Discounting pushes August retail sales to highest level since pandemic began September 4, 2020 Retail sales made a slight recovery last month to the highest level since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as brands slashed prices ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. In-store like-for-like sales were down 28.1 per cent in August, from a base of minus 0.1 in the same month last year, which was the best [...]
More retail job losses forecast unless office workers return, industry warns September 4, 2020 More store closures and retail job losses are expected unless office workers return and consumers are encouraged to visit city centres, a retail industry body warned this morning. Despite an uptick in footfall in the final week of the month due to back to school shopping and the final days of the Eat Out to [...]
The City View: Rachel Cunliffe on post-Covid politics September 4, 2020 Today Andy Silvester is joined by City A.M.’s very own Rachel Cunliffe as they take a whirlwind tour around post(ish)-Covid politics. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS They start in Scotland where the SNP are doing their best to move the conversation on from their handling of the pandemic to another independence debate, whereas in [...]
Former PM Tony Blair warns quarantine restrictions ‘killing’ international travel September 3, 2020 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned that quarantine restrictions are “killing” international travel, arguing that the policy wouldn’t be necessary with a better testing regime. Blair, who believes we could be living with coronavirus restrictions for a further two years, said he opposed the blanket quarantine measures currently in place. The former Labour Prime [...]
English coronavirus cases jump to highest level since end of May September 3, 2020 Coronavirus cases in England have jumped to the highest level since the end of May, increasing fears of a second wave. According to the latest government figures, 6,732 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in England between 20 August and 26 August. The jump is an increase of six per cent compared to the previous [...]
UK retailers ramp up online operations but warn of further store closures September 3, 2020 UK retailers are ramping up their e-commerce operations to meet the increasing demand for online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic, but warned of further physical store closures. The latest research showed that 15 per cent of UK retailers have created roles specifically to cater to the boom in digital sales and to boost online capacity, [...]
London retail closures drive UK vacancy rate to six-year high September 3, 2020 Retail store vacancies have risen to the highest level in more than six years due to a swathe of closures during the coronavirus pandemic, with London faring the worst out of all UK regions. The UK vacancy rate climbed to 10.8 per cent in July from 9.8 per cent in January, taking it to the [...]
The City View: Out of maternity leave and into a pandemic, with Snapchat VP Claire Valoti September 3, 2020 In this episode Christian talks to Claire Valoti, Vice President (International) of messaging giant Snapchat – a platform used by more than 80 per cent of the UK’s 13 – 24 year olds. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Claire came out of maternity leave at the end of March and straight into a global [...]
London theatres call for ticket discount scheme to revive West End September 2, 2020 London’s theatres have backed calls for the government to fund a discount scheme similar to the Eat Out to Help Out offer to encourage audiences to return to the West End. The Centre for London, a think tank focused on the capital, has urged the government to introduce culture vouchers to bring visitors back to [...]
Eat Out to Help Out: Diner numbers soar on bumper Bank Holiday Monday September 2, 2020 The number of consumers dining out soared on Bank Holiday Monday as Brits rushed to make the most of the last day of the Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme. Figures showed that the number of seated diners in the UK was up 216.3 per cent on 31 August compared to the same day [...]
