Business as usual: Mid-tier firms predict rapid recovery after vaccine rollout November 30, 2020 The vast majority (94%) of mid-sized businesses in the UK believe they will fully recover from Covid-19 within a year if a vaccine is made available. More than two-thirds of mid-tier businesses – those with revenue of between £10m and £300m – think they will be fully recovered in just six months, according to new [...]
Prue Leith among line-up of Radio 4’s Christmas guest editors November 30, 2020 Five guest editors, including Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith, will take over BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme during the festive period. Other guests this year include Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, Britain’s first black female bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin, and Evan Spiegel, co-founder and [...]
Tiering it down: Boris Johnson backtracks on Covid restrictions November 29, 2020 Boris Johnson has bent to the demands of Tory backbench MPs by softening England’s future Covid restrictions regime. Johnson wrote to MPs telling them that people stuck in the strictest Covid restrictions will have them downgraded next month, while also promising that the tier system will end earlier than expected. Millions of people put into [...]
Covid-19: London in Tier 2 restrictions – what are the new rules to follow? November 27, 2020 The covid-19 restrictions have been strengthened since before the lockdown, so what are the new rules for work, home and socialising now that London's in Tier 2
Stocking filler: London Stock Exchange backs virtual charity carol concert November 27, 2020 London Stock Exchange has teamed up with music royalties firm Hipgnosis to support a star-studded virtual carol concert that will raise funds for charity. Chic legend Nile Rodgers, who acts as an adviser to Hipgnosis, will host the festive gig on Tuesday 15 December. The programme will feature appearances from a string of music icons, [...]
Can I go to the theatre in Tier 2? Yes – here are the top December shows November 27, 2020 Few industries have been as badly hit by Covid restrictions as the theatre. Not have they had to shut for two lockdowns, but social distancing means most productions, already run on the thinnest of margins, are now loss-making operations. Throw in the uncertainty over what lies ahead, which is at odds with the long lead-times [...]
Travel giant records 62 per cent sales spike as consumer confidence grows November 27, 2020 London-based travel giant Not Just Travel recorded a 62 per cent surge in bookings this week. The top holiday destinations booked by consumers, in order of preference, were the USA, the Canary Islands, Dubai, Lapland and the Maldives. Not Just Travel co-founders Steve Witt and Paul Harrison attributed this increase in bookings to Black Friday [...]
Primark to reopen all stores in England with extended hours on 2 December November 27, 2020 Primark will reopen all of its stores in England when lockdown lifts next week, with extended opening hours to cope with higher demand ahead of the holiday season. The fast fashion giant has 153 stores in the country, 11 of which, including the White City store in west London, will open for 24 hours on [...]
Black Friday: Union calls for inquiry into Amazon over ‘dehumanising’ conditions November 27, 2020 Union members have called for a parliamentary inquiry into Amazon over “dehumanising” conditions at the ecommerce giant’s warehouses. Disgruntled unionists have projected a banner reading ‘Make Amazon Pay’ outside the tech firm’s London headquarters as part of protests coinciding with Black Friday. “Amazon is well known for unsafe, dehumanising work practices which see our members [...]
Gatwick Airport demand takes off after quarantine rule change November 27, 2020 Gatwick Airport is preparing to ramp up flights after the government said quarantine rules will be relaxed in the run-up to Christmas. Chief executive Stewart Wingate said the airport had already seen boosted demand and was expecting to handle around 100 flights per day by mid-December. This is compared to just four a day during [...]