Thousands of websites including Amazon, UPS, HSBC, BA, Airbnb and HBO hit in major global outage July 22, 2021 A major server outage brought down thousands of websites across the UK, US and around the world, including HSBC, Barclays, American Express, Delta Airlines, Tesco Bank, alongside the PlayStation Network, Airbnb and Waitrose, as well as ITV and TSB. British Airways was also down. A message on the BA website read: “Service Unavailable – DNS [...]
Pingdemic: Government urged to expand self-isolation exemption list July 22, 2021 MPs and industry leaders have called on the government to include supermarket staff, lorry drivers and other essential workers on the self-isolation exemption list to prevent supply chains from buckling under the weight of the “pingdemic”. Shelves across the UK have been depleted this week as a result of workers at each stage of the [...]
Freedom Day: Where do I need to wear a face mask from today? July 19, 2021 Across England, the final remaining coronavirus restrictions have been lifted. From today, people are no longer required by law to wear masks. The government has said, however, that people will still be expected to wear face masks in certain situations while some businesses, travel operators and local politicians have said that masks will still be [...]
Supermarkets urge shoppers to keep masks on after 19 July July 15, 2021 Supermarkets are urging customers to continue wearing masks even after 19 July, when they will no longer be a legal requirement in England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that from Monday 19 July, dubbed ‘Freedom Day’, almost all pandemic restrictions will be lifted including the legal requirement to wear masks. Instead the public will [...]
John Lewis and Waitrose to cut 1000 jobs July 14, 2021 John Lewis Partnership, the parent company of the two high street giants, has confirmed plans to cut around 1000 management roles in stores. In a move that echoes rival retailers’ attempts to weather the pandemic, the company said the 1000 role redundancies were an attempt to simplify store management structures. A John Lewis Partnership spokesperson [...]
The future of instant coffee looks a little brighter thanks to Little’s July 12, 2021 The coffee pod market now supplies 96 million cups a day to caffeine fiends across the globe. But it’s also coming under increasing scrutiny for its wasteful packaging, which sends many tonnes of plastic to the landfill. Devon’s Will Little might just have a solution for those time-poor coffee drinkers: “I asked myself ‘Why don’t [...]
The best bangers to eat this National BBQ Week July 8, 2021 Newmarket is the home of horse breeding and thoroughbred racing. It’s also the home of sausage-making and thoroughbred bangers, and therefore the go-to place for National BBQ week. The royal households have been getting their bangers from Suffolk for over 100 years and doubtless William and Kate have placed their order for this week. Founded [...]
John Lewis and Waitrose to introduce flexible working for head office staff July 5, 2021 Bosses at John Lewis and Waitrose have confirmed they will introduce flexible working for all staff based at the company’s head offices. The announcement by the employee-owned retailer came after Boris Johnson confirmed plans to lift most lockdown restrictions on 19 July, including an end to the government’s work from home guidance. “If restrictions are [...]
John Lewis to build 10,000 rental homes July 5, 2021 Retailer John Lewis will build 10,000 rental homes over the next few years, in a move into the residential property market. Tenants will have a choice of renting fully furnished with John Lewis products or using their own, according to reports. The move will give the business a long-term, stable income, and provide new job [...]
Ocado settles espionage spat with its founder Jonathan Faiman after ‘significant payment’ June 25, 2021 Ocado said today it has settled a legal dispute with its co-founder and a former employee after accusations they secured confidential documents from the online retail firm while they set up a competitor. Ocado Group said Jonathan Faiman, who co-founded the business and exited in 2008, and Jon Hillary, one of its longest-serving employees before [...]