As UK wages soar, drivers say an expensive and chaotic Christmas is increasingly likely September 30, 2021 Truck drivers have warned that prices for everything from food to Christmas gifts will rise because an acute shortage of drivers is pushing up wages. Watch the full report.
Scientific advisers urge government to add Covid protections now to avoid a ‘lockdown Christmas’ October 23, 2021 Two top scientific advisers have warned the UK is heading for another winter lockdown if the government does not reintroduce some Covid protection measures as soon as possible. Vaccines are “wonderful” but “not quite enough”, according to Professor Reicher, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which works with SAGE. “I [...]
Christmas comes early: November consumer spending up 16 per cent from pre-pandemic December 7, 2021 Consumer card spending grew 16 per cent in November compared to the same period in 2019, with early Christmas shopping giving a boost to retail, hospitality and leisure, according to new data from Barclaycard.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: London switches on world’s largest lights November 13, 2021 More than one million LED lights will deck London’s most well-known Christmas hotspots, including Leicester Square, Mayfair and Piccadilly Circus. A total of 20 streets across the city’s West End all had their lights switched on at the same time by the Lord Mayor of Westminster to mark the beginning of the festive season. Shoppers [...]
Food shortages: Temporary visas ‘too little, too late’ to save Christmas September 26, 2021 Retail bosses have warned the government’s temporary visas for HGV drivers falls dramatically short of what supermarkets need for Christmas, warning of shortages and disruption. The Department for Transport announced it would make 5,000 visas available to HGV drivers and 5,500 available to poultry workers until Christmas. For months, supermarket bosses have warned empty shelves [...]
Bank holiday weekend busiest spending period since Christmas 2019 September 1, 2021 The recent August bank holiday weekend was the busiest spending period since Christmas 2019, data has revealed. Barclaycard Payments processed more transactions on both Saturday August 28 and Sunday August 29 than on any date since Christmas Eve 2019 as Brits spent the weekend shopping. Transaction volumes were up 14.4 per cent across all sectors [...]
Number 10 does not deny Boris Johnson and wife had pal over at Christmas October 18, 2021 Number 10 has refused to deny Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson had their friend Nimco Ali stay for Christmas last year as London was in lockdown, but insisted the pair “followed coronavirus rules at all times”. It is thought that Ali, who is godmother to the Prime Minister’s young child Wilfred, was in a childcare [...]
Shapps echoes Sunak saying Christmas gifts will be available – CityAM : CityAM October 16, 2021 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has echoed Chancellor Rishi Sunak and said that Christmas gifts will be available despite the backlogs witnessed at UK ports. “People will be able to get things for Christmas,” he told Sky News. “When I talk to the ports they said it is a busy picture, but if you compared us [...]
As fat from Christmas turkeys could fill 3,000 bathtubs, Brits urged not to pour it down the sink December 24, 2021 South West Water is urging customers this morning to avoid a foul festive season by not pouring oils and grease down the sink. The fat from Christmas turkeys could fill nearly 3,000 bathtubs, according to the water company. A medium-sized turkey produces up to three-quarters of a pint of fat which, if put down pipes, [...]
The Christmas ship may have sailed warn delivery experts post Felixstowe bottleneck October 13, 2021 The Christmas ship might have already sailed, as Felixstowe’s massive bottleneck is causing container ships loaded with Christmas gifts to be redirected towards EU ports. According to home delivery company Parcelhero, the next two weeks will be critical for retailers as shipping companies are doing everything they can to allow warehouses to be fully-stocked in [...]