Commercial rent collections buoyed by September’s short-lived return to offices October 26, 2020 Commercial rent collections started to recover in the third quarter due to the reopening of non-essential retail, offices and schools after lockdown. Real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield said today that it had collected 77 per cent of rents owed to its clients on the 21st day after the third quarter due date. The [...]
Deserted city centres slowing Britain’s job recovery, research finds October 26, 2020 Deserted high streets and city centres are hurting Britain’s jobs recovery, with urban areas including central London suffering the steepest declines in vacancies. The latest research showed that seven months on from the introduction of the nationwide lockdown, work opportunities have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels across major UK towns and cities. London has [...]
Clarks kicks off restructuring talks with landlords October 26, 2020 High street footwear retailer Clarks has begun negotiations with landlords over store closures and rental agreements as it prepares to launch a restructuring plan. Clarks and its advisors will meet with retail property owners this week to discuss a company voluntary arrangement, which would allow the retailer to move to a “turnover rent” model linked [...]
Marks & Spencer ramps up online capacity ahead of ‘most digital Christmas yet’ October 26, 2020 Marks & Spencer is ramping up its online delivery capacity in the run up to what it said will be “the most digital Christmas yet”. M&S, which said festive-related searches are up 80 per cent on last year, will add more than 500 Christmas temporary employees. The new seasonal workers will be employed in addition [...]
Customer generation platform MVF buys Appwiki amid online sales surge October 26, 2020 Digital customer generation platform MVF has bought Dutch software comparison site Appwiki amid a surge in the number of firms attempting to boost their online capabilities due to the coronavirus crisis. The acquisition, which will allow MVF to use Appwiki’s comparison technology, comes as demand for digital consumer generation has soared due to the acceleration [...]
Boots launches private Covid-19 testing service October 26, 2020 Boots has launched a private coronavirus testing service for people without symptoms to check their Covid-19 status before travelling or visiting friends and family. The new service, which will cost £120 per test, will launch in 10 stores across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow this week before rolling out to 50 Boots stores next [...]
Online retailer The Hut Group hikes full-year revenue guidance October 26, 2020 Online retailer The Hut Group (LON:THG) said revenue this year will be stronger than previously anticipated as it entered the crucial Christmas trading period, with Black Friday expected to boost sales. THG, which raised £1.88bn when it listed on the London Stock Exchange last month, this morning raised full-year 2020 revenue guidance to between £1.48bn [...]
Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson to restart US Covid-19 vaccine trials October 24, 2020 Regulators have given Astrazeneca the green light to resume its US trial of a Covid-19 vaccine, while Johnson & Johnson is preparing to restart next week. Astrazeneca paused its trial on 6 September after reports of a neurological illness, believed to be transverse myelitis, in a participant in the pharmaceutical giant’s UK trial. J&J halted [...]
Anti-lockdown protest: Thousands march in central London October 24, 2020 Thousands of protesters are marching in central London this afternoon over coronavirus lockdown restrictions. The anti-lockdown protest will be the fourth to take place in the capital since the start of the pandemic. London has recently moved into Tier 2 restrictions, which bans people from socialising indoors with people they do not live with. Photos [...]
Ant Group listing to be ‘world’s biggest’, Alibaba founder says October 24, 2020 The dual listing for Chinese fintech giant Ant Group will be the world’s biggest, Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba, said. “It’s the first time that the pricing of such a big listing – the largest in human history – has been determined outside New York City” he told the Bund Summit in the [...]
