Tory MP arrested on suspicion of rape will not be suspended from party August 2, 2020 The Tory MP arrested over allegations of rape will not be suspended from the party, in a decision that will only be reviewed following a police investigation, the Conservative party said today. A spokesperson for the Conservative whips’ office said: “These are serious allegations and it is right that they are investigated fully. The whip [...]
Tory MP arrested on suspicion of rape August 2, 2020 A Conservative MP and former minister has been arrested after a woman in her twenties accused him of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. The Tory MP was taken into custody yesterday and released on bail. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they have launched an investigation into four alleged incidents between July 2019 and January 2020 [...]
Shakespeare: M&S loyalty scheme gives new spark July 31, 2020 High street retailer Marks and Spencer launched their loyalty scheme ‘Sparks’ in 2015, but customer feedback branded it confusing and hard to use. Even CEO Steve Rowe himself admitted it needed “substantial improvement”. Sparks has now been relaunched as a digital-first loyalty scheme offering members instant rewards. For example, one customer at every store will [...]
Amazon rolls out free grocery deliveries for Prime customers July 28, 2020 Amazon Prime customers will be able to order grocery deliveries to their home for free, the e-commerce giant announced today, in a huge blow to high street supermarket giants and small retailers. The tech titan will roll out free deliveries via its Amazon Fresh grocery service to Prime subscribers across 300 postcodes from today, with [...]
Linkedin to cut 960 jobs in pandemic restructuring July 21, 2020 Linkedin is to cut around 960 jobs, or six per cent of its workforce, as it struggles to maintain demand for its products during the pandemic. The Microsoft-owned professional social network helps workers find new roles and recruiters source fresh talent. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global employment has left Linkedin with falling [...]
The City View: ‘Charlemagne’ on the EU July 21, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Today Andy Silvester talks to Duncan Robinson, Charlemagne columnist for The Economist. Based in Brussels, Duncan gives us an insight into the changing relationships within the EU now that the UK has left, the role of member states in a post-pandemic world, and the future of continental euroscepticism. Andy [...]
Physical? Hybrid? Virtual? Companies re-imagine AGMs for 2021 and beyond July 20, 2020 Could the annual general meetings (AGMs) of 2021 and beyond look and feel very different? As companies start to consider the future format of corporate set-piece events, so the possibility arises these often sparsely attended gatherings could begin to evolve into significantly more enlightening and engaging occasions. This year’s AGM season largely coincided with lockdown, [...]
Marks & Spencer cuts 950 jobs as pandemic accelerates transformation plan July 20, 2020 Marks & Spencer (M&S) announced this morning that it will cut 950 jobs as it accelerates its transformation plan during the coronavirus pandemic. The retailer announced today that it will create a new retail management structure, which will affect 950 roles across central support functions and property and store management, in the latest blow for [...]
M&S set to announce hundreds of UK job cuts this week July 20, 2020 Supermarket giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) is set to announce plans for hundreds of job cuts later this week, according to reports, as the retailer undergoes a wide-scale restructure in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. M&S will begin announcing redundancy plans over the next few days, which are expected to run into their thousands [...]
Revenue soars at Ocado during lockdown July 14, 2020 Retail sales for the first half of 2020 for online grocer Ocado jumped 27 per cent to £1bn, as Brits did their supermarket shopping from home. The group reported a loss before tax of £40.6m in the six months to the end of May, citing an increase in investment to handle increased demand as a [...]