Pubs lament ‘dreadfully disappointing December’ but toast rebounding January sales January 13, 2022 Pubs and restaurants were knocked back by low trade over the Christmas period, although rebounding sales in recent days have offered a ray of hope for the beleaguered sector. Sales in pubs, restaurants and bars were down 60 per cent on Christmas Day on pre-Covid levels, according to data from UKHospitality and CGA. Transactions were [...]
Omi-gone: Brits flock back to pubs, bars and restaurants as social spending climbs January 13, 2022 The damaging drag the re-imposition of Covid-19 curbs had on Brits’ confidence is easing, reveal official figures released today. Britons rushed back to pubs, bars and restaurants in the immediate aftermath of Christmas and New Years in a sign that plan B’s blow to the UK services economy will disappear into the ether. Consumers have [...]
MI5 outs suspected Chinese spy donating funds to UK politicians January 13, 2022 A Chinese national who has donated funds to UK MPs has been outed as a spy by MI5.
Letters: Heigh ho, off to work we go January 13, 2022 [Re: Central London continues to feel hit of plan B measures, January 11]We’ve seen footfall in Central London dropping again as plan B measures keep many office workers at home. In December, office occupancy reached 10 per cent, a new low for London. This can’t go on. We must return to the office en masse, [...]
Ed Warner: We must remember the human cost of Olympic dreams January 13, 2022 What have the Australians ever done for us? Monty Python would struggle for a list of sporting gifts to match the Romans’ sanitation, medicine, roads etc, especially in the middle of the current Ashes drubbing. But with the 10th anniversary of London 2012 only six months away, let’s not forget that it was the Aussies [...]
‘Firefighting every day’ in sector in crisis: Social care providers reject new clients as staff shortages spiral out of control January 13, 2022 New client requests are rejected while existing care packages are handed back as social care providers are overwhelmed by staffing shortages, according to a new survey shared with City A.M. this morning. Two thirds of home care providers are turning away new requests for care while a fifth are handing back care packages, according to [...]
Expected 50 per cent hike in energy bills may trigger ‘devastating’ national emergency for millions of older Brits January 13, 2022 An anticipated price jump of about 50 per cent for energy bills across the country, likely from April onwards, can lead to a national emergency for millions of older people, a charity warned this morning. Age UK has urged ministers to take immediate and decisive action on energy bills to “mitigate the potentially devastating impact [...]
Nightcap eyes portfolio expansion as CEO ‘proves critics wrong’ after pandemic-launch January 12, 2022 Bar operator Nightcap hit £15.5m in net sales during its first full year of trading, as it lines up 25 new site openings this year. Boss Sarah Willingham, whose group owns Tonight Josephine and the London Cocktail Club, told CityA.M. she had “never been prouder” to work in hospitality than during the pandemic. The company [...]
Brits’ experience of previous Covid-19 curbs to quash Omicron GDP hit January 12, 2022 Brits’ resilience and ability to rapidly adapt in the face of soaring Covid-19 infections will insulate the UK economy from the Omicron variant, according to City economists. Experience of previous periods of curbs on daily life implemented by the UK government to tamp down on transmissions has resulted in businesses and consumers being able to [...]
Exclusive: Professional services partnerships start to come forward to HMRC over wrongly claimed furlough cash January 12, 2022 Professional services partnerships have begun to come forward over wrongly claimed coronavirus support, according to new data shared exclusively with City A.M. today. Around 25 professional services partnerships have admitted to overclaiming furlough with the amount totalling £309,588, averaging £12,384 per firm, law firm Pinsent Masons found. The numbers are likely to increase further as [...]