Apple’s retail network pays just £6.2m tax on £1.4bn UK sales July 9, 2020 Apple’s UK retail arm paid just £6.2m in tax last year, despite raking in sales of almost £1.4bn as demand for its products boomed. Accounts filed today for Apple Retail, which manages its UK store network, showed revenue jumped 15 per cent in the 12 months to September 2019, despite not opening any new stores. [...]
World’s best bars unite for fundraising auction July 9, 2020 A collection of the world’s best bars have clubbed together to deliver a fundraising auction which they hope will give the hospitality industry a much-needed boost. The auction, with prizes donated by members of the World’s 50 Best Bars list and a host of food and drink businesses, includes three nights bar-hopping with New York’s [...]
Housebuilders Persimmon and Vistry report growing customer demand post-lockdown July 9, 2020 UK housebuilders Persimmon and Vistry this morning reported a boost in customer demand since reopening sales offices after months at a standstill during the coronavirus lockdown. Persimmon said demand was “positive”, with reservations up 30 per cent year on year. The FTSE 100 firm’s share price jumped more than six per cent following the announcement. [...]
John Lewis closes eight stores putting 1,300 jobs at risk July 9, 2020 John Lewis has announced that it will not reopen eight stores after the UK coronavirus lockdown, putting around 1,300 jobs at risk. The company said this morning that the stores, which includes the department store at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre, had been struggling before the pandemic. John Lewis will also close its department store in [...]
Liz Truss says UK’s Brexit border plans at risk of WTO legal challenge and smuggling July 9, 2020 Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit border plans risk breaking international trading rules and could result in smuggling from the EU, according to international trade secretary Liz Truss. Truss wrote a letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove on Wednesday warning that the UK’s current plans put the country at risk of several political [...]
We can’t rebuild an economy on half-priced meals — we need a productivity revolution July 9, 2020 If Joe Wicks or Couch To 5K have helped you shed a few pounds during lockdown, chancellor Rishi Sunak may have just undone all your hard work, tipping the scale in favour of eating out a lot more in August. For every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme will entitle [...]
They’ve kept our shelves stocked, now it’s time to stand up for our seafarers July 9, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has been a desperately worrying time for many people all over the country, in virtually every sector. Thousands of lives have been lost and the global economy has been set back by many years. But there is another pandemic taking place behind the scenes — a hidden pandemic that may cause myriad [...]
Burger King boss warns over UK restaurant closures and job losses July 9, 2020 The chief executive of Burger King UK has warned that the fast food chain could close up to 10 per cent of its branches due to the coronavirus crisis, putting up to 1,600 jobs at risk. Burger King boss Alasdair Murdoch said that the burger chain could close between five to 10 per cent of [...]
Rishi Sunak says he will deal with debt levels once picture clears July 9, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he will seek to reduce the huge budget deficit amassed during the coronavirus pandemic once the trajectory of the economy is “clearer”. Sunak, who yesterday pledged another £30bn worth of stimulus to fight the downturn, said it was difficult to strike the right balance between protecting the economy and the [...]
Rolls-Royce shares fall as it burns through £3bn in first half July 9, 2020 Rolls-Royce reported cash outflows today of £3bn for the first half of its financial year, as income fell away amid the coronavirus crisis. The aerospace engineer, which makes engines for the Boeing 787 and Airbus 350 planes, forecast an improvement in the second half which would result in full-year outflows of £4bn. Shares fell more than [...]