DEBATE: Is the proposal to suspend Sunday trading laws misguided? June 9, 2020 Is the proposal to suspend Sunday trading laws for a year misguided? Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, says YES. Shop workers have been at the forefront of responding to our needs during this crisis. They immediately stepped up to meet the demands in their communities to ensure that everyone was able to receive [...]
British public support scrapping Sunday trading laws, says new poll June 8, 2020 The government’s plan to allow super markets in England and Wales to open for longer on Sundays has the public’s backing, according to new polling. A YouGov poll released today showed that 48 per cent of people supported the change, with 31 per cent opposing and 21 per cent unsure. Boris Johnson is poised to [...]
Mulberry looks to cut a quarter of workforce June 8, 2020 Mulberry is looking to cut 25 per cent of its global workforce as the British luxury brand looks to reduce its costs after demand for its products was dented by the coronavirus pandemic. Mulberry, which employs around 1,500 people globally, said it expected the recovery of its sales levels in the medium term to be [...]
Morrisons extends faster payment scheme for small suppliers June 8, 2020 Morrisons will continue to make immediate payments to its smaller suppliers for a further three months to support them during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the grocer announced this morning. The UK’s fourth largest supermarket chain introduced the faster payment scheme in March to help small farms and food producers hit by the closure of the [...]
Labour not supportive of changing Sunday trading laws June 7, 2020 Labour has said it does not support the government’s move to scrap trading laws in England, which will allow super markets to open for more than six hours on Sundays. Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said she wasn’t convinced the changes would help stimulate the economy and that they would also deprive workers of seeing [...]
Gap reports $932m quarterly loss due to coronavirus closures June 5, 2020 Gap this morning reported a quarterly loss of almost $1bn after the clothing retailer was forced to close its stores during the coronavirus pandemic. The US retail giant reported a net loss of $932m, or $2.51 per share, in the three months to 2 May, including a $484m writedown on store and operating lease assets [...]
More than 800 jobs at risk as Victoria’s Secret UK arm enters administration June 5, 2020 The UK business of lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret has fallen into administration, putting more than 800 jobs at risk. All of Victoria’s Secret’s 25 UK stores are currently closed due to the coronavirus lockdown, with 785 employees on furlough. Deloitte, which was appointed as administrator today, said no redundancies have been made while it searches [...]
Survive and thrive: Spencer Matthews’ low-alcohol brand is Clean-ing up June 5, 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, City A.M. talks to the reality TV star-turned-entrepreneur Spencer Matthews about his Clean Liquor Company, selling low-alcohol spirits on Instagram and global ambitions For any business, at any time, consistently increasing [...]
The business of running: Trainer sales and fitness apps boom in lockdown June 5, 2020 Running in the UK has been booming for years, with Parkrun events attracting hundreds of thousands each Saturday and amateur athletes comparing their fastest times on new tracking apps. That trend has only accelerated under the coronavirus lockdown, albeit in a more solitary way. As normal life has ground to a halt, huge numbers of [...]
FTSE 100 reshuffle: Easyjet and British Gas drop out over coronavirus June 4, 2020 Four major UK companies dropped out of the FTSE 100 in last night’s reshuffle, over their exposure to the coronavirus pandemic. Pummelled by a collapse in oil prices and commercial energy demand, British Gas owner Centrica has dropped out of the UK’s top index. Cruise ship operator Carnival, whose Diamond Princess cruiseliner suffered one of [...]