British retailers cheer Christmas sales, but City analysts warn of coming storm January 15, 2023 Britain’s largest retailers kicked off 2023 strongly last week, posting better than expected Christmas sales, signalling the consumer is holding up a bit better than feared. Tesco’s like for like sales were 7.9 per cent higher, while Marks and Spencer pocketed a 7.2 per cent rise. Sainsbury’s also posted record Christmas sales. Those bumper numbers, [...]
Bank of England won’t cut interest rates until Christmas but UK to avoid recession April 17, 2023 The Bank of England is poised to cut interest rates at Christmas, lured into the decision by inflation falling rapidly over the course of this year, new forecasts that also say the UK will dodge a recession out today claim. Governor Andrew Bailey and his team of economists are tipped to launch the first rate [...]
Eurostar security staff to join railway workers in pre-Christmas strike November 30, 2022 Eurostar’s passengers might need to brace for disruption over the Christmas period, as security staff contracted by facility manager Mitie have announced a strike for mid-December. Over 100 members of the union RMT are set to walk out on 16, 18, 22, 23 December as part of an ongoing dispute over salaries. This will severely [...]
Sky high? Wizz Air enjoys Christmas bump as passenger levels increase January 3, 2023 London-listed budget airline Wizz Air will be avoiding the January blues this year after a pre-Christmas traveller bump boosted 2022’s passenger numbers. The airline flew 4.18m passengers in December, up more than 50 per cent on this time last year when some parts of its European network were affected by Omicron travel destinations. The December [...]
La Clique Leicester Square review: Camp cabaret is essential for Christmas November 16, 2022 Leicester Square is probably number one on the list of places Londoners avoid at all costs, but during Christmas there’s a surprisingly decent market there that’s atmospheric enough to justify breaking our avoidance pacts. The centrepiece of it is the Spiegeltent, an in-the-round theatre space hosting La Clique, which has become the Christmas cabaret tipple [...]
Twixmas dining: The best restaurants to eat between Christmas and New Year’s Eve December 28, 2022 We all know what we’ll be eating over the next couple of days – turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, consumed in quantities such that the effects will still be visible around your midriff come February. But what happens once the leftovers have been hoovered up on Boxing Day? While many restaurants remain closed, some central [...]
Many Brits to turn off Christmas lights in bid to save energy November 14, 2022 Christmas is set to be a bit less sparkly this year with a massive upsurge in Brits not putting up Christmas lights to save energy. The soaring cost of electricity means 16 per cent of UK households will avoid plugging in fairy lights on their tree and across their house, which light up many streets [...]
What to watch this Christmas: Top TV shows of 2022, from Severance to 1899 December 25, 2022 That we’re living in a golden age of TV has become something of a truism, but even against that backdrop 2022 has been an excellent year for new shows. Here are just a few of our favourites, from top comedies to steampunk science fiction and crime noir. Bad Sisters – Apple TV The latest show [...]
Londoners warned: Only travel if necessary as transport shut down by strikes and Christmas December 23, 2022 Londoners have been warned to travel only if necessary as the railways and tube network shut down for Christmas amidst ongoing rail strikes. Network Rail reminded customers services will finish “very early” on Christmas Eve, with Avanti West Coast’s trains from Euston leaving much earlier than usual due to the Network Rail strikes. Members of [...]
Shop ’till you drop: Christmas spending up despite rampant inflation December 20, 2022 Shopping habits die hard as Brits continue to spend across the board in the run-up to Christmas and the holiday season despite historic levels of inflation raising prices. Spending on essentials is up by an average of 43.5 per cent compared to the same time last year, with non-essential expenditure also rising by an average [...]