Travelodge to open four ‘budget chic’ hotels this month, including in London’s Elephant and Castle and Manor House November 22, 2021 Travelodge has announced four new hotels will be open in time for Christmas as bosses hope to cash in on families looking to travel during the festive season, with most of them to be offering ‘budget chic’ rooms. Two new sites have already opened in London, in Elephant and Castle and Manor House, with a [...]
Shortages hit ASOS as Christmas gets closer November 21, 2021 Shortages are reportedly hitting fashion retailer ASOS, forcing the giant to defer orders from suppliers, a few weeks before Christmas. While some suppliers attribute this to labour shortages in the company warehouses, the firm says it is due to the global supply chain crisis, the Sunday Times reported. “We have a robust, professionally organised global [...]
Javid: England ‘firmly’ still in plan A Covid restrictions November 21, 2021 Sajid Javid has signalled that new Covid restrictions are still not needed, saying today that England is still “firmly” in Plan A. The health secretary said the government must “remain cautious, not complacent in any way”, but that he hoped people could “look forward to Christmas together”. Cases are rising across Europe, with a national lockdown called [...]
Police seize over 17,500 illegal goods from Oxford Street November 20, 2021 Police have confiscated a haul of fake designer and illegal items from four shops on Oxford Street, according to widespread reports. The raids saw an “astonishing” 17,500 items removed from four souvenir and sweet shops on Thursday night, and 4,000 items taken from an unregistered food business. Trading standards officers captured unsafe toys, counterfeit clothing [...]
EU: ‘change in tone’ from UK but post-Brexit trade deal is ‘linked’ to solving Northern Ireland Protocol November 19, 2021 European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic has said the post-Brexit trade deal is “intrinsically linked” to settling the Protocol. Sefcovic was speaking at the Brexit Institute at Dublin City University, immediately before negotiations with Lord David Frost. Sefcovic said: “Settling the divorce has always been and remains a precondition for our future relationship. “It was [...]
A very merry Christmas: Pubs hope for a boost from late-notice office parties November 19, 2021 Pubs are readying for a wave of late bookings as office workers look for an excuse to put their Christmas party hats on. Fuller’s chief executive Simon Emeny told CityA.M. that his pubs had seen a “real surge” in bookings and enquiries over the last two to three weeks, mainly from the City and West [...]
Champagne Christmas promised by wine sellers despite supply problems November 19, 2021 Wine sellers and sommeliers have scrambled to assure Brits they can have their tipple of choice this Christmas. Wine importers have been challenged with Brexit-related paperwork at the border and rising costs on shipping containers. Premium online wine seller Naked Wines share price tumbled 20 per cent yesterday as it cut its full-year sales forecast [...]
Retail sales jump by modest 0.8 per cent in October November 19, 2021 UK retail sales rose in October, ending a five-month run of falling or flatlining sales, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes rose by 0.8 per cent last month compared to September, following no movement between September and August. The ONS said non-food stores were the only main [...]
Consumer confidence edges up despite inflation and supply chain woes November 19, 2021 Shoppers put aside concerns about soaring inflation and supply chain woes and spend in the run-up to Black Friday and Christmas, leading consumer confidence to edge up, according to new data published this morning. GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased three points to minus 14 in November following a three-month downturn. A seven-point jump in [...]
Rush to buy Christmas presents lifts Brits’ optimism November 19, 2021 A rush to buy Christmas presents early to avoid being stung by potential shortages has lifted Brits’ confidence. Shoppers are ready to pounce on big ticket purchases at Black Friday and over the festive period, research by GfK has found. Intention to splurge on expensive products jumped seven percentage points over the last month, climbing [...]