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 [...]
Back to Business: Masha Rener on keeping her restaurants afloat online August 1, 2020 We talk to London’s top chefs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. Lina Stores head chef Masha Rener talks about how home-cooking with top ingredients is here to stay. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Masha Rener, head chef at Lina Stores in Soho and King’s Cross How [...]
The future of post-covid drinking, from the mega beer garden to drone deliveries August 1, 2020 With the baking summer heat threatening to melt my laptop, the idea of al fresco eating and drinking seems like a no-brainer. But Britain, with its unpredictable climate, traffic-clogged streets and plethora of excellent, dingy pubs, has proven resistant to the kind of outdoor cafe culture beloved of our European neighbours. Until covid, that is. [...]
Eat Out to Help Out – the best restaurants taking part in the government hospitality scheme August 1, 2020 There was a time when dropping most of your disposable income on avocado on toast made you an idiot who will never be able to afford a house. Now it makes you a hero who will save the economy. It’s so vital that you start eating at restaurants again that, as of Monday, the government [...]