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 [...]
50 days after the Ever Given blocked the Suez canal, supply chains still have not recovered May 12, 2021 On the 29th of March, tug boats and dredgers freed the Ever Given from the banks of the Suez Canal. In just six days the blockage obstructed over $60 billion of global trade, sending disruptive ripples to every corner of the world. The beached container ship, weighing in at 220,000 tonnes and longer than the [...]
High Court gives Virgin Active CVA green light in further blow for landlords May 12, 2021 Landlords have lost their legal challenge against Virgin Active’s restructuring plan, in the second high profile defeat for commercial property owners this week. Today’s High Court judgement will come as a further blow to landlords hoping to challenge tenants over Company Voluntary Arrangements. It comes after the court gave New Look the green light to [...]
As economies reopen, inflation fears return with a vengeance May 12, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 is on course for its worst day in three weeks this afternoon amid inflation concerns. Inflation has never really been away. It’s been a central theme that has dominated conversations among economists, analysts and bankers over the past few months, and more specifically, the possibility that it is about to take off. [...]