Unilever reports return to sales growth as e-commerce business expands October 22, 2020 Unilever (ULVR) reported a return to sales growth in the third quarter as it expanded its e-commerce business amid continued demand for hygiene and in-home food products. The consumer goods behemoth said its online channels had continued to grow and its e-commerce business grew 76 per cent. Underlying sales grew by 3.9 per cent in [...]
Ready to order? Business lunches may be exempt from new Tier 2 restrictions October 21, 2020 City restaurants are preparing to allow business lunches to resume after legal advice suggested work meetings are allowed at hospitality venues under an exemption to Tier 2 restrictions. The rules, which came into effect last weekend, mean people cannot mix with another household in pubs or restaurants. The hospitality sector has already warned that a [...]
Bulmers owner C&C warns over impact of second wave on cider sales October 21, 2020 Bulmers and Magners owner C&C Group today warned that the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic could dent its recovery due to ongoing restrictions in the hospitality sector. For the six months ended 31 August, the company swung from a €64.4m operating profit to a loss of €11.7m, due to the closure of pubs and [...]
William Hill warns new lockdowns will hit profit October 21, 2020 Bookmaker William Hill (WMH) has warned that the UK’s new coronavirus restrictions could hit profits as it posted a nine per cent drop in third-quarter revenue. The bookie said it had an “encouraging” third quarter, with a “rapid recovery in UK retail” as footfall grew. But it cautioned that new restrictions would set it back. [...]
Royal Mail accelerates parcel business pivot with collection service launch October 21, 2020 Royal Mail has stepped up its fight back against online delivery giants as it launched a parcel pick-up service across the UK. The postal service is adapting its service to cater for the boom in online shopping, which has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the move means sellers and shoppers will “no longer need [...]
End the war on pubs — hospitality isn’t to blame for the Covid crisis October 21, 2020 2020 should have been a year of cheering on our teams in the European football finals and Olympics from pubs and bars across the land, bolstered by meals out in beer gardens throughout a typically blistering British summer. Instead, thanks to Covid-19, this year will be remembered for social distancing, job losses, and uncertainty. After [...]
Help retail workers weather the mental health storm October 21, 2020 You’re having “one of those days” — you know, the kind we all seem to be having with increasing regularity. But you’ve got to pop to the shops to pick up some essentials. Parking is a nightmare, and to cap it all, it’s raining. You’re anxious about all sorts of things and quite frankly, you’re [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for 10pm Covid curfew to be scrapped October 20, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called for England’s 10pm curfew to be scrapped in a bid to save London’s ailing hospitality industry. The mayor of London said the curfew made no sense now that household mixing was banned indoors as a part of the latest Tier 2 restrictions placed on the capital last week. “Immediately scrapping the [...]
Hospitality sector bangs pots and pans in Parliament Square to call for further government support October 19, 2020 Chefs, farmers, waitresses and caterers took their pots and pans to Parliament Square today to make their calls for further government support for the hospitality sector heard across Westminster. Hundreds of workers from the food and drink industry urged ministers to provide fresh funding to save wide-scale job losses and venue closures, as further restrictions [...]
A View to a Kill-ing: Sotheby’s set for historic James Bond auction October 19, 2020 Mayfair’s Bond Street will next month host an exhibition dedicated to its spy namesake as part of an online auction of memorabilia from nearly 70 years of the British franchise.