Don’t worry, we’ll be back before you know it April 1, 2020 Since we made the decision to pause our print operation, the City A.M. team has worked incredibly hard to produce a digital edition. From the comfort of their own homes, designers, production managers, editors and reporters have risen to the challenge and put together an online newspaper which has been read by thousands of you [...]
Bank junction to be used as drone taxi landing zone April 1, 2020 The City of London Corporation is preparing to designate the newly pedestrianised Bank junction as a drone taxi landing zone, City A.M. can reveal. Taxi drones could be zipping through the skies of the capital as soon as the summer after ministers backed a plan to prioritise new regulations allowing passenger transit on autonomous flying [...]
Brands that put staff and customers first see popularity soar April 1, 2020 As Britain settles into its second week of lockdown, daily life has become almost unrecognisable. The retail industry has been hit hard as a direct result of enforced closures and decimated consumer demand, leading many businesses to issue profit warnings, withhold rent and lay off staff. However, there are brands who have reacted well to [...]
As governments respond, beware Covid-19 power grabs April 1, 2020 In the midst of the financial crisis of 2008, Rahm Emanuel, soon-to-be chief of staff for US President-Elect Barack Obama, famously announced that “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” Emanuel was [...]
Coronavirus: Regulators urge savers to avoid rash decisions on pensions April 1, 2020 Regulators today urged savers to not make any rash decisions in relation to their pensions during the coronavirus epidemic. The Pensions Regulator (TPR), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), said fears over the impact of the pandemic on markets and personal finances may make savers more vulnerable to scams [...]
Coronavirus: Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS suspend dividends March 31, 2020 Barclays, the Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group said tonight they are suspending dividend payments this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The banks said they had taken the decision after a request from the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). The PRA also said it expected the banks to suspend [...]
M&A crashes across the globe as coronavirus freezes economic activity March 31, 2020 Dealmaking has plunged across the world as the calamitous health and economic impact of coronavirus sends M&A into the deep freeze. Data from Refinitiv showed global M&A activity in the first quarter is down 28 per cent on the same quarter last year at $697bn (£560bn). By number of deals, worldwide M&A has fallen 14 [...]
Laura Ashley’s administrators make 268 staff redundant and furlough 1,700 March 31, 2020 The administrators of Laura Ashley said today they had made 268 staff redundant and placed 1,669 on furlough. The staff being made redundant are drawn from across head office and back office functions. The administrators said they were in continued discussions with interested parties over a sale of the business. Rob Lewis and Zelf Hussain [...]
Felipe Massa interview: Formula E star on life in Brazil under coronavirus lockdown and a disruptive season with Venturi Racing March 31, 2020 The health crisis currently gripping the globe has forced people from far and wide to put their life on pause — and for Felipe Massa it has been no different. Used to racing at speeds of more than 200kmph and jet-setting around the world to compete in Formula E, Massa’s life, too, has come to [...]
Coronavirus: Energy industry in talks with government for state support March 31, 2020 The UK energy industry is in talks with the government over a rolling aid package to help protect vulnerable households and businesses from the coronavirus pandemic. Industry body Energy UK said that it was leading talks with the government over the additional financial support the sector might require. The Financial Times reported that energy companies [...]