Evening Read: The Great Reopening is well under way May 17, 2021 As Reopening Day is slowly maturing, Monday the 17th of May will most likely go down in pandemic history as a day full of positive post-lockdown news, and very mixed weather. From today, people in England can meet outdoors in groups of up to 30, and indoors in groups of six, or two households, with [...]
Like a virgin? The expanding world of alcohol-free cocktails May 17, 2021 I gave up drinking three years ago, after twenty-odd enthusiastic years, and so I’ve spent the time since then searching out replacements. Some people say that’s a bad idea, that you maintain the habit and tread a dangerous line: all I can say is that the habit, the ritual, the variety was one of the [...]
Wall Street slips as banking stocks and stronger pound weigh on FTSE 100 May 17, 2021 Wall Street opened lower this afternoon, reversing a strong recovery late last week as investors turned their attention back to inflation worries. The Dow Jones slipped 0.02 per cent and the S&P 500 opened lower by 0.09 per cent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 0.46 per cent at the opening bell. It came after London’s [...]
The City is opening up even more, let’s all enjoy it May 17, 2021 Like the rest of the country, the City of London is feeling a sense of anticipation as England enters the third step of the Government’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions. The return of indoor hospitality and reopening of cultural institutions is a welcome return to normality that will help the Square Mile regain the exciting [...]
What top London chefs really think about Instagram May 14, 2021 Heston Blumenthal is famously exacting about the dining experience. He tries to create “sensory memories”, controlling not only the way his dishes look and taste, but what his diners are listening to while they eat. His The Sound of the Sea, a signature dish at The Fat Duck, came with an iPod Nano playing, well, [...]
Pubs will ‘struggle to break even’ until all Covid restrictions are lifted May 14, 2021 Pubs across England are preparing to open their doors from Monday as indoor trading resumes, but the industry body has warned that ongoing social distancing restrictions will force 2,000 to remain closed. The British Beer and Pub Association said today that 45,000 venues will reopen next week, serving around 3m pints, as punters flock back [...]
FRP Advisory reports dip in insolvency jobs as government measures stave off corporate collapses May 14, 2021 FRP Advisory reported a drop off in restructuring appointments in the last financial year as government financial aid protected many businesses from collapse during the Covid pandemic. The professional services firm, which plans to pay a dividend for the year, said the number of insolvency appointments it secured in the last 12 months was down [...]
The High Street wants you – let’s take this next step safely May 14, 2021 After months of shuttered doors, it’s been heartening to see Britain’s high streets, town centres and retail parks buzzing again. But as much as we all want to get life back to normal, we also all want to stay safe. None of us want to squander the progress we’ve made in suppressing the virus – [...]
Yet more places to eat and drink: 70 bars and restaurants open now May 13, 2021 It’s just days until we can once more sit in a restaurant and dine like civilized human beings, albeit socially distanced ones. But where to book? To help you make this most difficult of decisions, we’ve collected a bumper list of 70 places to meet up with friends and support the hospitality industry. With spots [...]
Will you show up? UK hotels fear last-minute cancellation chaos this summer May 12, 2021 Holidaymakers are holding on to their UK hotel bookings for this summer, with cancellations rates currently running at just 4 per cent, far below the usual 30 per cent levels. However, rather than this being good news for the industry, there are fears of a late surge of cancellations, as people ditch their UK booking [...]