Third of UK restaurant and bar bosses expect to permanently close sites due to coronavirus May 6, 2020 Hundreds of UK restaurants, pubs and bars are expected to permanently close due to the coronavirus crisis, according to the latest survey of industry leaders. A third of hospitality executives said they will close some sites due to the pandemic, with just 36 per cent saying they will eventually reopen all of their sites for [...]
McColl’s finance chief departs for Holland & Barrett May 6, 2020 The chief financial officer of McColl’s Retail Group will step down to join health food retailer Holland & Barrett, the convenience store chain announced this morning. McColl’s said Robbie Bell had resigned to take up the finance chief role at Holland & Barrett. The company has launched a search for a successor, saying Bell will [...]
‘A matter for police’: Hancock ‘speechless’ over Professor Neil Ferguson’s lockdown breach May 6, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has said it is a “matter for the police” over whether they take action over Professor Neil Ferguson’s breach of coronavirus lockdown rules. Hancock said Ferguson made the right decision in resigning last night, after it was revealed that the Imperial College epidemiologist and government advisor had broken lockdown restrictions. The [...]
Card Factory opens new distribution centre to cope with surge in online demand May 6, 2020 Card Factory has opened a new distribution centre to keep up with a surge in online orders during the coronavirus lockdown while maintaining safety measures for warehouse staff. The retailer said the Card Factory website saw sales soar 267.5 per cent during lockdown, while its Getting Personal brand reported a 57.5 per cent jump in [...]
Hammerson’s £400m retail parks sale collapses as private equity firm backs out amid coronavirus May 6, 2020 Retail landlord Hammerson announced this morning that private equity firm Orion has pulled out of a deal to buy seven shopping parks for £400m. Hammerson said it had access to a £21m deposit that had been held in escrow by its solicitors after Orion European Real Estate Fund V held firm in its decision not [...]
Coronavirus: Grosvenor Group ‘very cautious’ on new property deals May 5, 2020 Property group Grosvenor today said it was “very cautious” on new commitments due to the “severe” economic shock caused by the coronavirus crisis. Despite the cautious outlook the company, which is owned by the Duke of Westminster, said it was positive about its planned projects, including a 1,500 home development in Bermondsey and a joint [...]
Ocado investor Royal London to oppose executive pay report May 5, 2020 Ocado investor Royal London is preparing to vote against the online supermarket’s executive pay report at its annual meeting tomorrow, branding boss Tim Steiner’s £58.7m payout “excessive”. Steiner’s remuneration package included a £54.1m Growth Incentive Plan award, linked to the company’s share price growth between 2014 and 2019. The scheme paid out £87.5m to Ocado [...]
Recipe box firm Hello Fresh hikes full-year guidance amid coronavirus lockdown boom May 5, 2020 Recipe box firm Hello Fresh has hiked its full-year guidance following a surge in demand in the first quarter of the year as customers ordered deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic. Expected group revenue growth is expected to be between 40 per cent to 55 per cent, from a previous estimate of 22 per cent to [...]
McDonald’s to reopen 15 UK restaurants amid lockdown – with one big difference May 5, 2020 McDonalds has announced which 15 restaurants it plans to open for delivery this month, including four branches in London. The fast food giant announced this morning that it will reopen its Tooting, Dalston, Harrow and Welling restaurants on 13 May. However, in order to comply with social distancing measures, McDonald’s will offer a limited menu [...]
Coronavirus: Global trust in government surges to record high May 5, 2020 Trust in governments around the world has soared to an all-time high since January as countries continued to battle the coronavirus crisis, according to the latest research. Government trust surged 11 points to a record high of 65 per cent, as populations looked to government to take the lead on all aspects of the coronavirus [...]
