Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Greggs join forces to lobby Sunak to slash business rates May 3, 2022 Supermarket giants have reiterated calls for a cut in business rates as firms endeavour to keep prices competitive for shoppers amid rising inflation. Big names including Morrisons and Co-op have come together under a new Cut the Shops Tax campaign, organised by the Retail Jobs Alliance. In a joint letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, bosses [...]
CMA to allow Morrisons owner to sell 87 petrol stations to complete £7bn deal May 3, 2022 The UK’s competition watchdog has said it is poised to give a green light to the owner of Morrisons over selling dozens of petrol stations. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been probing Clayton, Dubilier & Rice’s £7bn takeover of the supermarket and previously raised competition concerns. The New York private equity firm also [...]
Swingers’ CEO: Offices splash cash on crazy golf with pent up budgets May 3, 2022 Corporate bookings have returned with a bang as bosses are eager to spend two years’ worth of social budgets, the CEO of Swingers said. The crazy golf chain has seen business come “roaring back” since Covid restrictions eased, co-founder Matt Grech-Smith told CityA.M. Work bookings make up 45 per cent of Swinger’s trade, its chief [...]
West End woes: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella cancelled as cast learn of news ‘by press release’ May 2, 2022 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of Cinderella has been cancelled after less than a year, after the West End show faced a turbulent launch. Cinderella had faced a tumultuous run and is understood to have suffered heavy losses since its opening night last summer. Equity UK, the trade union for actors and singers, has written to [...]
EU: Apple charged by antitrust regulators over rivals’ access to payment technology May 2, 2022 Apple could be slapped with a hefty fine after EU antitrust regulators said the iPhone maker had abused its position by restricting rivals’ access to mobile wallet technology. Regulators sent a charge sheet known as a statement of objections to the tech giant yesterday, after Apple limited competitors’ access to its NFC chip technology. Apple [...]
Fast fashion slammed over cargo plane emissions May 2, 2022 Fast fashion critics have called for more industry regulation after Shein and other retailers have been using planes to deliver their products, often at great environmental cost. According to the data from the CarbonCare emission calculator, a cargo plane used by Shein carries 100 tonnes of cargo, producing around 443 tonnes of CO2 to go [...]
Retail union ups pay ask to £12 per hour as cost of living spikes May 2, 2022 Retail firms should pay a minimum wage of at least £12 per hour, as recent pay hikes offer little respite against soaring inflation, a trade union has urged. In recent weeks, several large employers have hiked wages for shop floor and warehouse staff. Supermarket giant Tesco will raise hourly wages by 5.8 per cent from [...]
Issa brothers mull petrol empire sale as Asda owners eye Boots bid May 2, 2022 The billionaire brothers behind the blockbuster Asda takeover are reportedly in talks to sell their petrol forecourt business for some £12.bn. Zuber and Mohsin Issa are thought to be considering a proposal for Boots, with the high street chemist’s US owners hoping for a £7bn price tag. A sale of EG Group would unlock billions [...]
City firms pledge to employ ex-offenders as prisons minister calls on bosses to ‘break offending cycle’ April 29, 2022 Business chiefs, including from telecoms giant TalkTalk and construction firm Murphy, have pledged to employ hundreds of ex-offenders. The prisons minister will today urge City bosses to put their weight behind a government scheme to help prisoners back into work upon release. “Getting prison leavers into steady jobs is a win-win. It cuts crime and [...]
How TikTok saved the bookstar: Will the UK stay in love with reading after lockdown? April 29, 2022 A decade ago, the narrative of bookselling was of the surging popularity of digital book sales, with physical editions left on the shelf. Figures from the Publishers’ Association in 2012 saw digital book sales shoot up 54 per cent while physical book sales dipped five per cent. Fast forward to 2021 and UK publishing sales [...]
