UK travel rules are changing from today as traffic light system is scrapped October 4, 2021 Travel rules are changing significantly today, with the UK’s traffic light system involving green, amber and red lists being scrapped, with locations categorised as either on the red list or not. It comes amid reports the number of countries on the red list will be slashed to nine from 54 later in the week, with [...]
Hospitality staff shortages: One in six jobs currently vacant October 4, 2021 One in six hospitality jobs are currently vacant while the government doubles down on not relaxing immigration rules to ease labour shortages. The Prime Minister said on Sunday that he would not “pull the lever” of more immigration in the short-term to stop lorry driver shortages while ministers have ruled out extra visas for restaurants. [...]
Supermarkets bleed sales thanks to food shortages October 3, 2021 The country’s largest supermarkets have lost out on more than £2bn sales this year so far thanks to food shortages. Leading retailers – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons – lost out on sales during the first nine months of the year, according to data shared with trade magazine The Grocer. The sector has been hit [...]
Tesco gears up to announce interim results amid sector’s driver chaos October 3, 2021 Supermarket behemoth Tesco is expected to reveal a big share buyback programme this week, alongside setting out plans to overcome supply chain disruption. Tesco’s buyback scheme will run in parallel to its normal dividend, The Sunday Times reported, with no expected plans for a special dividend. The grocer will post its interim results on Wednesday, [...]
No more Botox and lip fillers for under 18s in England from today October 1, 2021 As a new law comes into force in England today, people under 18 years of age will no longer be able to get Botox and dermal lip fillers for cosmetic reasons. The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act, which was brought into force in England on Friday, means it will be illegal to administer [...]
Sainsbury’s looking to hire 22,000 people in supermarket’s biggest-ever recruitment drive October 1, 2021 Sainsbury’s is creating 22,000 seasonal jobs to help it meet higher demand around Christmas. The retail group, which also owns Argos, said it will be hiring store staff, delivery drivers and logistics workers as part of its “biggest ever recruitment drive”. Roles will be available across the UK from Friday, four weeks earlier than last [...]
Hospitality sector urges Chancellor to freeze VAT at current rate to aid recovery October 1, 2021 Hospitality bosses have called on the Treasury to introduce a permanent lower rate of VAT to aid pubs and restaurants’ Covid recovery. The tax on pubs and restaurants rose from 5 per cent to 12.5 per cent today, following the temporary reduction introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. The Treasury’s goal is to return the tax [...]
Natasha’s Law: Parents of teenager say allergen legislation is bittersweet moment October 1, 2021 Businesses will be subject to a new labelling law from today, in a move that will impact 2m people in the UK with food allergies. The law is known as Natasha’s Law, following the death of teenage girl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after eating a sandwich on a flight. The sandwich was not required to [...]
Sainsbury’s recruiting for 22,000 Christmas jobs October 1, 2021 Sainsbury’s is creating 22,000 Christmas jobs, with higher numbers of staff required than usual. This represents 10,000 more roles compared to on average over the past five years, the retailer confirmed. It is looking for store staff, delivery drivers and logistics workers as supermarket bosses have warned of a rocky Christmas amid a labour shortage. [...]
VAT rise likely to hurt hospitality recovery and may cause more permanent closures September 30, 2021 The upcoming 7.5 per cent VAT rise will slow down Covid recovery for the hospitality sector and may lead to a number of additional closures, a SME tax expert told City A.M. today. The Government’s scaling back of its Covid support measure is coming too soon for businesses with little or no cash reserves, according [...]