Government faces calls to scrap ‘inaccurate’ rapid Covid tests January 12, 2021 The government has faced mounting pressure to scale back its use of rapid Covid tests over concerns the results are inaccurate and may cause “serious harm”. Rapid Covid tests, also known as lateral flow tests, are set to play a vital part in ministers’ efforts to ramp up asymptomatic testing across the country as coronavirus [...]
BBC Sounds launches on Sky in latest streaming tie-up January 12, 2021 Sky has agreed a deal with the BBC to embed the Sounds app on its platform, marking the pay-TV giant’s latest effort to become a one-stop shop for streaming services. From today the BBC Sounds app will be available to all Sky Q customers in the UK, offering more than 80,000 hours of audio content. [...]
Save Burns Night with a virtual Boisdale party January 12, 2021 Burns Night is normally a beacon of extravagence in the post Christmas weeks, an island of indulgance amid Dry January and Veganuary and new year fitness resolutions. This year Covid threatens to take even this away – toasting the great Scottish bard alone seems like anathema to the spirit of the occasion, which entails drinking [...]
Exclusive: City fund managers on the winners and losers from the Brexit deal January 12, 2021 The Christmas Eve announcement of a UK-EU trade deal promised an end to four and a half years of uncertainty and speculation. Whilst there are areas of the relationship still to be finalised, it has brought some much-needed clarity to many UK businesses, even though uncertainty for the financial services space and the City remains. [...]
Very.co.uk enjoys record-breaking Christmas period January 12, 2021 Very.co.uk increased sales by 25 per cent year-on-year in the seven weeks leading up to Christmas, recording its best ever figures over the holiday period. Home and electrical goods were the standout categories for the online retailer, up 46 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. Among the top selling items were bedding and soft [...]
Retail sales suffer worst year on record as lockdowns bite January 12, 2021 UK retail sales suffered their worst year on record in 2020 as Covid-19 lockdown measures decimated customer numbers. In-store sales of non-food items — which includes all non-essential retailers — dropped by almost a quarter last year compared to 2019. For 2020 overall, total sales declined 0.3 per cent on the previous year, marking the [...]
British Land ‘bruised but not broken’ despite collecting less than half of rent from UK retailers January 11, 2021 British Land will emerge from the pandemic intact despite collecting less than half the rent it is owed for December, according to a City analyst.
Ocado sounds alarm on product availability as supermarket shelves stand empty January 11, 2021 Ocado has warned that the availability of some products is being impacted by coronavirus-related staff absences in its supply chain. With more staff off sick or forced to isolate some grocery suppliers are having to consolidate their lines. “Staff absences across the supply chain may lead to an increase in product substitutions for a small [...]
New year, same lockdown: UK shopping trips fall 27 per cent in first week of January January 11, 2021 New year, same lockdown: UK shopper numbers fall 27 per cent in first week of January
JD Sports shares pop as firm raises profit outlook January 11, 2021 Sportswear giant JD Sports saw its shares rise 4.6 per cent this morning after the firm announced that full-year profit would “significantly ahead” of estimates. In a trading update, the FTSE 100 firm said that “robust” sales during the pandemic would see it come in ahead of the £295m forecast. That’s despite the fact the [...]