Waterstones to reopen stores in England from Monday June 11, 2020 Waterstones will start to reopen its stores in England from Monday, after closing for nearly three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bookseller has outlined a number of measures to ensure the safety of customers and employees alike. Waterstones said given the varying size of branches, it may limit the number of customers shopping [...]
Kurt Geiger to donate first month of post-lockdown store profit to NHS June 11, 2020 Kurt Geiger will donate all of its store profit from the first month of trading after the coronavirus lockdown eases to the NHS. The shoe seller plans to open 24 of its 57 outlets across the UK on Monday. This will start with smaller stores which cater to a higher proportion of click-and-collect sales, as [...]
Competition watchdog cranks up pressure on Viagogo’s $4bn takeover of Stubhub June 11, 2020 Britain’s competition watchdog has ramped up its probe into Viagogo’s proposed $4bn (£3.2bn) takeover of rival ticketing website Stubhub. The Competition and Markets Authority said it was concerned the deal would drive up prices and reduce choice for buyers. This is in part because of the two companies’ already dominant position in the ticket resale [...]
Marmite lovers outraged at widespread lack of supply June 11, 2020 Some people love it, others hate it. But one thing is for sure: there is not enough Marmite to go around. Unilever, which manufactures the product was forced to admit yesterday that, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the famous spread was in short supply. This is because of widespread shortages of brewers’ yeast, one of [...]
Just Eat shares pop on $7.3bn deal for Grubhub June 11, 2020 Shares in European fast food giant Just Eat Takeaway are rising as investors take stock of its latest move to buy US rival Grubhub for $7.3bn (£5.8bn). If completed, the all-stock deal would create the world’s largest food delivery provider outside of China. Just Eat’s share price rose 3.4 per cent before midday today, hitting [...]
The Body Shop accused of ‘bullying’ JK Rowling after wading into trans rights debate June 11, 2020 The Body Shop has sparked controversy after weighing into a debate around transphobia by encouraging author JK Rowling to read up on trans rights in the bath. The Harry Potter writer, 54, had become embroiled in a heated online debate about transgender issues after criticising an article titled: “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world [...]
Unilever to end Anglo-Dutch structure to prioritise London base after failed Amsterdam move June 11, 2020 Unilever today announced plans to end its joint Anglo-Dutch structure to unify under its UK listing, after failing to persuade British investors to approve a shift to its Amsterdam HQ in 2018. The consumer goods giant would swap Dutch shares for its London-listed Unilever PLC stock, with Unilever PLC becoming the single parent company it [...]
Ocado shares slide on plans to raise £1bn amid coronavirus online boom June 11, 2020 Ocado shares fell this morning after the announcement that it plans to raise £1bn to help it capitalise on the online grocery market boom triggered by the coronavirus crisis. The British online supermarket and technology group said yesterday that it would raise about £657m through an equity placing and retail offer, and about £350m through [...]
Which cafes and restaurants are reopening as the coronavirus lockdown lifts? June 10, 2020 After two months of coronavirus lockdown, Britain’s high streets are waking up again. From Pret to Pizza Express, cafes and restaurants across the country are working out how to restart their businesses. So what chains can customers expect to open up again on Monday, when so-called non-essential businesses are allowed to make their long-awaited return? [...]
Two metre social distancing rule ‘would leave many small businesses unable to make profit’ June 10, 2020 Many of the country’s small companies will not be viable unless two metre social distancing rules are relaxed, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has claimed. Ahead of non-essential shops reopening next week, FSB chairman Mike Cherry this afternoon added to pressure on the government to cut the nationwide two metre rule, which has already [...]