AO World shares jump as pandemic drives online sales surge October 15, 2020 Shares in AO World jumped this morning after the electronics retailer said sales had jumped by more than a half over the last six months. The white goods group said it expected revenue to hit £715m in the half-year to the end of September, up 57 per cent on the same period last year. Sales [...]
Ryanair makes further winter capacity cuts as it shuts three bases October 15, 2020 Ryanair (RYA) has cut its winter capacity from 60 per cent to 40 per cent of last year’s levels as it contends with further flight restrictions across Europe. The budget airline said air travel to and from much of central Europe, the UK, Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Portugal had been “heavily curtailed” due to the [...]
Heineken fined for forcing pubs to stock ‘unreasonable’ amounts of beer October 15, 2020 Heineken’s pubs division has been slapped with a £2m fine for forcing its tenants to stock “unreasonable levels” of its own beers and ciders. The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) ruled that Star Pubs & Bars, which operates the pub estate business of Heineken in the UK, had “seriously and repeatedly” breached the pubs code over [...]
Gambling firms unveil new online games rules as reforms loom October 14, 2020 British gambling firms today unveiled a new code of conduct for the design of online games as they look to tackle problem gambling in the face of looming industry reforms. New measures include slowing down spin speeds on slot machines, banning several controversial game features and improving access to safer gambling information. The Betting and [...]
English football clubs ‘will not be allowed to go bust’ due to Covid-19 October 14, 2020 Clubs in the English Football League (EFL) will not be allowed to go bust as a result of the coronavirus crisis, a senior government minister has said. Oliver Dowden, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said he had received assurances from both the EFL and the Premier League that they had the [...]
Nightclub owner Deltic seeks buyer as Covid-19 dances up a storm October 14, 2020 The UK’s largest nightclub operator has kicked off an urgent hunt for fresh funding as it faces potential collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic. Deltic Group, which owns brands including Pryzm and Atik, has hired accountancy firm BDO to explore options for the company, including finding new investors. Founded in 2011, Deltic employs 2,000 people [...]
Learning the hard way: Why do things keep going wrong for Pearson? October 14, 2020 John Fallon, longstanding chief executive of Pearson, will step down next week after nearly eight years at the helm. The education boss today signed off with a mixed set of results for the first nine months of the year, as a surge in demand for online learning helped to offset sliding sales. The figures summed [...]
Amazon to escape UK tech tax as global crackdown falters October 14, 2020 Amazon is facing fresh scrutiny over its tax liabilities after it emerged the tech giant will not be affected by the government’s landmark digital services tax. In April ministers unveiled the new tax — which charges a two per cent levy on the revenue of internet companies — saying it would ensure companies contribute their [...]
Swipe card: Social media accounts for quarter of all online purchases October 14, 2020 Almost a quarter of all online purchases are now made through social media, new data has revealed, as more and more people use their favourite messaging platforms for shopping. Research by Visa showed almost a fifth of Brits use social apps to shop, while one in 10 has made a purchase this way since the [...]
UK tech visa applications hit record high despite Covid-19 October 13, 2020 The number of applications for the UK’s Tech Nation visa rose to its highest level on record last month as the thriving sector shrugged off the impact of coronavirus. Applications for the visa, which grants employees and founders in the tech sector the right to work in the UK for up to five years, hit [...]