. The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar for the period ending 8 August show that grocery sales fell by four per cent. The latest twelve weeks saw the lowest level of online [...]
The City will bounce back: Royal Exchange owners on the future of retail August 17, 2021 Is London over? There are plenty of doom-mongers ready to make that case after the pandemic flipped the world on its head. But for answers, it helps sometimes simply to follow the money. Two new skyscrapers approved recently for the City of London and occupancy increasing at pre-existing buildings like 22 Bishopsgate bode well. And [...]
Cinderella may be sold to an American investor August 16, 2021 Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he will have to sell his musical Cinderella to an American investor if it is not able to open. Last month the world premiere of the new show was postponed until 25 August because of Covid-19 isolation protocols. According to media reports, Lord Lloyd-Webber said the production “can’t go on [...]
Hostelworld revenue dives against restrictions but travellers begin to return August 11, 2021 Online travel agent Hostelworld has had its revenue plummet 76 per cent in the past six months, as the group was significantly bruised by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Net revenue fell from €12m in the first half of last year to just €2.9m this year. Total bookings have also sunk by 73 per cent from a [...]
Amazon transfers £8.2bn of UK revenue to Luxembourg, report says August 11, 2021 Amazon has shifted some £8.2bn worth of UK revenues to European tax haven Luxembourg, a new report has claimed, as the ecommerce giant bats off calls for a tax inquiry. The retail heavyweight declared £13.7bn in UK revenues in 2019, however, filings for its UK-based companies said it only reported £5.5bn in sales. The report, [...]
Covid: West End shows halted as self-isolation rules hit theatres August 10, 2021 While the end of lockdown restrictions promised a show-stopping return for the West End, self-isolation troubles mean London theatres are still being forced to put productions on ice. Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, Jersey Boys and The Lion King have all been forced to cancel performances in recent days after cast or crew members were [...]
Turkish-German airline SunExpress eyes new underserved routes to the UK August 10, 2021 Turkish-German airline SunExpress is looking to expand its route network into the British Isles, in a bid to reap the rewards of the looming post-pandemic travel boom. The budget carrier has issued a what is called a ‘request for proposals’ via Route Exchange, where it can seek different routes. SunExpress only recently announced an additional [...]