Lost the plot: City A.M’s pick of the best books of 2020 December 18, 2020 Whether it was a period of furlough, a cancelled trip or endless weekends with no pubs, restaurants, museums or cinemas open: there has definitely been more time for most of us to get stuck into a good book this year. As we turn the last page of 2020, whether you’re looking for a page-turner during [...]
Liverpool v Spurs and Call of Duty drive highest internet data record December 18, 2020 Average household internet usage has increased by 50 per cent this year according to data by internet provider TalkTalk. And December 16 saw the highest ever data usage peak of 7.63Tb/s on the network, with traffic largely driven by a combination of football including Liverpool vs Spurs on Amazon Prime and the release of Call of Duty. [...]
An arms and abs workout to burn some pre-Christmas calories December 18, 2020 Throughout December, fitness studio Core Collective’s top trainers will be guiding you through a weekly sweat focusing on different areas each week to sculpt and strengthen. This week we’ll be working on strengthening, lengthening and toning our upper body. Trainer Heloise Nangle has devised a workout that features a 10 minute arms and 10 minute [...]
Covid: London now has highest proportion of positive tests in the UK December 18, 2020 The number of people testing positive for coronavirus has risen sharply in London, as the Prime Minister faces mounting pressure to U-turn on plans to lift restrictions over Christmas. London is now tied with the East Midlands as having the highest proportion of positive Covid tests in the UK, after reporting a sharp spike in [...]
Law firm CRS ‘threatening staff with pay cuts to return to the office’ December 18, 2020 International law firm Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS) has been accused of threatening staff with pay cuts if they do not return to the office, despite official government guidance urging those who can to work from home. Staff were allegedly told coronavirus fears are not a reason to work from home, and if they wanted to [...]
Post-Christmas lockdown for Northern Ireland December 18, 2020 Northern Ireland will enter a strict six-week lockdown from Boxing Day. Health Minister Robin Swann said the lockdown is “in large part” the same as “the sustained lockdown” of last March. Non-essential shops will close after Christmas Eve, and close-contact services such as hairdressers and beauticians will have to shut. Pubs, cafés and restaurants will [...]
Retail sales dip in November as lockdowns bite December 18, 2020 Retail sales remained above their pre-pandemic levels in November despite a month-on-month fall, new figures reveal. The closely watched retail sales figures from the Office for National Statistics show a 3.8 per cent drop in November compared to October, with many stores particularly in England forced to close for much of the month. Online retailing [...]
Consumer confidence jumps on back of vaccine news December 18, 2020 An influential survey into consumer confidence saw a significant spike on the back of positive Covid-19 vaccine news, but there remains some way to go before confidence returns to the wider economy. The Gfk Consumer Confidence tracker saw a 7-point jump in its overall index, to -26 in December from -33 the month previously, still [...]
As we look back on 2020, what can we learn from this unprecedented year? December 18, 2020 The end of any year is traditionally a time of reflection. It’s a chance to take stock and look back on the past 12 months: the successes, the lessons, and the opportunities for improvement. And while other traditions like the office Christmas party have been replaced by virtual events, taking time to step back and [...]
City A.M. recognises work of 2020’s Business Heroes December 17, 2020 The business world has never seen its foundations shaken as they have been throughout 2020. Lockdown has been a huge challenge for both companies and their staff, with vast swathes of the population first placed on furlough and then grappling with the technological and social difficulties of working from home. City A.M. has certainly not [...]