Coronavirus: UK job vacancies contract for first time in more than a decade April 8, 2020 UK job vacancies contracted for the first time in more than a decade last month as the coronavirus outbreak caused demand for staff to plummet. A survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG said the vacancy measure dipped below 50 for the first time since September 2009, falling to 47.8 in March. The [...]
Coronavirus: Tesco could take £925m hit on extra staff and delivery costs April 8, 2020 Tesco warned it could take a hit of up to £925m due to the impact of hiring extra staff and ramping up distribution due to the coronavirus outbreak. The supermarket this morning said it expects retail costs to increase by between £650m and £925m, but said the sales boost caused by stockpiling and business rates [...]
Coronavirus: Tesco builds NHS staff shop at Nightingale hospital April 7, 2020 Tesco has secured a contract to provide a pop-up shop at a new Nightingale NHS hospital, which is being constructed to treat the surge in coronavirus patients. On Sunday the supermarket began work on the first pop-up store at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, which is being transformed into a coronavirus hospital. Tesco [...]
UK coronavirus lockdown: Property sales plunge 70 per cent April 7, 2020 Property sale agreements have plummeted since the UK coronavirus lockdown restrictions were introduced, according to the latest research. The number of agreed sales has plunged 70 per cent since the government measures, which urged people not to move house, were enforced on 23 March. Sellers have not pulled their properties off the market, but the [...]
Pub companies urged to help tenants amid coronavirus crisis April 7, 2020 Pub companies have been ordered to do more to support tenants during the coronavirus crisis, after it was revealed that most regulated firms have not offered to waive rents. The Pubs Code Adjudicator, which regulates companies that own 500 or more tenanted pubs in England and Wales, said five out of six firms had not [...]
London shopper numbers jumped 50 per cent last weekend despite UK coronavirus lockdown April 7, 2020 Retail footfall in the capital leapt on Sunday as the warm weather tempted Londoners to defy the UK coronavirus lockdown. Footfall soared 51.4 per cent on Sunday compared to the previous weekend, prompting concerns that sunny weather over the upcoming Easter weekend could encourage people to break lockdown rules. Across the UK footfall was up [...]
Cineworld shares soar as chain outlines coronavirus battle plan April 7, 2020 Shares in Cineworld have soared more than 40 per cent this morning after the cinema chain outlined its plans to survive the coronavirus outbreak. The group’s entire estate of 787 cinemas across 10 countries have been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This morning the company announced its executive directors have postponed salary payments to [...]
UK house prices face unpredictable blow from coronavirus after March rise April 7, 2020 UK house prices jumped in March, before the impact of the coronavirus lockdown was felt. House prices were up three per cent year on year. However, on a monthly basis, UK house prices were flat. The average UK house price was £240,384 last month, according to the latest Halifax research. However, the outbreak of coronavirus [...]
Coronavirus: WH Smith raises £165.9m through share placing April 7, 2020 WH Smith has raised around £165.9m through a share placing to shore up its balance sheet amid the coronavirus crisis. The retailer was forced to tap investors for a cash injection after the outbreak forced it to close its travel business and the majority of high street stores. WH Smith can now access a £120m [...]
Coronavirus: Asian stocks rise as outbreak eases in Europe April 7, 2020 Asian stocks rose for a second day on signs that the coronavirus outbreak may be starting to recede in Europe and plateau in New York. Japan’s Nikkei rose 2.3 per cent, and this week has undone most of last week’s losses after prime minister Shinzo Abe promised a massive $991bn economic stimulus package due to [...]
