Pret a Manger to axe 2,800 jobs as sales fall to lowest level in a decade August 27, 2020 High street stalwart Pret a Manger said today that it would cut 2,800 jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen sales drop to levels last seen a decade ago. The announcement comes after Pret earlier this year revealed that it would not reopen 30 of its restaurants after the lockdown ended. [...]
Tiktok ‘nears deal’ for sale of US operations after chief exec quits August 27, 2020 Short-form video app Tiktok is nearing a deal for its US operations, CNBC reported today, ahead of a potential ban in the country. The reports come just hours after chief executive Kevin Mayer quit his role at the firm, citing political pressure from the White House. According to the report, Mayer was initially going to [...]
Switzerland and the Czech Republic added to UK quarantine list August 27, 2020 Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Jamaica have been added to the UK’s quarantine list from Saturday, transport secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed. From four o’clock on Saturday morning, all travellers returning to the UK from these countries will have to self-isolate for 14 days. In a tweet, Shapps said: “Data shows we need to remove [...]
UK records highest number of new coronavirus cases since June August 27, 2020 There were more than 1,500 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in the UK today, the highest daily figure in more than two months. According to new data from the Department of Health and Social Care, 1,522 more people were confirmed to have contracted the disease in the last 24 hours. The new figure represents a [...]
EU to pay Astrazeneca £300m for Oxford coronavirus vaccine August 27, 2020 The European Union will pay €336m (£300m) for 300m doses for a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and drugs giant Astrazeneca. In a statement, the EU said that as well as the initial doses, the deal would give it the chance to purchase an additional 100m doses, which would then [...]
European test flights for grounded Boeing 737 Max to begin next month August 27, 2020 European aviation regulators are set to start test flights for Boeing’s grounded 737 Max aircraft, with the trials due to begin next month. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) today announced that test flights would begin on 7 September, two months after similar trials in the US. The body said that clearance from the [...]
Ministers in talks over London to New York air bridge August 27, 2020 Plans are being made for an air bridge between London and New York so that passengers can travel to the US without needing to quarantine, it was reported today. Although the US remains on the UK’s travel “red list” due to high overall rates of coronavirus infection, ministers are in talks with American counterparts over [...]
British Gas pays out £1.7m after prepayment supplier error August 27, 2020 British Gas will pay out £1.7m after the energy supplier failed to inform hundreds of thousands of customers that it had changed prepayment supplier. On 1 January, the Centrica-owned firm changed top-up provider from Paypoint to Payzone, but failed to notify 270,000 customers. Ofgem, the energy regulator, said some British Gas customers had suffered as [...]
Service sector employment fell sharply in last quarter as UK entered recession August 27, 2020 Employment fell sharply across the UK services sector in the three months up to August as the coronavirus pandemic sent the country into the deepest recession on record. The service sector dominates the business landscape in this country, making up nearly 80 per cent of the economy. According to a survey conducted by the CBI, [...]
Car production slump continues despite signs of improvement August 27, 2020 The slump in UK car manufacturing continued in July, with just 85,000 vehicles rolling off production lines last month, over 20 per cent lower than a year ago. However, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the figure showed a “marked improvement” on previous months as factories continued to reopen after lockdown. With [...]
