Corona Impact Series: A Chelsea jeweller conveys her message of bling via Zoom and Bing March 29, 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 three lockdowns forced an upmarket jewellery chain to convey a personal message of bling via Zoom and Bing. The accelerated shift to digital has been the theme of the [...]
Bond investors and sustainability: is it all greenwash? March 29, 2021 With issuance of green, social and sustainability bonds expected to hit a record $650 billion this year, Schroders’ Head of Sustainable Credit Saida Eggerstedt tackles the topic of greenwashing. “We are in a boom era for borrowing linked to sustainability criteria,” according to Saida Eggerstedt, Schroders’ Head of Sustainable Credit. In 2020, the global issuance [...]
More than 41,000 UK hospitality venues have outdoor space for 12 April reopening March 29, 2021 More than 41,000 pubs, bars and restaurants have some kind of outdoor space which could allow them to reopen on 12 April, according to new figures published this morning. The latest monthly Market Recovery Monitor by CGA and AlixPartners has revealed that just over 38 per cent of licensed premises in the UK say they [...]
FTSE 100 and Wall Street rise on recovery optimism March 26, 2021 FTSE 100 climbed further this afternoon as Wall Street opened higher on renewed economic recovery optimism. London’s blue-chip index is trading 0.9 per cent higher this afternoon as higher retail sales triggered a new wave of confidence in the economic recovery. Mining stocks including Rio Tinto, Anglo American and BHP pushed higher after a slow [...]
Shop ’til you drop: High street stores to stay open until 10pm after lockdown March 26, 2021 High street stores will be allowed to stay open until 10pm when they reopen next month. Non-essential retailers should be given the opportunity to extend opening hours to trade between 7am and 10pm every day except for Sunday, the government has said. The extension is intended to help reduce footfall, ease transport pressures and make [...]
Jessops files for administration with 17 stores and 120 jobs at risk March 26, 2021 Jessops, the camera retailer owned by Dragons’ Den investor Peter Jones, has filed a notice to appoint administrators after it was affected by lockdown restrictions. The company, which was bought by Mr Jones in 2013, currently employs 120 staff and runs 17 stores. It has hired insolvency specialists FRP and said it is now considering [...]
Asda loses first stage of landmark equal pay case at Supreme Court March 26, 2021 Asda has lost the first stage of its appeal in a landmark equal pay case that could cost the supermarket giant millions of pounds. The Supreme Court this morning upheld the findings of a 2016 employment tribunal and a Court of Appeal case in 2019, which ruled that roles of Asda store workers can be [...]
Retail sales recover slightly in February driven by DIY purchases March 26, 2021 Retail sales ticked up slightly in February compared to the previous month, as purchases of DIY and household goods offset a steep drop in demand for new shoes and clothing. Sales volumes increased 2.1 per cent following a 8.2 per cent drop in January, with the strongest growth seen in department stores and household goods [...]
British electric vehicle startup Arrival secures $13.6bn valuation in New York March 26, 2021 British electric van and bus startup Arrival secured $13.6bn (£9.87bn) valuation upon its listing in New York yesterday, despite being yet to begin production. The firm, which is yet to turn a profit, went public on Nasdaq yesterday, raising around $660m in gross proceeds to ramp up the delivery of its electric vehicles and expand [...]
Furlough: Extra 200,000 workers temporarily laid off in February March 25, 2021 The government paid out almost £4bn in additional furlough costs last month as a further 200,000 people were temporarily laid off. HM Revenue and Customs said it has paid a total of £57.7bn in furlough claims to around 11.4m workers since the pandemic began a year ago. Separate data published today by the Office for [...]