Christmas gift ideas: Watches to satisfy the horology nerds in your life December 10, 2021 Aston Martin x Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph With seemingly hard-and-fast automotive hook-ups like Hublot x Ferrari and Breitling x Bentley suffering retirements from the race, you’d wonder who would venture gamely onto such a notoriously fickle scene. But the coming-together of Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux feels like something that soars way clear of mere badge engineering [...]
Oil prices enjoy healthy gains amid easing concerns over Omicron variant December 10, 2021 Oil prices continue to recover from last month’s steep dive with markets increasingly less fearful of the emerging Omicron variant.
One of our own: Rachel Reeves’ journey from the City to the top of Labour politics December 10, 2021 Rachel Reeves looks comfortable in the palatial settings of 1 Lombard Street as she settles down to a gin and tonic, garnished with a slice of grapefruit. The shadow chancellor is is a formidable force in the House of Commons – a Labour staffer described her as “un-chill, but in a very good way” – [...]
Champions Cup kick-off has been tainted by Covid complications December 10, 2021 Cardiff and Munster’s youngsters and fringe players may be dreaming of famous upsets this weekend in the Champions Cup but, for me, the situation has tainted European club rugby’s big kick-off slightly. It’s nobody’s fault that the two teams have dozens of players unavailable after being caught up in the omicron breakout while playing in [...]
All of our cities are at risk this Christmas as they wrestle with Covid uncertainty again December 10, 2021 Boris Johnson has now confirmed our fears: Plan B will be brought in, and with it, more mask rules, Covid passports and work from home advice. It will undoubtedly have a monumental impact on businesses that rely on high footfall in city centres. December was supposed to be the month that saw many nightclubs, bars [...]
Travel stocks lead London markets lower as investors digest Plan B damage December 9, 2021 Travel stocks led London markets lower yesterday as investors took flight from the sector after the UK government launched tougher Covid-19 restrictions this week. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dipped 0.22 per cent to close at 7,321.26 points, reversing some of this week’s gains. The mid-cap FTSE 250, which is more aligned to the [...]
Liberal Democrats call for hospitality support amid ‘unprecedented rates’ of Christmas cancellations December 9, 2021 The Liberal Democrats have written to the government requesting urgent support for hospitality firms impacted by plan B measures. Pubs and restaurants in city centres have been concerned about a drop off in trade during what is usually their busiest time of year, following fresh work-from-home guidance. In a letter to the minister for small [...]
Expenses fintech Pleo rakes in $200m, tripling valuation to $4.7bn December 9, 2021 Fintech Pleo has raised $200m in an extended Series C round at a valuation of $4.7bn, hot on the heels of its last cash injection in July that saw it pass the unicorn threshold at lightning speed. Pitching itself as the “largest spend management company in Europe”, Pleo provides expense management subscriptions to businesses that [...]
Plan B: Central London footfall to plummet with businesses in the lurch December 9, 2021 Central London footfall is anticipated to shrink to 50 per cent below 2019 levels following the government’s move to plan B Covid restrictions this winter. Areas like the West End are currently 20 per cent less busy than pre-pandemic levels, with retail experts at Springboard predicting the gap to widen further. Office workers were told [...]
Plan B to “inevitably impact” transport, stakeholders say December 9, 2021 The new set of restrictions outlined yesterday by the government will “inevitably impact” Transport for London (TfL), as more Londoners will be required to work from home. Nick Bowes, chief executive at think tank Centre for London, said that passenger numbers have already started dipping since the new variant emerged, “as people change their behaviour [...]