Over 100,000 Royal Mail workers to vote on strike action August 22, 2019 More than 100,000 Royal Mail workers are set to be balloted on taking industrial action over issues including job security and employment conditions. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which announced the ballot, had accused Royal Mail of not honouring the “spirit and intent” of an agreement earlier this week. In a tweet announcing the ballot, [...]
What to do about staff skipping work for the beach August 20, 2019 We’ve heard it all before: “my cat is having kittens”, “I’ve hurt my back”, “I’ve got food poisoning”, “my bathtub fell through my ceiling”, or “my car broke down”. When the sun is out, employees might feel inclined to use one of these excuses in order to skip work and do something a little more [...]
DEBATE: Is it fair to consider ITV’s Love Island the biggest advertising opportunity of 2019? August 2, 2019 Is it fair to consider ITV’s Love Island the biggest advertising opportunity of 2019? Dave Lawrence, planning partner at creative agency Brave, says YES. Whether the show was the “biggest advertising opportunity” depends on what that brand was trying to achieve. While the women’s World Cup earlier this year, for example, had a much larger [...]
Hotel Chocolat goes into meltdown over missing ‘Chocmobile’ August 1, 2019 Luxury chocolate retailer Hotel Chocolat has appealed for help in finding a missing van, nicknamed the ‘Chocmobile’ Read more: Sweet like chocolate: Hotel Chocolat credits relentless innovation for sales boost The chocolatier said the “beloved” van had been stolen from its Hertfordshire headquarters earlier this week, and called on the public for help in tracking [...]
Westfield owner suffers income drop as UK retailers shut shops and cut rents August 1, 2019 Retail landlord Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) suffered a drop in UK rental income in the first six months of the year as the property giant’s two London sites were hit by store closures and leasing delays. Like-for-like net rental income was down 3.1 per cent compared to the previous year as tenants – struggling in a challenging [...]
Shop prices fall as retailers tempt customers with discounts July 31, 2019 Shop prices fell this month as retailers attempted to attract reluctant customers with heavy discounting. Prices deflated by 0.1 per cent in July, driven by a 1.2 per cent drop in the price of non-food items such as electricals and clothing and footwear. Read more: Shop price inflation gathers pace in May The fall in [...]
Retailers and bar chains set to cash in on heatwave July 24, 2019 This week’s heat wave could prove a bonus for retailers and pub chains which have struggled this year in comparison with 2018’s glorious summer. Temperatures tomorrow could smash the UK record for the hottest day ever with the Met Office predicting the mercury could rise to a maximum of 39℃. Russ Mould, investment director at [...]
Countdown to Brexit: What Boris Johnson must do in his first 100 days as Prime Minister July 23, 2019 The political world has thrown up some unexpected events in recent years, but Boris Johnson failing to win the Conservative leadership contest today would surely top the lot. The former foreign secretary has been the favourite to succeed Theresa May even before she announced her resignation, and today the election results showed he won with [...]
Joules defies retail anguish with growth across the board July 23, 2019 Clothes store Joules this morning announced a double-figures spike in profit despite tough high street conditions. The full-year results will be the last for outgoing CEO Colin Porter, who said the firm was “well-positioned for continued success”. Read more: Joules lures in top Asda director as new chief executive The figures Pre-tax profit rose 14.9 [...]
Tom Brown, the superstar chef behind Hackney Wick’s Cornerstone, cooks lunch for Last Shadow Puppets star Miles Kane July 23, 2019 Starter: Salmon pastrami; airdried monkfish; cuttlefish salami; oysters; brill tartare with egg yolk, peas and morels Miles Kane: We met through my mate Gizzi Erskine, didn’t we? She’s a chef, and she told me bout the place. I was intrigued when I heard it was named after an Arctic Monkeys tune. I came for a [...]