Excl: London’s offices aren’t dead but will continue to feel Covid side effects ‘in immediate future’ November 21, 2022 Reports of the death of the London office have been greatly exaggerated – but policymakers must step up to ensure workers are encouraged to come to their desks. That’s the conclusion of a new report from Central London Forward, the partnership representing the city’s 12 central local authorities. Although the take-up rate of office space [...]
London’s last dance? Night czar Amy Lamé talks clubs facing lights out November 16, 2022 Night czar Amy Lamé talks to CityAM about London’s nightlife facing lights out, the capital as a 24 hour city and feeling like a pandemic scapegoat. “Gosh, how long have you got?” Lamé says with a laugh, when asked what the biggest challenge facing London’s night time economy is currently, in a bustling Soho coffee [...]
Demand for corporate Christmas parties through the roof as offices ‘make up’ for Covid November 16, 2022 Work Christmas do’s are back with a bang this year, as City bar and pub chains report strong bookings. Publicans are excited about the industry’s first full Christmas trading season in three years, void of Covid-9 restrictions. Although consumers are caught in the teeth of what’s set to be a protracted recession, Young’s boss, Simon [...]
Nightcap boss: ‘No place for mediocrity’ in economic tumult as cocktail brand’s sales surge November 13, 2022 Cocktail bar operator Nightcap is slowing down its expansion programme while its CEO told CityA.M. the sector faces “uncharted territory” this winter. While the London-listed business would not halt openings entirely, it would “be more cautious” with new sites, CEO Sarah Willingham said. In its annual report last week, the owner of The Adventure Bar [...]
Restaurants ‘entering winter in freefall’ as insolvencies leap by almost half November 8, 2022 There has been a tsunami of restaurants entering liquidation in the quarter to September, causing hospitality leaders to renew cries for government support this winter. According to recent numbers from the Insolvency Service, the number of food venues facing insolvency sky-rocketed 46 per cent in the most recent quarter. Some 158 businesses went into liquidation [...]
Bleak Friday? Retailers hit by spending slowdown as shoppers shun high street November 4, 2022 High street bosses are nervously awaiting Black Friday as retail sales volumes dropped dramatically last month. Sales volumes have dropped significantly, although this has been masked by historically high levels of inflation, data from accountancy firm BDO revealed today. In-store like-for-like sales saw the lowest growth since lockdown in February 2021, with growth of just [...]
Severe disruption on entire TfL tube network as flooding hits London November 3, 2022 Flooding in west London, after a night of heavy downpours, is causing severe delays on London’s tube system and has led to the closure of multiple roads, Transport for London (TfL) has warned. Signal failures, caused by flooding in Richmond and Acton Town, have created severe delays on the District, Piccadilly, and London Overground, TFL [...]
Working from home sees London karaoke bars enjoy rise in Sunday Fundays November 3, 2022 Londoners are staving off the Sunday Blues with karaoke nights – taking advantage of an extra lie-in on work-from-home Monday mornings. Charlie Elek, the managing director of Lucky Voice, a capital-focussed karaoke chain, told CityA.M. that a rise in hybrid working had “worked in our favour”. The number of punters through the door at his [...]
In the Square Mile, all the pieces matter to City of London prosperity October 27, 2022 “Earn the commute.” That was the phrase that a host of City hotshots used in a panel discussion earlier this week. It’s a helpful way of understanding the Square Mile’s rebound from the pandemic, and indeed, how it has changed. Today, the City will be at its busiest. Thursday is the new Friday, after all, [...]
Four Just Stop Oil activists arrested after smearing cake on Madame Tussauds model of King Charles III October 24, 2022 Four Just Stop Oil activists have been arrested for criminal damage after throwing cake at a Madame Tussauds’ model of King Charles. The campaigners were held by police after launching the stunt on Monday morning. The Metropolitan Police tweeted: We responded quickly to an incident at Madame Tussauds after two people threw food at a [...]