Peacocks offered lifeline with management buy-out proposal that could save 5,000 jobs December 4, 2020 Peacocks could be rescued from collapse after a consortium of managers this morning announced a buy-out proposal, in a move that could save almost 5,000 jobs and 500 stores. Peacocks collapsed into administration last month alongside fashion brand Jaeger, after owner Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group (EWM) failed to find a buyer for both businesses. But [...]
Supermarket heavyweights the Co-op and Waitrose face mounting pressure to return business rates relief December 4, 2020 High street titans the Co-op Group and Waitrose are facing mounting pressure to follow their peers and hand back millions of pounds of business rates relief dished out to keep the companies afloat during the pandemic. The Co-op is facing growing disquiet from members after refusing to emulate rivals Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, [...]
Pfizer vaccine ‘arrives in UK’ for distribution December 4, 2020 The Pfizer/Biontech coronavirus vaccine has arrived in the UK ready for distribution to the public, marking a major step in the global fight against the pandemic. Freight deliveries from Belgium have hit UK shores and will now transport the vaccine at -70C across the devolved nations. The UK on Wednesday became the first country in [...]
‘Zoom anxiety’ infects the nation during the pandemic December 3, 2020 Most of the population has experienced ‘Zoom anxiety’ since March, when working moved online and Zoom became a widely used tool to connect colleagues and friends. Home workers worried about everything from their looks and their Zoom background to having a technical problem and being unable to fix them. Following an 80% increase Google searches [...]
Hackers target vaccine supply chain in suspected state-led cyber attack December 3, 2020 The international Covid vaccine supply chain has been targeted by a suspected state-led cyber attack, according to IBM. An alert issued by the US government showed IBM tracked a campaign aimed at the delivery “cold chain” used to keep vaccines at the correct temperature during transit. Hackers targeted a range of organisations including within the [...]
Collapsed Debenhams claimed £40.5m of taxpayer cash via furlough scheme December 3, 2020 Collapsed Debenhams claimed £40.5m of taxpayer cash via furlough scheme
Positive coronavirus tests fall 28 per cent as England’s lockdown makes its mark December 3, 2020 Positive Covid cases dropped more than a quarter in England last week, according to the latest Test and Trace figures, as the country begins to feel the effects of the nationwide lockdown. Figures from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) found that just over 110,000 people in England tested positive for coronavirus in [...]
Dr Fauci joins EU leaders in slamming Britain for swift vaccine approval December 3, 2020 American chief medical adviser has joined the EU in slamming Britain’s swift approval of the Pfizer/Biontech coronavirus vaccine. “If you go quickly and you do it superficially, people are not going to want to get vaccinated,” America’s top immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci told Fox News. “We have the gold standard of a regulatory approach with [...]
Salaries to increase next year as companies move to lift pay freezes December 3, 2020 UK private sector workers are set to receive average pay rises of 2.4 per cent in 2021, according to data released by Willis Towers Watson this morning. The number of UK companies expecting to freeze pay is expected to fall sharply next year, in a further sign of cautious optimism for 2021. The more upbeat [...]
Sainsbury’s to forgo business rates relief December 3, 2020 Sainsbury’s has decided to forgo the business rates relief on its stores granted by the government since March. Lockdown restrictions have remained in place for longer than originally expected and throughout the pandemic all Sainsbury’s stores have been deemed essential retail. Almost all have been open and trading strongly, with the exception of a small [...]