Six per cent of people in England may have already contracted coronavirus August 13, 2020 Over 3.4m people in the UK may have already contracted coronavirus, a new study from Imperial College has shown. In the world’s largest home antibody testing programme, over 100,000 volunteers tested themselves at home using a finger prick test between 20 June and 13 July to check if they have antibodies against the virus. The [...]
M&G tables £191m bid in UK Mortgages hostile takeover August 13, 2020 M&G today said it has tabled a bid of roughly £191m for UK Mortgages Limited, marking its final offer in a hostile takeover effort. The asset manager, which is acting on behalf of its M&G Specialty Finance Fund, said it has ramped up its offer by 3p to 70p per share — an increase of [...]
Gambling giant GVC sees profit sink as coronavirus shuts betting shops August 13, 2020 Gambling giant GVC saw profit fall 14 per cent in the first half of 2020 as coronavirus forced its betting shops to remain closed through much of April and May. The firm, which owns Coral and Ladbrokes, said that the reopening of its stores meant it was “well-placed” for the rest of the year. Shares [...]
Watches of Switzerland shares jump on strong post-lockdown recovery August 13, 2020 Shares in luxury retailer Watches of Switzerland jumped today after it said sales in June and July were up on the previous year following a steep plunge during the coronavirus lockdown. The high-end watch-seller said sales in June were positive and performance in July was up 7.4 per cent on the previous year. Its shares [...]
Topps Tiles share price jumps on 2020 profit forecast following robust summer sales August 13, 2020 Topps Tiles share price rose by more than 13 per cent this morning after a trading update revealed it is expecting to make a “modest” profit in 2020 after a strong start to its final quarter. The tile specialist has seen a surge in demand since stores reopened at the start of July and has [...]
Holiday firm Tui falls to €1.1bn loss as coronavirus halts travel August 13, 2020 Tour operator Tui this morning posted a €1.1bn (£1bn) loss in the third quarter as business came to a “standstill” due to the coronavirus pandemic. The near total shutdown of its operations took the world’s largest holiday firm’s loss to €2bn over the past nine months, it added. Shares in the Anglo-German firm fell nearly [...]
National Express falls to £30m loss as coronavirus decimates demand August 13, 2020 Coach operator National Express swung to a £30m loss in the first half of 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic sent passenger demand plummeting 80 per cent. Despite the drop in passenger numbers, the bus firm said it still managed to secure 50 per cent of revenue in the period, recording cash flow of £270m over [...]
Our university sector was broken long before Covid-19 August 13, 2020 UK higher education has reached a dead end. In the short term, the Covid-19 pandemic has created a huge hole in the current income of institutions, amounting to several billion pounds. In the longer term, Covid will probably result in a sustained decline in several sources of university income, above all fees from overseas students. [...]
We cannot let workers’ rights evaporate just because we’re working from home August 13, 2020 Are we working from home, or sleeping at the office? It’s a question that captures the love-hate relationship many workers (and, indeed, employers) have with remote working. This relationship has only become more strained as the pandemic has forced thousands of us to reconfigure our homes into makeshift offices with dining tables doubling up as [...]
