Michael Gove to hold Covid Christmas talks with devolved nations over ‘rethink’ December 16, 2020 Talks over the plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period will continue today amid concerns that doing so could lead to a surge in cases of the disease. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will continue to lead negotiations with representatives from the UK’s devolved administrations, having failed to reach agreement yesterday. Under the [...]
Christmas rail works are essential this year to keep trains running throughout 2021 December 16, 2020 This year, the Christmas engineering works being undertaken by the railway industry have received extensive media coverage. Unfortunately, the time period for these works coincides with the window when coronavirus restrictions will be loosened for five days (23–27 December). This has led to some frustration, with questions about why the work needs to take place [...]
Cold turkey: Ministers face pressure to scrap ‘rash’ Christmas relaxation of rules December 15, 2020 The government is facing mounting pressure to rethink its decision to relax coronavirus restrictions for five days over Christmas over fears it will lead to a third national lockdown. In their first joint editorial for more than 100 years, the British Medical Journal and Health Service Journal today said the government should U-turn on its [...]
Revolution Bars: Clubbers scaling back makes for a ‘challenging’ year ahead July 26, 2023 Revolution Bars Group said that it expects trading for the rest of the year to be “challenging”, as young clubbers are scaling back nights out due to the cost of living crisis. In its full year results the group said like-for-like sales were down 8.7 per cent against pre-covid levels, as it warned that trading [...]
Breaking: Three households will be able to mix for five days over Christmas November 24, 2020 Up to three households will be able to mix indoors during a five-day Christmas relaxation of lockdown rules, UK leaders have agreed. Under new plans, members of up to three different households will be able to form an exclusive bubble between 23 and 27 December. That will not include hospitality settings, though members of three [...]
Retail sales crash 3.2 per cent in December as struggling high street hits Covid-era low January 19, 2024 UK retail sales plummeted 3.2 per cent in December, well below analyst expectations and the largest monthly fall since January 2021 when coronavirus restrictions pushed down sales. Analysts had expected sales to fall by 0.5 per cent in the last month of the year, but a significant drop in both food and non-food store sales [...]
Retailers ‘relieved’ as shops get green light to open before Christmas November 23, 2020 The Prime Minister has announced that non-essential stores in England can reopen next month, in what retailers hope will provide a lifeline for the high street in the run-up to Christmas. In a statement in the House of Commons this afternoon, Boris Johnson confirmed that stores that were forced to close during the coronavirus lockdown [...]
Toy stores demand to reopen or risk ‘allowing Covid to steal Christmas’ November 19, 2020 Toy stores have urged the Prime Minister to allow their shops to open as essential businesses during lockdown, or risk allowing “Covid to steal Christmas”. In a letter to Boris Johnson, toy industry chiefs warned that without bricks and mortar trade during November and December many stores will be forced to close permenantly. British Toy [...]
Tesco adds £1bn in online sales as customers splash out over Christmas period January 14, 2021 Tesco added an extra £1bn in online sales in the run-up to Christmas as new lockdown measures accelerated the shift to digital shopping. The supermarket said online sales growth surged more than 80 per cent in the 19 weeks to 9 January, and orders have continued to grow after the festive season. Tesco broke its [...]
Grocery sales on track for bumper Christmas after reaching record high in November December 8, 2020 November was the largest month ever for the UK’s grocery market as out of home socialising was restricted by a second national lockdown, figures show. Market researcher Kantar said grocery sales rose 11.3 per cent in the 12 months to 29 November and climbed 13.9 per cent year-on-year in the last four weeks. Last month [...]