Donald Trump set to lay out ‘guidelines’ for reopening US April 16, 2020 US president Donald Trump is tonight expected to release medically-approved guidelines to reopen parts of the country’s economy, which has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic. A White House official said that the president would use this evening’s press conference to lay out the “recommendations”, which are “flexible and data-driven”. The official added that the [...]
Scottish government does U-turn on coronavirus business grant scheme April 15, 2020 The Scottish government has changed its coronavirus business grant scheme to make it more generous for hospitality, retail and tourism chains after mounting criticism from the private sector. SNP finance minister Kate Forbes unveiled £220m of new grants today in a bid to close the gap between relief available for Scottish and English businesses. English [...]
How to make the perfect cup of coffee at home April 14, 2020 It’s not just you struggling to get going without a decent cup of coffee in the morning. Covid-19 has robbed many of us of our regular fix in the morning – but all is not lost. With a bit more time at home (ok, a lot more), now might be the time to master a [...]
Cross-sector expert group offers free mentoring for businesses facing coronavirus crisis April 9, 2020 Experts across all sectors, including retail, hospitality and tech, have teamed up to provide mentoring for company founders and chief executives affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. The All Together scheme includes Martin Williams, the chief executive of Gaucho and M Restaurant brands, Innocent Drinks co-founder Jon Wright and ex-Flying Tiger chief executive Xavier Vidal. [...]
Coronavirus: Guinness owner Diageo pauses £4.5bn shareholder returns scheme April 9, 2020 Guinness owner Diageo has scrapped its financial guidance and suspended a £4.5bn shareholder returns programme after bars and restaurants across the world closed due to coronavirus. The drinks giant has not scrapped its interim dividend, however it has paused a three-year shareholder returns programme after governments ordered pubs to shut. Diageo said it had seen [...]
Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group raises £57m amid coronavirus crisis April 9, 2020 Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group has raised £57m through a share placing to shore up its finances amid the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurant Group completed the equity raise this morning after announcing it last night. In a statement the company said: “The placing is expected to provide sufficient liquidity for the Company to deal with this [...]
UK economy grew just 0.1 per cent before coronavirus lockdown April 9, 2020 The UK economy grew 0.1 per cent in the three months to February before the coronavirus lockdown hit businesses. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed the increase was entirely down to the services sector. The tiny rise, which is measured on a three-month rolling basis, was a slight improvement on the three months [...]
Coronavirus: What does entertaining look like in a post-pandemic world? April 8, 2020 What will life be like after the Coronavirus? What will restaurants be like? What kind of holidays will we have? Who will be going to concerts? I’m pretty sure it’s not what you expect… how do I know? Well, at Ten Group – the world’s most successful lifestyle concierge service (“TENG” on the London Stock [...]
Coronavirus: Tesco could take £925m hit on extra staff and delivery costs April 8, 2020 Tesco warned it could take a hit of up to £925m due to the impact of hiring extra staff and ramping up distribution due to the coronavirus outbreak. The supermarket this morning said it expects retail costs to increase by between £650m and £925m, but said the sales boost caused by stockpiling and business rates [...]
Heineken withdraws guidance as coronavirus dents sales April 8, 2020 Heineken has withdrawn all guidance for the year as beer volumes fell in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. The Dutch brewing company said the pandemic was having a “significant impact” on business in 2020, noting the restriction of movement, outlet closures and the lockdown of production facilities. Total consolidated volume is expected to decrease [...]