Survive and thrive: Pilgrims get a pizza the delivery action June 2, 2020 London’s businesses have been forced to weather a storm they never saw coming, but many have pivoted to new ways of doing business. Today, Thom Elliot – co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims – writes for City A.M. on how one of the capital’s favourite small chains responded to the crisis and the challenges to come Covid-19 presented a [...]
Survive and thrive: Back to the grind stone at a cult coffee favourite June 1, 2020 London’s businesses have been forced to weather a storm they never saw coming, but many have pivoted to new ways of doing business. Today, David Abrahamovitch – founder of coffee brand GRIND – writes for City A.M. on the way he’s changed his business during the pandemic, and the challenges of the ‘new normal’ The week [...]
Losses at UK’s top restaurants jump to £151m June 1, 2020 Losses at the UK’s top 100 restaurants increased to £151m last year, a figure that will only worsen as the industry grapples with the impact of the coronavirus. Figures from accountancy group UHY Hacker Young show a 94 per cent increase in losses, from £78m the year before. The government has tentatively set out plans [...]
Ikea introduces social distancing wardens as it prepares for reopening May 31, 2020 Ikea is introducing social distancing wardens as part of a string of safety measures being implemented ahead of reopening on Monday. The retailer will reopen 19 stores across England and Northern Ireland from tomorrow, with click and collect facilities also opening in a phased approach. Ikea stores in Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland [...]
Pret a Manger set for crucial rent talks with landlords May 31, 2020 Fast food chain Pret a Manger is preparing for rent talks with its landlords in a bid to stave off closing some stores due to the coronavirus crisis. The chain, a favourite of office workers around the UK, is preparing for a shift in footfall in city centres as working patterns shift due to the [...]
UK hiring plummets as Covid-19 crisis hits low-income workers May 28, 2020 UK job vacancies crashed almost 60 per cent this month as the coronavirus pandemic sparked the country’s fastest rise in unemployment since 1947, new data has revealed. Live job vacancies have dropped from 820,000 at the beginning of April to just 373,000 in May as fears of a protracted economic downturn grow. The figures, released [...]
UK grocery sales surge at record level after two months of lockdown May 27, 2020 UK grocery sales rose 14.3 per cent during the 12 weeks to 17 May, the fastest rate since comparable records began in 1994, as Britons adapted to the national lockdown, data from market researcher Kantar showed today. The UK has been in lockdown since 23 March though restrictions are being gradually eased. Of Britain’s big [...]
CBILs failings are leading us to catastrophe May 26, 2020 Ranald Macdonald is a restaurateur and Managing Director of Boisdale Group The UK is sleepwalking into a financial disaster of biblical proportions that will exacerbate the economic effects of Covid many times over. Other leading nations, like Germany, the US and France, will avoid this calamity as they have been far more successful in ensuring [...]
Coronavirus: Pizza Express could permanently close some restaurants May 24, 2020 Pizza Express could be forced to permanently close some of its 470 UK restaurants after the coronavirus crisis heaped pressure on the debt-laden firm. The casual dining chain, which is owned by Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital, is reportedly mulling a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which would allow it to shutter some or all [...]
Which south London pubs are serving pints this weekend? A non-exhaustive list May 22, 2020 The pint. The perfect measure; not too big, not too small. And now available in takeaway milk cartons in a host of pubs across south London. Here’s City A.M.’s very much non-exhaustive list of pubs south of the river that will allow you to have something cold, fizzy and poured by somebody else over this [...]