WH Smith revenue dives 85 per cent during coronavirus lockdown May 14, 2020 WH Smith reported an 85 per cent drop in revenue for last month after the coronavirus lockdown forced the retailer to close high street and transport hub stores. The newsagent chain said travel revenue plunged 91 per cent due to travel bans around the world, and high street revenue was down 74 per cent. WH [...]
Lloyd’s of London expects to pay up to $4.3bn in coronavirus insurance claims May 14, 2020 Insurance market Lloyd’s of London today said it expected to pay out $3bn-to-$4.3bn (£2.5bn-to-£3.5bn) in claims stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. This is on par with the September 11 attacks in 2001 and to the combined impacts of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017. Lloyd’s said the overall cost to the global insurance industry [...]
Forget FOMO: Businesses need to fight Brits’ FOGO May 14, 2020 “Remember pubs?” my friends and I joke over Zoom. We’ve all dreamt about ‘getting back to normal’ after COVID-19; bars, screen-free meetups, a cup of tea somewhere other than our living rooms. But as lockdown lifts, the reality of this freedom – this closeness to others – can feel frightening. The University of Cambridge actually [...]
Is learning the new battle armour in the fight for equality post-pandemic? May 14, 2020 In the current climate, it has become abundantly clear that there is a need to address the conversation around women and equality, at home and at work. As part of my day-to-day running of all-female members club AllBright, we’ve worked hard to create spaces – physical and digital – which help all women better connect [...]
The City View podcast: Money laundering and terrorism – compliance in the age of coronavirus May 14, 2020 Christian is joined by Charles Delingpole, founder and CEO of ComplyAdvantage, a compliance and risk management platform using AI and machine learning to keep companies on the right side of the law. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Sanctions, scams and criminal activities all pose huge risks for businesses but how has the pandemic affected [...]
Oil prices bounce back as demand drop forecasts trimmed May 14, 2020 Oil prices bounced back after yesterday’s losses after the International Energy Agency trimmed its forecast for the drop in oil demand over the full year. Having slipped earlier in the week, worldwide benchmark Brent crude picked up 2.8 per cent to cross the $30 threshold again. US standard West Texas Intermediate rose 3.1 per cent [...]
Uber installing in-car partitions to help stop coronavirus spread May 14, 2020 Uber said today it was piloting the installation of screens in 400 cars to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Uber is working with AA to install the partitions in 400 cars in Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham. It is also working with Unilever to distribute hygiene kits to Uber drivers in the UK. Uber said [...]
Commercial radio pulls in record audience ahead of Covid-19 lockdown May 14, 2020 UK commercial radio stations attracted their largest ever audience in the first three months of the year as Brits tuned in ahead of the full coronavirus lockdown. Roughly 36.3m people tuned in to commercial radio each week in the first quarter — the highest figure ever recorded. The sector’s average listening time was also up [...]
Uber to spend $50m on safety kit as it tells drivers and passengers to wear masks May 13, 2020 Uber has set aside $50m (£41m) to buy personal protective equipment for drivers as it introduces new rules requiring all users to wear face masks. Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi today told reporters that the ride-hailing app will roll out a string of new safety measures as it looks to address concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic. [...]
France to force tech giants to remove harmful content within the hour May 13, 2020 Social media companies will be forced to remove the most harmful content from their platforms within an hour or face hefty fines under new French laws passed today. Firms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter could be fined up to four per cent of their global revenue if they fail to comply with the new [...]
