Happy birthday Harry Potter: Young wizard preps for 25th after selling 500m copies October 9, 2021 JK Rowling said today she is unlikely to don a costume to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her hugely successful Harry Potter fantasy series next year. Instead, she will just have cheese on toast and a glass of champagne, because she looks “embarrassed” when given a prop and asked to pose for a picture. Rowling [...]
Government plans green gas levy as consumers face soaring bills October 9, 2021 The government is reportedly mulling plans for a levy on gas bills to help fund low carbon heating even as Brits face record energy bills. In the next few weeks ministers are expected to unveil a carbon pricing scheme which will push up gas bills still higher according to The Times. A government spokesperson for [...]
London girls and women, here is all you need to know about the ‘walk me home’ service October 9, 2021 A phone service aimed at protecting women as they walk home has received the backing of the government. The idea was launched following the outcry caused by the murder of Sarah Everard. BT is said to be working on the emergency phone service, primarily to protect women as they walk home. Here is all you [...]
LFF 2021: Nine top films to watch at the London Film Festival October 8, 2021 The UK’s biggest film festival, LFF, is back with a bang. Having embraced online exhibition last year, the capital’s most iconic cinemas will play host to the must-watch films of the next few months. Below are nine of the biggest. The festival runs until 17 October, and tickets can be purchased via the BFI website. [...]
Delphlyx: The start-up offering football bosses data analytics for dummies October 8, 2021 From Harvard graduates building bespoke programmes for Liverpool to the video analysis tools now available even to Sunday league coaches, 21st century football is awash with data. But what might have been overlooked is that some are drowning in it; while today’s club analysts and scouts may be data-literate, their older superiors frequently are not. [...]
Jacamo owner N Brown hails momentum amid turnaround plan October 8, 2021 Online fashion group N Brown has hailed positive momentum heading towards the busy Christmas period following the company’s turnaround plan. The Jacamo and JD Williams owner said it has seen early improvements on the back of “restructuring work” after pushing forward with a new strategy last summer in a bid to return to growth. The [...]
Rain and fuel chaos kept shoppers away from the high street October 8, 2021 Shoppers were deterred from the high street last month because of rain and chaos surrounding fuel buying. Total UK footfall dropped by 16.8 per cent in September, compared to pre-pandemic levels, BRC-Sensormatic IQ data found. Out of all regions, London saw the biggest drop of 26.3 per cent, compared to 2019. The city has suffered [...]
Visas for shortage woes are a sticking plaster sowing division between industries October 8, 2021 As thousands of temporary visas to plug shortages across the UK are released in the run up to and beyond Christmas, the uncertainty from affected industries has not abated: Are there enough visas? Do they help sectors in need? And will they address region-specific challenges? In the backdrop, there are yet more shortages. The latest [...]
Smart solutions to food supply chain disruptions October 7, 2021 The food, gas, and fuel supply challenges that the UK has recently faced are a perfect illustration of the risks associated with imperfect supply chain management. These challenges will continue – and potentially increase – given increased customs checks, the ongoing pan-European labour shortage in key logistics industries, and the trend towards national resilience in [...]
Revolution Bars raises a glass to better than expected post-lockdown sales October 7, 2021 Revolution Bars has said its sites in England have traded 21 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels since being able to operate free of Covid restrictions. The Revolucion de Cuba owner published a trading update looking at the period from July 19 – known as Freedom Day when all existing Covid rules for businesses were [...]