Shoppers spend extra £524m at UK supermarkets in April April 28, 2020 Shoppers spent an extra £524m at UK supermarkets during the coronavirus lockdown compared to April last year. Grocery sales soared 9.1 per cent in the 12 weeks to 19 April, which were £524m higher in the past four weeks than they were in April 2019. Households made a record low 14 trips to UK supermarkets [...]
Opinion: Supermarkets look a good bet April 20, 2020 The received wisdom at present is that UK property capital markets have pretty much gone into suspended animation in the face of the pandemic, but this certainly isn’t the case in the grocery-led sector. There are currently seven substantial supermarket transactions totalling around £205m which are either under offer or due to imminently complete. And [...]
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 [...]
Coronavirus: SMEs will need more than a slow-moving loan scheme to recover April 17, 2020 Britain was once disparagingly described as a nation of shopkeepers and now, over two centuries later, small, and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the British economy. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, SMEs account for the vast majority of the UK business population; three fifths of employment and around half of the UK’s [...]
Coronavirus: FTSE 100 ends two-day rally as EU recovery stalls April 8, 2020 The FTSE 100 could not recover from a 1.2 per cent slump today after EU finance ministers failed to agree steps towards a coronavirus recovery. London’s blue-chip index fell 65 points to 5,638 within its first half hour of trading today. It followed two consecutive days of sharp gains for the FTSE 100. France’s Cac [...]
Coronavirus: Tesco could take £925m hit on extra staff and delivery costs April 8, 2020 Tesco warned it could take a hit of up to £925m due to the impact of hiring extra staff and ramping up distribution due to the coronavirus outbreak. The supermarket this morning said it expects retail costs to increase by between £650m and £925m, but said the sales boost caused by stockpiling and business rates [...]
Coronavirus: Tesco builds NHS staff shop at Nightingale hospital April 7, 2020 Tesco has secured a contract to provide a pop-up shop at a new Nightingale NHS hospital, which is being constructed to treat the surge in coronavirus patients. On Sunday the supermarket began work on the first pop-up store at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, which is being transformed into a coronavirus hospital. Tesco [...]
Coronavirus: Former F1 chief Ron Dennis donates £1m for NHS staff meals April 5, 2020 Former McLaren F1 boss Ron Dennis has launched a major initiative to serve 1m free meals to frontline NHS workers. The multimillionaire motor racing mogul has pledged more than £1m to provide meals for medical staff across the country as they battle the coronavirus pandemic. The food will be delivered to intensive care care staff, [...]
Coronavirus: Sainsbury’s to ease stockpiling restrictions on products April 3, 2020 Sainsbury’s will begin removing coronavirus stockpiling restrictions from its supermarket goods from this Sunday, it said today. The supermarket said a combination of more supply and panic buying measures means there is finally more stock on the shelves, prompting it to ease stockpiling measures. Restrictions are no longer in place on Easter eggs. However, buying [...]
WHO could alter coronavirus mask advice based on new evidence April 2, 2020 Official advice on wearing masks in public could change after new evidence suggested the measure could help protect people from coronavirus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has so far advised only people with coronavirus symptoms should wear masks in public. Those caring for people with coronavirus should also wear masks, official guidance has maintained. But [...]