Pizza Express to reopen 13 London restaurants for delivery May 19, 2020 Casual dining chain Pizza Express will reopen 13 of its London sites for delivery from next week. The Italian restaurant chain is preparing to reopen sites across the capital including in Balham, Fulham and Notting Hill where it has typically seen high customer demand. Pizza Express will launch with a “slightly edited” menu and with [...]
Marks & Spencer to reopen 49 cafes as UK lockdown eases May 13, 2020 Marks & Spencer (M&S) will reopen cafes across the UK with social distancing measures in place from tomorrow, as the country gradually starts to ease the coronavirus lockdown. The retailer said 49 cafes will be open to sell takeaway hot drinks following a successful trial at five locations, allowing customers to buy coffee while doing [...]
Marks & Spencer scraps 2021 dividend and warns of prolonged coronavirus disruption April 28, 2020 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has cancelled next year’s dividend in order to save £210m as the retailer warned of prolonged disruption to trading. The high street giant said it was preparing a “never the same again” programme to make permanent changes to ways of working, which will be unveiled when the company publishes its full-year [...]
Coronavirus: When are supermarket opening times for NHS and pensioners? April 17, 2020 As the UK heads into lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, supermarkets have enforced tighter restrictions and changed opening hours. Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving supermarkets one of the few stores to remain open. In recent weeks supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as consumers embarked on [...]
Shakespeare: The pandemic is changing the retail market, even online April 8, 2020 Lockdown has created a difficult situation for retailers of goods that are deemed ‘non-essential’ as brands try to adhere to social distancing guidelines for employees while balancing the need to continue trading. Some Brits have taken to social media to argue that ordering non-essential items online creates unnecessary risks for warehouse employees. But encouragingly for [...]
Coronavirus: M&S gives staff 15 per cent bonus April 1, 2020 Marks and Spencer will give frontline staff across its stores and supply chain a 15 per cent bonus for their work during the coronavirus pandemic. The company also said employees that “have caring commitments or who are feeling more vulnerable” are able to be furloughed voluntarily on full pay. The retailer announced this morning that [...]
Coronavirus dividend cuts produce £4.4bn hit to investor portfolios March 27, 2020 With more UK firms announcing coronavirus-fuelled dividend cuts this week, the total loss of investor income so far this year is now £4.4bn. The pace of dividend cuts is accelerating as coronavirus wreaks havoc on world economies. In March 116 companies have suspended their dividends totalling £4.2bn, according to investment fund AJ Bell. That compares [...]
Coronavirus: Marks & Spencer warns on profit as it considers store closures March 20, 2020 Marks & Spencer issued a coronavirus-related profit warning today and alerted investors it may close stores temporarily amid the UK’s Covid-19 outbreak. Its clothing and home divisions have suffered a big hit already from the UK coronavirus crisis, Marks & Spencer warned. As a result profit could fall below expectations of £440m to £460m. “The [...]
Coronavirus live: Social distancing needs to be in place for most of a year, say government advisers March 20, 2020 1.35pm: Social distancing measures need to be in place for “most of a year” Scientists advising the government have said social distancing measures need to be in place for “at least most of a year” to combat the coronavirus outbreak. In a press conference last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK could “turn [...]
Travis Perkins suspends dividend and delays Wickes de-merger March 20, 2020 Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has suspended its dividend due to coronavirus uncertainty. The company also announced its intention to delay its long planned de-merger of DIY retailer Wickes. However, the group announced in its trading update a strong balance sheet with cash deposits of £185m. Boss Nick Roberts said: “Our highest priority is the health [...]