London calling: Why it’s time to bring life back to our city’s streets August 10, 2020 Despite a tentative easing of the national lockdown, the lingering economic and social consequences of this policy are frighteningly obvious to anyone venturing into central London. While social life and economic activity has, to a large extent, returned to the outer zones and suburbs, the offices and shops of London’s professional districts remain eerily and [...]
Back to Business: Jack and Charlie Stein on coming together as a family amid the corona crisis August 8, 2020 We talk to top chefs and restaurateurs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. Rick Stein restaurants’ Jack and Charlie Stein talk about the relief of seeing cutsomers again and why the industry needs to go back to basics. Who are you and what do you do? Jack Stein: I’m chef director [...]
Mark Hix on starting afresh with a fish van… And his new role at 1 Lombard Street August 8, 2020 Just as the coronavirus shit hit the fan, I was told by my business partner that the company was going into administration. All the restaurants would go, and the 130 staff were left high and dry with no furlough and no redundancy. I was devastated. It was a surreal moment, realising that all these people [...]
Rishi Sunak: ‘Hardship lies ahead’ for the UK economy August 7, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that “hardship lies ahead” for the UK economy despite the Bank of England improving its forecast for this year. Yesterday the Bank upgraded its projection for the path of GDP in 2020, saying it would now contract 9.5 per cent rather than the 14 per cent it had previously pencilled [...]
The City View: Rachel Cunliffe on why working from home isn’t great for everyone August 7, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS In this episode Christian is joined by City A.M.’s comment and features editor, Rachel Cunliffe, who talks about her recent column on why working from home doesn’t suit everyone. Rachel talks about young people in houseshares in particular, as well as those who don’t have the luxury of a separate work [...]
England’s coronavirus spread slowed as lockdown eased, according to study August 6, 2020 The spread of coronavirus in England slowed as the country transitioned out of the initial lockdown phase and shops, pubs and restaurants started to reopen. The spread of infections slowed in June and early July, according to an Imperial College study of 150,000 volunteers. “As the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in England transitioned out of its initial [...]
Pub chain JD Wetherspoon to cut up to 130 head office jobs August 6, 2020 Pub chain JD Wetherspoon will cut up to 130 head office jobs due to a downturn in the pub and restaurant industry during the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced this morning that 110 to 130 head office positions are at risk of redundancy. Wetherspoon blamed the cuts on a downturn in trading, a slowdown in [...]
Lockdown reimposed in Aberdeen after coronavirus outbreak August 5, 2020 Lockdown restrictions are being reimposed in Aberdeen following a sharp spike in infections in the region, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced today. Pubs and restaurants will be among venues to close from 5pm today as part of the containment measures. Aberdeen residents will be told not to go to one another’s houses, as Scotland [...]
CMA gives Amazon’s Deliveroo investment the all-clear August 4, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially cleared Amazon’s 16 per cent stake in food delivery startup Deliveroo, after a lengthy investigation process. The watchdog awarded the deal initial clearance in April on the basis that Deliveroo could go out of business without the Amazon investment, but later changed its methodology to just focus [...]
Public Health England becomes UK’s biggest advertiser during lockdown August 4, 2020 Advertising spend in the UK almost halved during lockdown according to the latest figures, with Public Health England becoming the nation’s biggest advertiser over the course of the pandemic. Traditional advertising spend — including on TV, newspapers, radio, cinema and billboards — fell more than £1.1bn year on year between the start of lockdown and the [...]