Unused office space ‘to cost London firms £13bn’, survey shows November 16, 2020 The shift to homeworking, accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, could cost London businesses almost £13bn in unused office space, according to the latest research. London office workers want to spend an average of 2.7 days per week back in the office once all coronavirus restrictions are lifted, as long as they have the resources to [...]
What Nutshell’s Mohammad Paknejad has learned from Covid October 31, 2020 Who are you and what do you do? I am Mohammad Paknejad, director of Nutshell, a modern Iranian Restaurant in Covent Garden. My wife, Marwa Alkhalaf and I have been operating the restaurant since we opened last July. How are things? The last six months have changed a lot at Nutshell. It’s our first restaurant, [...]
BoE’s Haldane: Working from home hurting work relationships October 26, 2020 Working from home is damaging people’s “social capital” and making them work longer hours, but more freedom and the end of the commute have increased the happiness of many employees, the Bank of England’s chief economist has suggested.
Mark’s Bar reopens in the basement of 1 Lombard Street October 22, 2020 Mark Hix made a surprise return to London this summer, joining Soren Jessen at 1 Lombard Street as the City institution’s new Director of Food and Drink. But that isn’t the only surprise Hix had up his sleeve. This month another of his ventures has reappeared: the speak-easy-style Mark’s Bar, which was once a staple [...]
Healthcare firm unveils £10 rapid Covid-19 test for back to work push October 22, 2020 A private healthcare firm has unveiled a new low-cost Covid-19 test that it says could help get Brits back to work safely, though scientists have warned more development is needed. The finger-prick test returns results in 10 minutes and is priced from just £10. As well as checking for a Covid-19 infection, it can detect [...]
Number of Tube journeys rises again ahead of Tier 2 restrictions October 21, 2020 The number of Tube journeys rose again last week despite the announcement of harsher restrictions on the capital, new data from Transport for London (TfL) has shown. Although London was moved into Tier 2 restrictions from midnight on Friday, there was no sign of a drop off in travel ahead of the new coronavirus limitations [...]
Back to Business: How a Dalston cafe-owner stayed afloat October 21, 2020 As coronavirus restrictions continue to squeeze the hospitality sector, we asked Dalston’s Snackbar owner Freddie Janssen how she stayed afloat and got back to business. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Freddie Janssen, owner of Snackbar in Dalston. It’s a bright and buzzy little neighbourhood cafe serving good coffee and quality comfort [...]
McLaren boss says operating costs now ‘break even’ following fundraising and redundancies, and downplays second wave fears October 19, 2020 McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt has described his “horrible” 2020 in an exclusive interview with City A.M., but says he is “cautiously optimistic” despite the second wave of coronavirus. Flewitt was forced to make 1,200 redundancies – almost a quarter of the company’s 4,000-strong workforce – and carry out a sale and lease-back of the McLaren [...]
McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt on a difficult year and an electrified future October 19, 2020 We have coffee with McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt, discussing the new 765LT, a "horrible" year and McLaren’s plugged-in hybrid future.
Back to Business: How East London baker Lily Vanilli changed direction to cope with covid October 16, 2020 Who are you and what do you do? I’m Lily Jones from Lily Vanilli, a baker and cake decorator based in East London. I have a weekend cafe on Columbia Road and make creative cakes and pastries to order for home delivery, weddings and events, as well as consulting for other brands and businesses. How [...]