Greggs predicts profit to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels as restrictions lift May 10, 2021 Bakery chain Greggs this morning said profit for the year is expected to beat expectations and return to pre-pandemic levels, as long as no further Covid restrictions are implemented. The firm said sales had recovered well in recent weeks as the “stay at home” order was eased, buoyed by a lack of competition from cafes [...]
Service sector confidence surges as vaccine rollout continues May 10, 2021 Service sector confidence soared to its highest level in more than a year last month as the UK’s continued vaccine rollout and the easing of lockdown restrictions boosted optimism. Confidence among businesses in the service sector hit a 14-month high in April after rising 1.36 points to 99.86, according to BDO’s latest services optimism index. [...]
Wendy’s plots UK launch in 12,000-job burger boost May 9, 2021 American fast food chain Wendy’s is plotting a return to the UK in a move that will create more than 12,000 jobs. The burger chain is opening its first store in Reading next month and is eyeing as many as 400 sites. The company, which will compete with Burger King and McDonalds, pulled out of [...]
Gousto taps City bigwig Garrett-Cox as chair ahead of stock market float May 7, 2021 Recipe box firm Gousto has tapped one of Britain’s most prominent businesswomen as its next chair as it gears up for a potential stock market float. The meal kit company, which was founded in 2012, has agreed the appointment of Katherine Garrett-Cox to lead the company through a listing. The appointment is expected to be [...]
Asda trials delivering food orders while customers are out in bid to sustain online shopping momentum May 7, 2021 Asda is trialling delivering unattended food orders, allowing drivers to drop off customers’ shopping when no one is home. The trial allows shopping to be delivered within a four-hour window when the customer is out by dropping it into boxes fixed outside the shopper’s home. It comes as supermarkets aim to sustain the momentum in [...]
City restaurants lead remarkable recovery, says D&D boss May 7, 2021 After four long, miserable wintry months of confinement I guess we should have expected it. But the pandemic has turned us all into pessimists. After a year of lockdowns, reopenings, Covid restrictions and more lockdowns, I doubt that there were many hospitality industry CEOs predicting the joyful scenes of packed restaurant and pub terraces of [...]
Ex-John Lewis MD to lead Sainsbury’s £7.8bn clothing and homewares unit May 6, 2021 Former John Lewis managing director Paula Nickolds has joined Sainsbury’s to lead the supermarket’s general merchandise and clothing business. Nickolds left John Lewis in January last year, after 25 years with the firm, as the department store chain issued a profit warning. She had been set to become executive director of brand and marketing as [...]
AB Inbev boss Carlos Brito to step down after 15 years at the helm May 6, 2021 AB Inbev chief executive Carlos Brito is stepping down after 15 years in the top job, marking the end of an era for the brewing giant. Brito, who has worked at the company for 32 years, is credited with transforming the company from a regional Brazilian brewery into the world’s largest beer maker. He will [...]
‘Light at the end of the tunnel’ for Superdry after reporting return to growth May 6, 2021 Superdry sees “light at the end of the tunnel” after reporting a return to revenue growth in the fourth quarter, boosted by its ecommerce division. In a trading statement Superdry said it had been “substantially impacted” by the pandemic with group revenue for the full year down 21 per cent year-on-year to £556.6m. However the [...]
Shopper numbers surge as stores reopen but retail footfall lags behind pre-pandemic levels May 6, 2021 The number of shoppers visiting UK retail destinations surged last month as non-essential stores were able to reopen for the first time in months. However, despite the spike caused by the lifting of lockdown restrictions, retail footfall in April remained 32.7 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. It was an improvement from the [...]