Pubs and restaurants swallow £10,000 losses in week before Christmas December 29, 2021 Hospitality venues lost more than £10,000 on average in the week before Christmas, the latest data has revealed. Christmas Day takings plunged 60 per cent for pubs, bars and restaurants, industry body UKHospitality found, as the latest Covid-19 wave saw ministers urging a cautious Christmas. London’s hospitality scene has been hit the hardest, the industry [...]
Sainsbury’s recruiting for 22,000 Christmas jobs October 1, 2021 Sainsbury’s is creating 22,000 Christmas jobs, with higher numbers of staff required than usual. This represents 10,000 more roles compared to on average over the past five years, the retailer confirmed. It is looking for store staff, delivery drivers and logistics workers as supermarket bosses have warned of a rocky Christmas amid a labour shortage. [...]
Strikes hit Cross Country trains as people travel home for Christmas December 24, 2021 The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) announced that strike action will go on today on Cross Country trains, creating massive disruption for thousands of travellers on the way to see their families for Christmas. Citing an assault on the “safety critical role of senior conductors and train managers,” Cross Country workers [...]
Christmas sales at Revolution Bars dip as sector welcomes end of Omicron measures January 20, 2022 Revolution Bar Group has posted its disappointing like-for-like sales over the Christmas trading period, when fresh Covid measures hindered pub bosses’ hopes. Like-for-like sales sales for the six week period ending 1 January were down -23 per cent in comparison to the last Christmas before the pandemic struck. Office parties were cancelled in waves as [...]
London markets rise as investors prepare to down tools for Christmas break December 23, 2021 London markets climbed today as investors prepare to down tools and clock off for the Christmas break. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed up 0.43 per cent to reach 7,373.34 points, while the FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned to the health of the UK economy, rose 0.81 per cent to 23,266.75 points. [...]
Boris Johnson rules out any further restrictions before Christmas December 21, 2021 The Prime Minister has confirmed that the government will not introduce any further Covid restrictions in England before Christmas, but cautioned that the situation remains “finely balanced” thereafter. In a video posted on Twitter from Downing Street, Boris Johnson delivered a message ensuring “people can go ahead with their Christmas plans” and said that the [...]
Ferrari Testa Rossa J review: All I want for Christmas… December 20, 2021 Made by The Little Car Company, the electric Testa Rossa J is a genuine Ferrari, but shrunken in scale. Is it the ultimate Christmas present?
Champagne Christmas promised by wine sellers despite supply problems November 19, 2021 Wine sellers and sommeliers have scrambled to assure Brits they can have their tipple of choice this Christmas. Wine importers have been challenged with Brexit-related paperwork at the border and rising costs on shipping containers. Premium online wine seller Naked Wines share price tumbled 20 per cent yesterday as it cut its full-year sales forecast [...]
London businesses hold out hope for bumper Christmas trade November 18, 2021 Three in 10 businesses anticipate this Christmas will be their most successful in the past five years, according to exclusive data from Barclaycard. Some 54 per cent of firms said they felt neutral or optimistic about the UK economy, meaning worries rage on for many businesses across the city. However, Barclaycard’s fourth quarter barometer found [...]
Aldi had its best Christmas ever as sales go through the roof January 10, 2022 Aldi has hailed its “best ever” Christmas sales as trading rebounded in December. The discount supermarket chain revealed that sales increased by 0.4 per cent against the same month last year, when sales across grocery stores had been buoyed by lockdown measures across hospitality firms. Aldi claimed figures from research firm Kantar show it was [...]