Amazon pushes back on return to office as Delta variant takes hold in US August 6, 2021 Amazon has postponed the return to the office for its employees until January 2022 amid concerns about continued surging coronavirus cases worldwide. The retail giant said on Thursday it would not expect its corporate employees – who had been due to return to their desks next month – to return to the office until 3 [...]
Summer shoppers hesitant to return to high streets as footfall down 34% on pre-pandemic levels August 6, 2021 High street footfall in July was down by one third on the same month in 2019, before the pandemic, showing businesses still have a long way to go in rebuilding lost trade. High street footfall declined by 34.6 per cent in July compared to 2019, 1.2 percentage points below last month’s rate, according to data [...]
Pingdemic plagues UK jobs market as wages rise at fastest pace in over two decades August 6, 2021 The UK jobs market continues to be plagued by severe worker shortages caused by the “pingdemic” and intense job insecurity, but wages are rises at fastest pace in over two decades, according to new figures published today. KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation research shows candidate volumes for unfilled jobs fell at the second [...]
Hikma Pharmaceutical revenue hits $1.2bn, buoyed by investments in new medicines August 6, 2021 Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ revenue has hit $1.2bn in the past six months, inching past last year’s figure. Revenue was up seven per cent in the six months to June from $1.1bn in the same period last year. The pharmaceutical firm also pulled in $326m in operating profit, some 10 per cent more than the first half [...]
The Office: Clean air becoming a key part of the return August 6, 2021 If London is to get back on its economic feet after the COVID-19 pandemic, it needs workers to come back to the office. Many people are saying that the future of work will be different, with employees requesting more of a balance between office and home working. Maybe so, but some employers will insist on [...]
Government enlists nightclubs to help boost vaccine take-up in young adults August 6, 2021 A series of nightclubs and leading figures in the nightlife industry have signed up to help the government increase the vaccine roll-out among young adults. Nightclubs like Ministry of Sound will display messaging encouraging people to get the Covid vaccine during events. Soho venue Heaven, which famously hosts the club night G-A-Y, will also act [...]
Treasury launches £750m insurance scheme to cover Covid-related live event cancellations August 5, 2021 Costs associated with the cancellation of festivals, conferences and other live events due to Covid-related restrictions will be covered almost entirely by the government under a new £750m scheme. The Treasury will team up with Llloyd’s of London to deliver the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, which will give companies the option of purchasing cover from [...]
Biden aims to make half of US car sale electric vehicles by 2030 August 5, 2021 Joe Biden will today sign an executive order aimed at making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles. The President is set to announce the new target at an event at the White House this evening, where he will be joined by car giants and union workers. Alongside the plan he will [...]
Robinhood shares drop as stock continues to seesaw August 5, 2021 Shares in trading platform Robinhood dropped sharply today, signalling that this week’s four-day stock rally might have reached its end. After a woeful initial public offering last week, which saw the firm’s market cap shed $3bn in just a few minutes of trading, investors had poured into the firm this week. Yesterday its share price [...]
Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona due to ‘financial obstacles’ August 5, 2021 Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona FC this summer after spending his whole career at the club due to “financial and structural obstacles”. In a statement this evening, the Catalan club confirmed that the Argentine striker, its all-time top scorer, would leave, despite recently agreeing a new contract. “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached [...]
