Shoppers opted for premium products this Christmas as grocery inflation hit 3.5 per cent January 5, 2022 Grocery sales hit £11.7bn over the Christmas period, as shoppers were keen to make the most of the festive period after Covid restrictions hampered celebrations last year. Shoppers spent record amounts on supermarkets’ premium own brand products, with £627m spent on pricier items over the four weeks to 26 December. This was an increase of [...]
Half of all UK small businesses to raise prices this year while a third plan redundancies now furlough has ended January 1, 2022 Half of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK plan to raise their prices this year, with supply chain disruption being the key driver. Moreover, one in three owner-managed businesses plan to make redundancies now the safety net of furlough has been removed, according to new research shared with City A.M. this morning. Those businesses [...]
Best of 2021: Bob Bob Ricard City reopens December 30, 2021 The more things change, the more they remain the same. In June of 2019 I was at the opening of Bob Bob Cité, the sister restaurant to Soho’s Bob Bob Ricard, which I wrote, with no little hyperbole, was the best place to eat in the City of London. It was a wildly expensive venture, [...]
Pubs and restaurants swallow £10,000 losses in week before Christmas December 29, 2021 Hospitality venues lost more than £10,000 on average in the week before Christmas, the latest data has revealed. Christmas Day takings plunged 60 per cent for pubs, bars and restaurants, industry body UKHospitality found, as the latest Covid-19 wave saw ministers urging a cautious Christmas. London’s hospitality scene has been hit the hardest, the industry [...]
Waitrose makes headway into home delivery through Mindful Chef partnership December 29, 2021 Supermarket Waitrose has partnered up with Mindful Chef, a British company that delivers recipes and ingredients to people’s homes, in a bid to capitalise on the trend propelled during the pandemic. The news comes as the online food delivery industry has become increasingly popular during the pandemic, and just weeks after Asda announced its own [...]
Hospitality venues ‘pretty full’ minister says, defending current level of government support December 28, 2021 A government minister has suggested the hospitality sector does not require additional financial aid as restaurants appear “pretty full”. The hospitality industry has called for help including VAT and business rates relief following waves of cancellations this month as fears over the Omicron Covid variant grew. Ministers have also urged the public to be cautious [...]
Stella McCartney pay rose to £2.7m while firm took furlough cash December 24, 2021 Designer Stella McCartney enjoyed a pay rise to £2.7m last year, while her business claimed £850,000 in government support during the pandemic, according to reports. The news comes amid reports that meanwhile cosmetics company Charlotte Tilbury has returned furlough payments of £3.2m it took during the pandemic to the government, after its makeup sales withstood the [...]
Tighter Covid rules in Wales will take pubs ‘into sub-viable trading’ December 22, 2021 Additional Covid restrictions from Boxing Day “will only make matters worse” for pubs and restaurants, the Welsh hospitality sector has cautioned. UKHospitality Cymru has warned. No more than six people will be allowed to meet in a group in pubs, cinemas and restaurants from 26 December, it was announced on Wednesday. What’s more, two metre [...]
Deliveroo to launch three ‘dark kitchens’ in London amid expansion push December 22, 2021 Deliveroo has opened three 'dark kitchens' in London which will house chefs from popular London restaurants as it pursues expansion.
Gyms plead for government aid as fitness firms feel weight of Omicron December 22, 2021 Gym bosses have pleaded for government help after Omicron has caused attendance numbers at exercise classes to plummet in recent weeks. A work from home directive and scientists’ messaging to avoid socialising in the weeks before Christmas has caused people to shun fitness firms, one boss told CityA.M. While pubs and restaurants are eligible for [...]