Superdrug launches UK coronavirus test to check for antibodies May 20, 2020 Superdrug has launched a UK coronavirus test to allow the general public to check whether they have already had Covid-19. The high street retailer will sell the coronavirus antibody test, which it said is accurate and reliable, through its Online Doctor service for £69 from today. The UK coronavirus test will not be on sale [...]
Bloomsbury print book sales drop during coronavirus lockdown May 20, 2020 Publishing group Bloomsbury warned this morning that print revenue has plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic as book shops around the world have closed during lockdowns. In Bloomsbury’s worst case scenario, print revenue, which comprised 79 per cent of total sales last year, could fall between 60 per cent to 65 per cent this year. In [...]
Pizza Express to reopen 13 London restaurants for delivery May 19, 2020 Casual dining chain Pizza Express will reopen 13 of its London sites for delivery from next week. The Italian restaurant chain is preparing to reopen sites across the capital including in Balham, Fulham and Notting Hill where it has typically seen high customer demand. Pizza Express will launch with a “slightly edited” menu and with [...]
Asda sales jump but grocer warns over consumer confidence slump May 19, 2020 Asda reported a jump in sales in the first quarter of the year, but warned that customers are increasingly concerned about the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The supermarket, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, said like-for-like sales excluding fuel were up 3.5 per cent due to a surge in stockpiling at [...]
UK lockdown: Pedestrian activity soars 25 per cent as Londoners get back to work May 19, 2020 Pedestrian activity in the capital soared 25 per cent yesterday as more Londoners got back to work following the government’s updated UK lockdown rules. Yesterday’s surge was the first big jump in weekday numbers since the government changed its message from “stay at home” to “stay alert” earlier this month. The lag in pedestrian activity [...]
Oh FCUK: French Connection scrambles to secure funding as cash reserves dwindle May 19, 2020 Embattled retailer French Connection warned this morning that it could run out of cash within months due to the coronavirus crisis if it fails to secure extra funds. French Connection, which abandoned hopes of a sale in January and instead announced a turnaround plan, said it is in talks with “a number of potential funding [...]
Topps Tiles swings to a loss and announces plan to reopen all stores next month May 19, 2020 Topps Tiles has outlined plans to reopen all of its stores by the end of next month, as the retailer announced it swung to a loss in the first half of the year. The tile retailer reported a loss before tax of £4m in the 26 weeks to 28 March, compared to a profit of [...]
N Brown shares soar as retailer secures £50m coronavirus loan May 19, 2020 Shares in N Brown soared more than 10 per cent this morning as the plus-size clothing retailer said it has secured £50m through the government’s Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS). The firm, which owns Simply Be and Jacamo, also said that trading had improved over the last six weeks since the “sudden and [...]
Catering giant Compass Group to raise £2bn to shore up finances during coronavirus crisis May 19, 2020 Catering giant Compass Group has launched a £2bn share offer this morning as it seeks to raise extra cash to strengthen its balance sheet during the coronavirus crisis. Compass, which is the world’s largest caterer, also scrapped its outlook for 2020, saying the coronavirus pandemic has had a “profound impact” on the company. Many of [...]
UK pubs call for social distancing to be reduced to one metre May 18, 2020 The UK pub industry has called on the government to allow venues to reopen with one metre social distancing measures in place, rather than the two metres currently required. The government said that some hospitality venues, including pubs, could reopen from 4 July at the earliest, with social distancing measures. The current government advice is [...]
