Loungers beats pre-pandemic sales as customers flock back and expansion picks up pace December 1, 2021 Bar and restaurant group Loungers has beaten pre-pandemic sales as customers flocked back to its sites following the lifting of Covid restrictions earlier this year, the company has revealed. Revenues hit £102m in the six months to October 3 with a pre-tax profit of £12.8m as bosses opened 12 new sites and aims to open [...]
Pandemic exodus: More than 40,000 staff quit social care sector in last six months alone December 1, 2021 Analysis of Government figures shows this morning that more than 40,000 social care staff have left the sector over the last six months, amid what a think tank is calling a “toxic mix of workforce challenges”. The Nuffield Trust said there is a “deepening crisis” in social care staffing ahead of a very challenging winter. [...]
‘Don’t cancel Christmas’: Boris Johnson increasingly under fire as Omicron Covid variant spreads across UK December 1, 2021 A senior health official has suggested that festive gatherings should be shelved as Boris Johnson will face further questions about the Government’s approach to halting the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant amid criticism from Tory MPs. The Prime Minister urged people not to cancel Christmas parties or school nativity plays during a press conference [...]
Unchallenged inflation will make strike action the norm in a new labour market December 1, 2021 Last Friday, London once again muddled through the inconvenience of yet another Tube strike. Another one is planned for the middle of December. They are just as much a feature of the metropolitan scene as Big Ben. Until more of the trains are automated, Tube staff will retain the capacity to cause disruption. But this [...]
US Fed chief Powell retires word ‘transitory’ to describe inflation December 1, 2021 US Fed Chief Jerome Powell said inflation would stick around for longer than hoped yesterday as a glut of global data suggested rising prices could slow the global recovery. Powell said yesterday it was time to “retire” the word “transitory” to describe the rapid pace of price hikes currently spiking the world economy. His shift [...]
Omicron Covid measures show our politicians still don’t know how to take risks December 1, 2021 According to the government, the Omicron measures are “proportionate and responsible”. This may be true when compared to the pinnacle of pandemic command-and-control, when scotch eggs were served with every pint, outdoor gyms were taped up, and hikers were pursued across moors with drones. But make no mistake, with these new restrictions the state is [...]
Why brand Manchester United keeps them hooked November 30, 2021 Around this time of year, Christmas comes early for many football fans with the release of the immersive fantasy world that is Football Manager. Will this be the year I take Newport County from League Two to Champions League glory? Let’s spend 250 hours over the next 12 months finding out. In this year’s game [...]
Analysts optimistic Bitcoin is shaping up to retest all-time high for Christmas November 30, 2021 Crypto analysts are pointing to some potentially bullish action in the Bitcoin charts that could see the flagship cryptocurrency challenge its recent all-time high.
Christmas travel: Brits able to fly into Geneva before sloping off to France November 30, 2021 Brits will be able to fly into Geneva for their Christmas ski trips before travelling on to France, Switzerland advised travel firms today. Travellers leaving from Britain will be exempt from the 10-day quarantine, which was imposed late on Saturday amid Omicron concerns, provided incoming Brits are headed straight for the border. Skiworld marketing director [...]
‘Don’t freak out’: Vaccine bosses attempt to diffuse Omicron-induced jab fears November 30, 2021 Vaccine leaders have rushed to put out the fires of Moderna CEO’s jab cautions, urging the world: “Don’t freak out”. Pharmaceutical heavyweights have been gathering data on the latest Covid-19 variant Omicron, as concerns swell that a tailor-made vaccine may be necessary. AstraZeneca is already researching locations where the variant has been identified, namely in [...]