Bouncers to enforce mask-wearing in nightclubs under sector’s reopening proposals August 24, 2020 Bouncers could patrol nightclub dance floors to ensure punters are wearing masks under new proposals drawn up by the industry as it desperately seeks to reopen. The sector has called on the government to provide a date for reopening to prevent the permanent closure of venues and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group buys DW Sports out of administration for £37m August 24, 2020 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, formally known as Sports Direct, has bought the assets of DW Sports for £37m after the gym chain collapsed into administration earlier this month. Frasers said this morning that it had acquired “certain of the assets relating to DW’s gym and fitness business, including certain stock”. The deal excludes the DW [...]
Retailer AO to create 650 new jobs due to ‘sustained’ surge in online shopping August 21, 2020 Online electricals store AO will create 650 new UK jobs as it ramps up growth plans following a sustained surge in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. The firm said it is preparing for “significant growth” after it saw an influx of customers shopping online during the Covid-19 crisis. The new roles will bolster AO’s [...]
Ovo pays out £1.2m over SSE’s missed smart meter targets August 21, 2020 Ovo Energy has paid £1.2m to the industry regulator after SSE Energy Services, which it acquired in January, missed smart meter installation targets. Energy suppliers are required to meet annual targets to install gas and electricity smart meters, as the government aims to roll out the technology to all homes and small businesses by the [...]
JP Morgan prepares to launch UK digital bank next year August 21, 2020 JP Morgan Chase is reportedly preparing to launch an online bank in the UK early next year. The investment bank is finalising plans to open its UK challenger bank in the first quarter of 2021, according to Sky News. It has signed up suppliers to provide cloud and digital banking infrastructure, including Amazon Web Services [...]
Talktalk worst performing broadband provider for customer satisfaction August 21, 2020 Talktalk was the worst performing broadband provider for customer satisfaction last year, according to the latest research by the UK telecoms watchdog. A survey by regulator Ofcom found that overall satisfaction levels among Talktalk customers were lower than average, with an approval rating of 78 per cent. Customers were also less satisfied than average with [...]
Number of UK workers on furlough falls to 6.8m August 21, 2020 The number of UK employees on furlough fell from highs of almost 10m to 6.8m at the end of June as the coronavirus lockdown eased and staff returned to work. The latest government statistics showed that the number of people being paid through the coronavirus job retention scheme dropped sharply in June as some businesses, [...]
The City View: Rachel Cunliffe on the government’s competence problem August 21, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by City A.M.‘s comment editor, Rachel Cunliffe, who expands on her forthright column from earlier in the week, criticising the education secretary Gavin Williamson. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Rachel talks about the failure of leadership and accountability surrounding the A-level marking fiasco, [...]
Consumer confidence low ahead of ‘inevitable’ post-furlough job losses August 21, 2020 Consumer confidence remained low throughout August ahead of “inevitable” redundancies when the government winds down the coronavirus job retention scheme. According to the latest research, consumer confidence was minus 27 this month, flat compared to July’s reading. However, the coronavirus pandemic has seen optimism plummet since August 2019, when consumer confidence stood at minus 14. [...]
Portugal added to UK’s Covid-19 safe travel list August 20, 2020 Britons on holiday in Portugal will no longer need to quarantine when they return after the country was added to the UK’s safe travel list. The rule change, which comes into force at 4am on Saturday, means UK tourists do not have to self-isolate for two weeks after returning from Portugal. Travellers that return from [...]
