Very.co.uk enjoys record-breaking Christmas period January 12, 2021 Very.co.uk increased sales by 25 per cent year-on-year in the seven weeks leading up to Christmas, recording its best ever figures over the holiday period. Home and electrical goods were the standout categories for the online retailer, up 46 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. Among the top selling items were bedding and soft [...]
Fine wine merchant Bordeaux Index tops $125m in sales January 12, 2021 Fine wine and spirits merchant Bordeaux Index has posted sales of more than $125m (£92m) in 2020 as a recovery in trade in Asia helped offset the impact of the pandemic. The London-based company, which is the largest seller of fine wine in Asia, said a resurgence in sales in the region in the second [...]
Ahead of COP26, what’s on industry leaders’ climate change wishlists this year? January 12, 2021 At the moment, it’s hard to think beyond the next six weeks, but 2021 is set to be a huge year for climate action around the world. Front and centre is November’s COP26 conference, which will see the world’s leaders descend on Glasgow for the latest round of the United Nations’ ongoing climate change negotiations. [...]
Covid rule-breakers ‘increasingly likely’ to be fined, says police chief January 12, 2021 Those caught breaking Covid rules are now “increasingly likely” to be fined by the police, London’s top officer has said. Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said: “Most people are doing the right thing to keep each other safe, but sadly a small minority of people continue to flagrantly ignore the rules, for example by holding [...]
Deliveroo to roll out to 100 new towns and cities in 2021 January 12, 2021 Deliveroo will expand its service to 100 new towns and cities across the UK in 2021, following increased demand for business in 2020. The towns and cities earmarked for expansion include Yeovil, Bangor (Northern Ireland), East Kilbride, King’s Lynn, Scarborough, Llanelli and Exmouth. The move will mean the takeaway delivery app is available to 4 [...]
Exclusive: TfL took legal advice on cancelling First Group tram contract after fatal Croydon crash January 12, 2021 Transport for London (TfL) was considering cancelling Tram Operations Limited’s (TOL) contract to run the Croydon tram network in the aftermath of 2016’s fatal crash, but concluded it would be too difficult to do so. City A.M. has obtained TfL documents from 2017 showing that the transport operator received legal advice on whether it could [...]
Government’s communications failures can be remedied – if they’re fixed soon January 12, 2021 The Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement last week has left a collective sense of déjà vu and a frustration at seemingly being back to square one ten months into the pandemic. Whilst we are facing an evolved virus, a key component to our fight against the virus has not changed: human behaviour. Rallying behind an approach [...]
Retail sales suffer worst year on record as lockdowns bite January 12, 2021 UK retail sales suffered their worst year on record in 2020 as Covid-19 lockdown measures decimated customer numbers. In-store sales of non-food items — which includes all non-essential retailers — dropped by almost a quarter last year compared to 2019. For 2020 overall, total sales declined 0.3 per cent on the previous year, marking the [...]
Sainsbury’s to enforce masks and shopping alone in Covid crackdown January 11, 2021 Sainsbury’s has become the second British supermarket to ban customers who refuse to wear a face mask amid a crackdown on Covid rulebreakers. The chain said shoppers will be prevented from entering without a face mask, while shopping in groups will also be banned. Sainsbury’s will put trained security guards at the front of stores [...]
United Arab Emirates removed from travel corridor list January 11, 2021 The United Arab Emirates has been removed from the UK’s travel corridor list following an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country. From 4am tomorrow, travellers returning to the UK from the UAE — including Dubai and Abu Dhabi — will need to self-isolate for 10 days. The Department of Transport said [...]