Marston’s swings back to profit as pub chain anticipates Christmas without Covid limits December 6, 2022 Marston’s has welcomed being in the black, after trade at its pub estate recovered from the side effects of Covid-19 lockdowns this year. In results for the year to 1 October, the community pub operator posted a total profit before tax of £163.4 m, versus a loss of £171.1m the year prior. The operator of around [...]
RMT announces three more days of rail strikes over Christmas December 5, 2022 The union RMT has announced three more days of strike over Christmas as it put Network Rail’s offer to its members with the recommendation to reject it. Workers are set to walk out from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on 27 December. This will be in addition to the planned industrial action on 13, [...]
London venues warn they will haemorrhage sales if rail strikes go ahead this Christmas December 5, 2022 London restaurants have warned they will haemorrhage sales should planned railway strikes go ahead this month, as union bosses rejected a new pay offer over the week. Searcys champagne bar and restaurant chain, which has venues at the Gherkin and St Pancras International station, said it was worried it would take a 30 per cent [...]
Foxconn faces revenue slump after iPhone factory fallout December 5, 2022 Revenues slumped for Foxconn as the iPhone manufacturing partner feels the sting on ongoing unrest over Covid restrictions and pay. The company reported NT$551bn (£14.7bn) in revenue last month, tumbling 29 per cent from October, and 11 per cent on the year before. November is usually a prosperous period for the firm, as it gears [...]
Searcys boss: London venues set for ‘real reality check’ in the new year with spending slowdown warnings December 5, 2022 London restaurants face a “real reality check” come January and February, as consumers will pull back from dining out after Christmas, the boss of champagne bar chain Searcys has warned. Diners will “want to batten down the hatches” next year after enjoying their first Christmas free of Covid measures in three years, with the cost [...]
London City Airport on track for year-end goal as passengers soar 187 per cent December 5, 2022 London City Airport remains on track to reach its year-end goal of 3 million passengers by the end of 2022, as November numbers soared 187 per cent. Figures published today reported that around 272,000 passengers passed through the airport’s gates in November after BA expanded its CityFlyer schedule to Scotland, with daily flights to Aberdeen. [...]
Britain’s charity sector is being buffeted by the winds of the recession December 5, 2022 The charity sector in the UK is massive. Not just the sheer number of charities, the amount they contribute to the economy or the number of people they employ (165,000, £20bn and 950,000 respectively), but most importantly, their impact. Most of you reading this, whether you know it or not, will have had your lives [...]
Christmas shopping: Sainsbury’s invests extra £50m into battling price inflation December 5, 2022 Sainsbury’s has announced it will pump an additional £50m into its cost of living value plan by March 2023. The supermarket said it has invested in a Christmas roast dinner at less than £4 a head, as part of a £15m investment plan to keep prices affordable on festive staples. Low prices and new special [...]
UK businesses fear supply chain chaos will ruin Christmas trading December 5, 2022 UK businesses are anxious that supply chain chaos and soaring costs that have punctuated this year will scupper the lucrative Christmas trading period, a new survey out late last night revealed. Nearly half of British firms are concerned about the rising cost of sourcing materials to produce products, making it the most common problem businesses [...]
Rail strikes: RMT rejects eight per cent pay rise offer December 4, 2022 Rail union the RMT has rejected an 8 per cent pay rise offered by rail operators, aimed at heading off strikes planned for next week. “We have rejected this offer as it does not meet any of our criteria for securing a settlement on long term job security, a decent pay rise and protecting working [...]