Coronavirus: Police accused of ‘overzealous’ crackdown on Easter eggs March 30, 2020 Convenience stores selling Easter eggs have faced a crackdown from “overzealous” enforcement of the government’s coronavirus lockdown, according to the sector’s trade body. Newsagents and off-licences have been allowed to stay open during the lockdown as the government has deemed them to be essential retailers, along with supermarkets and pharmacies. Any shops deemed non-essential are [...]
Coronavirus: Retail landlord Hammerson suffers drop in rent payments March 30, 2020 Retail landlord Hammerson received 37 per cent of the rent it was owed in the second quarter as its tenants suffered a drop in sales and forced closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shopping centre owner this morning said adjusted for rent deferred, switched to monthly payment and waived, it had received 57 per [...]
Daily coronavirus cases fall 10 per cent March 30, 2020 Daily coronavirus cases have dropped for the first time in weeks, according to the latest figures. Stocks rallied as the number of daily coronavirus cases fell 10 per cent on Sunday compared to the previous day. However, the gains were not sustained and the FTSE 100 is down 0.87 per cent this morning. The drop [...]
Ted Baker appoints new chief executive amid coronavirus crisis March 30, 2020 Embattled fashion chain Ted Baker has appointed a new chief executive as the retailer battles the challenges caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. Acting chief executive Rachel Osborne will take on the role on a permanent basis, the company announced this morning. The former Debenhams finance chief took the reins in December when Lindsay Page [...]
Retailers urge government to release tax rebates amid coronavirus crisis March 30, 2020 UK retailers have urged the government to approve billions of pounds worth of tax rebates to help cash flow as businesses battle to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. The British Retail Consortium and rating advisory Altus Group have called on the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to settle outstanding business rates appeals ahead of the new [...]
Coronavirus: Thousands of UK pubs and restaurants at risk of collapse March 30, 2020 Thousands of UK pubs and restaurants could collapse due to coronavirus, as the latest research showed that insolvencies in the sector spiked before the outbreak. The number of restaurant and pub insolvencies jumped 10 per cent last year to 1,452 and 526 respectively, highlighting the weak state of the UK’s leisure sector before the pandemic. [...]
Coronavirus: Panic buying sparks surge in flexible storage demand March 30, 2020 Coronavirus panic buying has caused a 50 per cent jump in food production that has put pressure on UK supply chains, according to the latest research. Providers of flexible industrial space have reported an uptick in demand as supermarkets urgently attempt to cope with a surge in customer orders due to the pandemic. Grocers have [...]
Coronavirus: Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia pauses pension scheme payments March 29, 2020 Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia is planning to pause payments to its pensions scheme in a bid to save cash during the coronavirus crisis. Green’s retail empire, which includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, will defer its deficit recovery contributions, after all non-essential retailers were forced to close as part of a government lockdown to slow the [...]
Employer confidence plunges as coronavirus crisis escalates March 27, 2020 UK employer confidence in the economy plummeted as coronavirus spead across the country, driven by a dive in sentiment among small businesses, according to the latest research. Confidence dropped 22 percentage points between February and March from a net figure of minus one to minus 23, as smaller firms were hit hard by the economic [...]
Coronavirus: Consumer confidence plunges but avoids 2008 levels March 27, 2020 Consumer sentiment has plummeted due to coronavirus, although it has yet to fall to the levels reported during the 2008 financial crisis, according to the latest research. Sentiment dropped 29 points to minus 26 between December last year and this March, the sharpest quarterly fall in more than 10 years. However it is higher than [...]