Wagamama owner Restaurant Group warns of huge coronavirus sales hit March 18, 2020 The owner of restaurant chain Wagamama today warned the coronavirus crisis will almost halve its sales over the first six months of 2020. Restaurant Group told investors to prepare for a 45 per cent plummet in sales for the first half of the year due to UK measures to contain Covid-19. The government has warned [...]
Britain’s biggest banks warn coronavirus pandemic will hit income March 17, 2020 Some of the largest banks in Britain have warned the coronavirus pandemic will hit their already under-pressure earnings, with a decline in economic activity eating into fee income. Lloyds will delay part of a £3bn technology investment programme in response to the coronavirus pandemic to maintain its capital levels, its chief executive said today, as [...]
UK budget watchdog: No time to be ‘squeamish’ about big coronavirus spending March 17, 2020 Britain’s economy faces a “wartime situation” and the government must not be “squeamish about one-off additions to public sector debt,” the head of Britain’s fiscal watchdog has said. Robert Chote, head of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), told MPs that a big fiscal package to support the UK’s businesses and households would be “money [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks plunge amid coronavirus lockdown fears September 21, 2020 A horrible start to the week saw the FTSE 100 suffer its worst day since June as worries over rising coronavirus cases combined with a financial scandal to cause chaos in the City. London’s blue-chip index plunged 3.5 per cent to 5,800 points just before the close, having started the day above 6,000. The FTSE [...]
The Circuit Breakers should be honest about what they’re asking for: lockdown until Christmas and beyond October 16, 2020 “Circuit breaker lockdown”: sounds cool, doesn’t it? Edgy, effective, high-tech. Circuits involve electricity, electricity is physics, so a circuit breaker must be about science — the kind of science that makes light bulbs flash and powers cutting-edge revolutions that can save a nation from ruin. With pressure building for the government to impose this two-week [...]
Property of the week: Beer fans will lap up this Chiswick mansion with links to historic brewery September 20, 2019 Steeped in brewing history, this home that has come to the market in West London could be the perfect pad for a beer lover. Records suggest it was built soon after 1700 when it was used as a pub with links to the local brewery – though some of its foundations date back to an [...]
Storm Brendan: Winds of up to 80mph to lash UK January 13, 2020 Britain is preparing for forceful winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain as Storm Brendan swept into the country today. The Met Office issued a weather warning for the west of the UK today, though the Republic of Ireland will be the worst hit by the storm, with the country having an orange wind [...]
Sadiq Khan is wrong — extending the furlough scheme would hinder London’s recovery, not help it June 25, 2020 Warning of a “looming unemployment crisis”, Sadiq Khan this week made an appeal for a further extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), under which more than a million Londoners have been furloughed. His concern for London jobs is understandable. But it would be wrong to continue the scheme beyond October. Furloughing made sense [...]
UK considers three-stage ‘traffic light’ plan to exit coronavirus lockdown April 19, 2020 Michael Gove has poured cold water on reports that schools and some shops could be re-opened by next month in an easing of the UK’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions. When asked about a government report first leaked to Buzzfeed about the UK’s three-stage lockdown exit plan, Gove said it was not correct that schools could be [...]
Boots to slash 4,000 jobs and shut 48 Opticians stores July 9, 2020 British pharmacy chain Boots has announced it will slash 4,000 jobs and close 48 stores as it seeks to shore up its balance sheet after months of closures during the pandemic. Boots said it was consulting on plans to restructure its head office and store teams and close 48 Boots Opticians stores. In a statement, [...]