UK ‘to trial’ Covid-19 vaccine passports with new app January 13, 2021 The UK is said to be starting trials of a vaccine passport that could play a key role in efforts to inoculate the population against coronavirus. Thousands of Brits who have already received their Covid-19 jab will be offered a passport proving they have been vaccinated as part of a government-funded trial, the Telegraph reported. [...]
Rishi Sunak: Working from home will not be the new normal post-Covid January 11, 2021 Widespread full-time working from home will not become a permanent fixture of the UK economy and central London is destined to come back to life post-Covid, according to Rishi Sunak. The chancellor told City A.M.’s The City View podcast that he’s “desperate” for “the buzz, the vitality and the creativity” that cities generate and that [...]
UK supermarket sales soar to record-breaking £11.7bn in December January 5, 2021 UK supermarkets recorded their busiest ever month in December as grocery sales soared to £11.7bn amid bar and restaurant closures during the festive period. Morrisons was the strongest performer of the Big Four UK supermarkets, with sales jumping 13.1 per cent, followed by Tesco, which toasted a 11.1 per cent rise in sales. Sainsbury’s recorded [...]
Coronavirus: Latest updates on lockdowns, vaccines and Covid mutations around the world January 4, 2021 Countries around the world continue to grapple with rising coronavirus rates, as two new mutations of the virus have sparked calls for fresh restrictions across the globe. German politicians have called for a three-week lockdown extension, as current measures fail to stem ballooning cases across the country. Tight restrictions in place including the closure of [...]
This Week: PMIs, Morrisons, Next, US unemployment, Fed, M&S January 4, 2021 City A.M. looks at the first business week of 2021 with Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. Monday: UK PMIs for December Flash numbers in the middle of December were surprisingly encouraging, with manufacturing rising to 57.3. “No doubt due to some pre-Brexit stockpiling. services also managed to rebound a touch, coming [...]
Jamie Oliver takes payday hit as restaurant collapse eats into profits January 3, 2021 Jamie Oliver has suffered a decline in profit from his business ventures as the collapse of his restaurant chain continues to take its toll. Pre-tax profits at the celebrity chef’s group of companies dropped to £7.1m in 2019, down nine per cent on the previous year. Turnover dropped just over five per cent to £38.8m, [...]
15 incredible Londoners in the New Year’s Honours List January 2, 2021 In a list that was largely dominated by health staff and civil servants this year, Christopher Woolard, who served as interim Chief Exec of the FCA in 2020, became a Commander of the British Empire, while Kate Nicholls, a vocal advocate for the hospitality industry throughout this terrible year for bars, pubs and restaurants, received [...]
Boris Johnson: UK ‘rediscovered a spirit of togetherness’ in ‘grim’ 2020 December 31, 2020 Boris Johnson has used his New Year’s Eve message to say the UK has “rediscovered a spirit of togetherness” in 2020, but that there “will be plenty of people who will be only too happy to say goodbye to the grimness of 2020”. The Prime Minister also said the UK approval of two Covid vaccines [...]
Soho House founder sells $20m of stake after pandemic hit December 28, 2020 The founder and chief executive of Soho House has cashed in $20m (£14.8m) of his stake after the private members’ club was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nick Jones, who established the exclusive club in 1995, has sold a one per cent stake to Ron Burkle, the US billionaire businessman who already owns roughly 60 [...]
Offices share half-a-billion business rates write-off December 22, 2020 The Valuation Office Agency has agreed to write off almost £500m-worth of offices’ business rates after weeks of negotiations. Business rates discounts were announced for firms directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, including pubs and restaurants. Read more: UK borrowing in November the third-highest on record Offices that lay empty however [...]