Next hikes full-year outlook again after sales surge and profits swell to £347m September 29, 2021 Fashion giant Next has hiked its full-year outlook once more after surging sales, but warned over rising prices and staff shortages in the run-up to Christmas. It said supply chain woes had seen higher freight costs push up prices by about 2 per cent in the first half and cautioned this would continue into next [...]
Brexit-backing Next boss calls for speedy government intervention in staff crisis September 29, 2021 Next, headed by Brexit-backing boss Lord Wolfson, has called on the government to relax immigration rules to ensure its operations run smoothly this Christmas. “It’s a question of availability, we need a system that’s geared up to give more visas,” Wolfson told CityAM. Wolfson hit back at critics who said the country had got what [...]
Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore beats expectations in H1 2021 : CityAM September 29, 2021 The operator of Franco Manca and The Real Greek beat expectations for the first half of 2021 despite the challenge of ongoing Covid restrictions. The restaurant operator faced tough conditions during the first half of the financial year, which began on 29 March 2021 during the UK’s third COVID-19 lockdown, and was forced to trade [...]
Hospitality operators pessimistic of any staff shortage resolution September 29, 2021 Restaurant bosses have complained that ministers are actively choosing not to intervene in staff shortage issues with immigration changes and instead are focusing on longer-term training plans. Sector leaders – including Nando’s boss Colin Hill and UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls – will form a new hospitality council, business minister Paul Scully announced today. The [...]
Aviva Investors has big plans for its newly acquired Hoxton office September 28, 2021 Aviva Investors has snapped up a Grade II listed property in Hoxton as part of the first investment made by the company’s newly launched climate fund. The investment arm of Aviva has today announced its purchase of Curtain House, a five storey Victorian warehouse in the heart of Shoreditch, London’s hub for technology businesses and [...]
Exclusive: Pivotal months ahead for London’s revival as tourism top dog September 28, 2021 While coastal staycations have been in high demand during the summer months, the capital is poised to bounce back as the go-to destination of choice for many domestic tourists as the nights draw in and the temperature drops. Just 6 per cent of people would opt for a trip to London over a coastal location [...]
Now pubs and bars call for visa help as staff shortage bites September 28, 2021 Restaurant and pub bosses have pleaded for ‘easy visas’ to help fill vacancies as they desperately try to recruit enough staff to keep the doors open. Patrick Dardis, CEO of London-based pub group Young’s told City A.M. yesterday that the UK needed to open up the job market to the EU to increase the labour [...]
Exclusive: Waterloo and City line set to fully reopen “very, very soon” September 27, 2021 Transport for London’s (TfL) Commissioner has said that crucial commuter artery the Waterloo & City line could fully reopen by the end of the year. “The fact that the City is now getting busier means we are actively looking at when we can increase to full service on the Waterloo & City line so I [...]
Paris’ Gare du Nord station transformation scrapped ahead of Rugby World Cup September 25, 2021 A project to transform Paris’ Gare du Nord railway station in the run up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup has been shelved. France’s national rail operator SNCF decided to scrap the plan after it was revealed the large project was behind schedule and would not be finished in time for the World Cup in [...]
This is what it’s like to party on the new Virgin cruise ship Scarlet Lady September 25, 2021 At the London launch of Richard Branson’s new cruise line, Virgin Voyages, the British DJ and producer Mark Ronson played a raucous set. It was all very cool and glamorous, and promised a new hip addition to this most buoyant travel sector, with more than 100 cruise ships on the order books. So when the [...]