Rishi Sunak confirms end of England Covid lockdown on 2 December November 22, 2020 Rishi Sunak has confirmed England’s national Covid lockdown will end on 2 December and that the country will instead move into regionalised restrictions. The chancellor said this morning that Boris Johnson will make an announcement tomorrow setting out the details of the post-lockdown Covid plan. A statement from Downing Street this morning said that the [...]
Landlords approve Clarks CVA clearing path for £100m private equity deal November 20, 2020 Clarks creditors have approved the footwear retailer’s restructuring plan, clearing the path for a £100m private equity deal that will take the 195-year-old firm out of family ownership for the first time. Clarks announced this afternoon that its Company Voluntary Arrangement proposal, which was launched earlier this month, has been approved by more than 90 [...]
UK retail sales outperform expectations ahead of second lockdown November 20, 2020 UK retail sales rose for the sixth consecutive month, smashing analysts’ expectations as Britons stocked up on goods ahead of new restrictions. In October UK retail sales volumes grew 1.2 per cent, well ahead of the 0.0 per cent expected, said the Office for National Statistics. Volumes are now 6.7 per cent higher than in [...]
From hero to zero: How supermarkets became the villains of the pandemic November 20, 2020 The recent news from Public Health England (PHE) that supermarkets are the most frequent common exposure setting for those catching Covid-19 in England is both shocking and devastating. But should we really be too surprised? PHE used data collated from the NHS test and trace app during the lockdown in November when supermarkets, as in [...]
Aldi extends Deliveroo service across London November 20, 2020 Aldi has extended its trial with Deliveroo to 130 stores across the UK, including 16 London branches. The budget supermarket announced this morning that Londoners will be able to order groceries through the Deliveroo app, to be received in as little as 20 minutes. Orders within 6km of participating stores, which include Tooting, Camden and [...]
Black Friday: Click and collect to boost retail park footfall as high streets suffer November 20, 2020 Retail footfall on Black Friday is forecast to plummet due to the closure of non-essential stores, but online stores, retail parks and shopping centres will benefit from click and collect services, according to the latest research. England is set to be the hardest hit, with footfall expected to plunge 61.7 per cent on Black Friday [...]
Israel and Sri Lanka added to quarantine free travel corridors list November 19, 2020 Israel and Sri Lanka are among nine countries to have been added to the UK’s travel corridor list, meaning that people can travel to them without quarantining on return. The other countries added to the list are Namibia, Rwanda, Uruguay, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands. It [...]
Jaeger and Peacocks collapse into administration, putting 4,700 jobs at risk November 19, 2020 Fashion chains Jaeger and Peacocks have collapsed into administration, putting 4,700 jobs and almost 500 shops at risk. The latest blow to the UK high street comes just weeks after the owner of both retailers began insolvency proceedings for sister brand Edinburgh Woollen Mill. Administrators have been unable to find a buyer for Jaeger or [...]
Nightclub owner Deltic asks for rent holiday as it warns of closure November 19, 2020 The UK’s largest nightclub operator has asked for a break from rent payments as it warned of imminent collapse unless a sale can be agreed. Deltic Group, which owns brands including Oceana and Przym, has put itself up for sale after months of closure during the pandemic threatened to force the company into liquidation. But [...]
Toy stores demand to reopen or risk ‘allowing Covid to steal Christmas’ November 19, 2020 Toy stores have urged the Prime Minister to allow their shops to open as essential businesses during lockdown, or risk allowing “Covid to steal Christmas”. In a letter to Boris Johnson, toy industry chiefs warned that without bricks and mortar trade during November and December many stores will be forced to close permenantly. British Toy [...]