Joules buys digital retailer for up to £12.5m in bid to expand in booming homeware market February 9, 2021 Joules has bought digital homeware retailer The Garden Trading Company for up to £12.5m, as it seeks to expand further into the thriving interiors market. Garden Trading sells its own home, garden and outdoor product designs through its direct-to-consumer platform and through 1,000 stockists across the UK. Joules said the acquisition will strengthen its position [...]
Journalist sues Facebook over loss of control of personal data February 9, 2021 A claim has been filed against Facebook in the High Court of Justice regarding a loss of control over his and the personal data of around one million other affected Facebook users in England and Wales. The claim, brought about by journalist and writer Peter Jukes, is a consumer representative action brought on behalf of [...]
The City View with pubs boss Emma McClarkin February 8, 2021 City A.M. Acting Editor Andy Silvester sits down with the British Beer & Pub Association’s Chief Executive Emma McClarkin, who tells all about the difficulties her members are facing as a result of the pandemic – and what can be done to solve them as the UK gradually reopens. Andy also talks to CMC Markets’ [...]
En+ sales fall as pandemic prompts drop in aluminium demand February 8, 2021 The global leaders in aluminum production saw sales of the metal fall 7.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, signaling a 6 per cent yearly drop. En+ Group says the coronavirus pandemic and the collapse of the global economy played a significant role in the fall in demand. Vladimir Kiriukhin, CEO of En+ Group, said: [...]
The Week Ahead: Look out for GDP data, Ocado, AstraZ, Twitter and Ted Baker February 8, 2021 Start your week informed: here are the announcements and results to look out for this week. UK GDP: A double dip recession is looming After a fairly decent third quarter, and an expansion of 16 per cent, the UK economy has had a much more troubled fourth quarter, with the likelihood that we may well [...]
UK supermarket chiefs call for online sales tax on firms like Amazon February 8, 2021 Some of the UK’s largest retailers, including Tesco and Asda, have called for Rishi Sunak to “rebalance the tax base” between online and bricks and mortar retail in an apparent push for a new digital sales levy on firms like Amazon. In a letter to Sunak, 18 chief executives and union bosses said “online retailers [...]
Labour calls for UK tax cut extensions before 3 March Budget February 7, 2021 Labour is calling for an extension to tax cuts for some of the UK sectors worst affected by the Covid pandemic. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds today urged Rishi Sunak to extend the current VAT cut, from 20 per cent to five per cent, for retail and hospitality for another six months past March or or [...]
Pandemic profiteers face tax hike on Covid winnings February 7, 2021 Companies that have cashed in a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including the likes of Amazon, will face a double tax raid under plans being draw up by the government. The government has summoned companies to discuss how an online sales tax would work, while plans are also being drawn up for a one-off “excessive profits tax,” the [...]
Corona Impact Series: How an EV charging company in Shoreditch was powered up by a policy change mid-pandemic February 5, 2021 In this series, City A.M. looks at the financial and economic impact of the ongoing pandemic on a range of small and medium-sized businesses across London. This week: How an electric vehicle charging startup in East London was made future-proof by government policies that were introduced at the height of the pandemic. “When the first [...]
Covid restrictions drive online food shopping to record high as customers eat in to help out February 2, 2021 Online grocery shopping hit a record 14 per cent share of the UK grocery market in January, as customers bought more food to enjoy from home. The growth was boosted by a 229 per cent year-on-year rise in online spending by retired households. Supermarkets saw sales growth accelerate to 12.2 per cent in the last [...]