CBI: UK economy to grow 8.2 per cent this year in return to pre-Covid level June 18, 2021 Britain’s economy will bounce back to its pre-Covid level by the end of the year, despite a delay to the end of lockdown restrictions, economists said today. The CBI has upgraded its latest forecast for the UK economy, predicting GDP growth of 8.2 per cent this year, up from a previous forecast of 6 per cent. [...]
UK remains an attractive M&A destination, climbing slightly despite Brexit June 17, 2021 Britain has remained an attractive destination for inbound investment despite leaving the European Union, according to the latest global rankings for M&A attractiveness. The UK climbed two places to the fifth most attractive place in the world for M&A activity in 2020, in the latest global Mergers and Acquisitions Attractiveness Index Score (MAAIS) by City [...]
Test and Trace: UK regulator extends approval for Innova Covid test, despite US recall June 17, 2021 Britain’s medicines regulator has extended the emergency use approval for Innova’s rapid Covid tests, used for NHS Test & Trace, after the US said they “should be thrown in the bin”. The MHRA approved the lateral flow tests for continued use, after carrying out its own checks over the last week. Innova is the UK’s [...]
CureVac shares plunge after Covid vaccine falls short in clinical trial June 17, 2021 The German biotech lost more than half its value after a preliminary analysis of late-stage trials found its Covid-19 vaccine was only 47 per cent effective. CureVac’s disappointing mRNA vaccine trial results call into question its future contribution to the global vaccination effort. The interim analysis of the jab’s trials found that it was one [...]
Covid-19 cases surge in England, driven by unvaccinated young June 17, 2021 The coronavirus pandemic grew “exponentially” at the beginning of the month, driven by younger age groups who had not yet received the vaccine, according to a study published today. Researchers for the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) study looked at data from the period 20 May to 7 June, which showed the prevalence of [...]
Storage firm Safestore posts jump in profit, driven by UK June 17, 2021 Safestore, the self-storage firm, this morning reported strong growth in profit for the first half of the year, and forecasts full-year earnings at the top end of the guidance range. Group revenue was up 11.1 per cent and like-for-like sales were up 8.3 per cent, with a 13.9 per cent surge in UK sales. [...]
Halfords reports boom in cycling sales during lockdown, but faces ‘acute’ supply shortages June 17, 2021 Halfords reported a continued surge in pandemic-inspired cycling sales but warned that supply shortages were a risk to its growth projections, in its annual results this morning. The retailer, which was classed as an essential retailer and was allowed to remain open during the lockdown, reported annual profits grew by 72 per cent, rising from [...]
‘Confident’ in vaccine supplies: Health department denies reports of Pfizer shortage June 16, 2021 The Department of Health has denied reports of supply shortages of the Pfizer vaccine as the Covid jab rollout extends to over-21s, after the government delayed “Freedom Day” by four weeks to vaccinate more people. “We are confident in our vaccine supplies as we rollout to younger age groups,” a spokesperson for the Department of [...]
UK steers clear of cash during pandemic, choosing Covid-friendly contactless June 16, 2021 The pandemic has accelerated the decline of cash, as new analysis reveals that the number of UK consumers paying with cash plummeted 35 per cent in 2020. Amid coronavirus restrictions to reduce contact between people, the number of UK payments made using cash plummeted by 35 per cent in 2020 compared with the previous year, [...]
Covid jab rollout slows due to Pfizer shortage, as reopening delayed to vaccinate more people June 16, 2021 Supply shortages of the Pfizer vaccine have forced the NHS to slow down its Covid jab rollout, despite the government delaying “Freedom Day” by four weeks in order to accelerate the vaccination programme. Just 1.2 million first doses were dispensed in the last week, compared with more than three million a week in March. The [...]