Wetherspoon to cut jobs after plunging to annual loss October 16, 2020 J D Wetherspoon (JDW) said this morning it has started a consultation process to reduce positions at its airport pubs and that it would cut 108 jobs at its head office after the pub operator plunged to an annual loss. Wetherspoon, which employed around 43,000 people at the end of its last financial year, posted [...]
Nestle sets $5bn water brand sale in motion October 16, 2020 Food and drink giant Nestle is set to sell its North American water brands – which could go for around $5bn (£3.9bn) – as it moves away from lower-growth businesses. Private equity funds including Apollo are expected to show an interest, according to Reuters, which cited numerous sources. Wall Street titan Morgan Stanley is running [...]
Covid is an opportunity to scrap business rates altogether October 16, 2020 No business can rightly complain about paying a reasonable amount of tax on profits it earns. Taxes on turnover, such as VAT and stamp duty, are less justifiable, as they are a tax on transactions. In these straitened times such taxes should be cut. But by far the worst kind of tax is property tax, [...]
London lockdown: Will the City’s small businesses survive new restrictions? October 15, 2020 Small firms in the City of London have spent the summer in lockdown trying to survive and adapt to the government’s coronavirus regulations. Pubs, shoe repair shops, barbers, dry cleaners and cafes have battled to survive the initial forced closure during lockdown, followed by a sharp decline in City footfall as most office workers remained [...]
Dame Sharon White: It is too early to predict the end of the high street October 15, 2020 Dame Sharon White has said it is too early to sound the death knell of the British high street even as she outlined further plans for the John Lewis partnership to move online. Speaking to the Times CEO summit, White said the “death knell for the High Street is rather premature”, just months after cutting [...]
Boots sales drop 30 per cent as shoppers dodge high street October 15, 2020 British chemist Boots suffered a near 30 per cent drop in sales in the fourth quarter of the year as consumers stayed away from the high street despite the coronavirus pandemic easing slightly. Sales dropped 29.2 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier. However, the figures were an improvement on the previous [...]
Dunelm to repay furlough cash after sharp rise in sales October 15, 2020 Dunelm has announced it will repay furlough money to the government following a sharp rise in sales as consumers have increased spending on homewares during lockdown. The company said total sales jumped 36.7 per cent to £359.1m in the 13 weeks to 26 September as it continued to gain market share in the “buoyant” homewares [...]
London lockdown: Tier 2 restrictions the ‘death knell’ for hospitality sector October 15, 2020 The government’s announcement that London will be placed under a Tier 2 lockdown this week is the “death knell” for the capital’s struggling hospitality sector, industry bodies have warned. Care minister Helen Whately told London MPs this morning that the city will move from Tier 1 to Tier 2 on Friday night. The new restrictions [...]
Franco Manca owner Fulham Shore spots expansion opportunities in coronavirus chaos October 15, 2020 Fulham Shore, the owner of restaurant chains Franco Manca and The Real Greek, is eyeing expansion due to the low rents and empty venues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The firm said this morning that “the future looks promising” as more sites become available and with rents “likely to be falling for the next few [...]
Ocado’s depot plans halted by North London residents October 15, 2020 Ocado has lost the right to build a new delivery hub in north London after campaigners successfully lobbied the council to halt plans. Islington Council has withdrawn the site’s certificate of lawfulness to open the distribution centre next to Yerbury school, accusing Ocado’s landlords, Telereal, of providing “false and misleading evidence” and “withholding material information” [...]