Johnson bans buy one get one free offers amid war on obesity July 27, 2020 Boris Johnson has banned buy one get one free offers and introduced a 9pm watershed on junk food advertising as the Prime Minister wages war on obesity amid the coronavirus crisis. GPs will prescribe Weight Watchers diet plans to overweight patients, as the government attempts to get every overweight Brit to lose 5 lbs. Johnson [...]
Six by Nico: “The chippie” goes high-end as London’s newest destination opens July 25, 2020 The struggles of the hospitality industry have been well-documented. So Nico Simeone would have been entitled to be more nervous than usual opening his new London restaurant just as lockdown lifted. Not so, though, he tells City A.M. “There are always a bit of nerves when opening in a new city but we have a [...]
The Tate Modern reopens next week – but what will it look like in a post-lockdown world? July 25, 2020 Monday will see the reopening of the Tate Modern (as well as the Tate Britain and the offshoots in Liverpool and St Ives) after more than five months behind shutters. And while we’re all becoming accustomed to social distancing in bars, restaurants and shops, how will it affect the UK’s second most popular tourist attraction? [...]
Back to Business: Jason Atherton on how he dealt with lockdown and how his empire will strike back July 24, 2020 In the first of a new series of how chefs are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’ we now find ourself in, Jason Atherton talks about the chaos covid caused to his supply chain, and the silver lining of getting to spend time with his newborn daughter. Remind us who you are I’m a Michelin [...]
Johnson wages war on junk food ads in bid to tackle UK obesity July 24, 2020 Boris Johnson is set to announce sweeping measures to overhaul junk food advertising in the UK, which could include a 9pm watershed on TV adverts. The Prime Minister’s long-awaited obesity strategy, which could be announced as soon as next week, will likely involve a ban on online advertising of unhealthy foods, a 9pm watershed on [...]
‘Zombie’ firms set to fail as pandemic leaves 527,000 businesses on cliff-edge July 24, 2020 A record 527,000 businesses were in significant financial distress at the end of June, an increase of 33,000 since the beginning of the year. It represents a seven per cent increase since the start of the year, and nine per cent year-on-year, according to new research from corporate restructuring firm Begbies Traynor. While the coronavirus [...]
Two Londoners clean up after flipping their business into sanitiser bays July 24, 2020 Two twenty-something Londoners are set to clean up after pivoting their mobile charging units firm into a hand sanitiser supplier. Hugo Tilmouth and Charlie Baron were set to launch ChargedUp, a network of mobile phone charging units which would sit in public places across the capital. But as Covid-19 hit, the firm – backed by [...]
Exclusive: MPs ask banks for clarity on state aid rules and coronavirus loans July 22, 2020 A group of MPs and Lords has written to lenders to try to ensure they take into account changes to EU state aid rules that could boost the UK’s coronavirus loan scheme, amid confusion about the alterations. It came as business group UK Hospitality urged the government to take the lead and make sure the [...]
How badly will the UK unemployment rate spike when furlough ends? July 22, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme has so far saved the UK unemployment rate from sharp increases during the coronavirus lockdown, but it is drawing to an end. Consequently job losses are set to spike after furlough concludes in October, according to economists. Currently the government is paying 80 per cent of over 9m British workers’ [...]
Exclusive: Stricken burrito chain Chilango set to enter administration July 22, 2020 Mexican restaurant chain Chilango is preparing to enter administration putting over 150 jobs at risk, after the coronavirus pandemic hammered the already struggling casual dining company. In an email sent to shareholders today, a spokesperson for the company said that while Chilango had “done our very best to mitigate the pandemic’s impact… these efforts have [...]