Brits must prepare for ‘significant rail disruption’ into January due to strikes December 27, 2022 Rail passengers have been warned to prepare for “significantly disrupted” travel into the New Year amid a wave of industrial unrest sweeping across the country. The Network Rail warning came as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at CrossCountry staged a 24-hour strike from 9pm on Boxing Day as part of a long-running campaign for [...]
Online shopping boom could cause Christmas chaos, Post Office warns November 3, 2020 A boom in online shopping and parcel deliveries could cause Christmas chaos this festive season, the Post Office said as it warned the public to send their gifts earlier than usual to avoid a last-minute rush. More than a fifth of Brits have already decided to send presents through the post rather than give them [...]
Conviction Life Science pushes back IPO deadline as winter investment freezes December 13, 2022 Investment manager Conviction Life Science has pushed back the funding deadline for its London float into the new year, as investors hibernate for the Christmas period. The soon-to-be listed fund said it wanted to extend its book-building period after seeing many large professional investors close their books and shelve new potential investments until the new [...]
Boxing Day footfall bounce for retail as West End chief calls for recovery help December 27, 2022 Retail destinations across the country reaped the rewards of a Christmas without Covid restrictions as Boxing Day sales enticed shoppers out of their houses. However, business leaders noted footfall was still below 2019 levels and called on the government to help accelerate retail’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic as it grapples with an economic downturn. [...]
Average two-year mortgage rate drops below six per cent in sign pain for borrowers is easing December 8, 2023 The average interest rate for a fixed two-year mortgage has fallen below six per cent for the first time since June. Moneyfacts has reported the average two-year fixed rate is now 5.99 per cent, down from the peak of 6.86 reached in July. Competition among lenders is driving rates lower, noted partner at Knight Frank [...]
Expend4bles: Sly Stallone gets the gang back together again, again, again September 22, 2023 In 2010, two years before Marvel made the crossover movie mainstream, Sylvester Stallone started up his own shared universe. The Expendables gave nostalgic action fans the chance to see Sly share the screen with former rivals including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, even passing the mantle on to whippersnapper Jason Statham. It was a huge [...]
Next: Fashion chain starts January sales early ahead of update January 1, 2023 Fashion chain Next is set to shine a light on the health of the retail sector in the aftermath of the “crucial” Christmas shopping period. Investors will be closely watching the clothing and homeware giant’s trading update on Thursday for detail on its sales figures over the festive season. In August, chief executive Lord Wolfson [...]
Week Ahead: Aldi and Lidl tightening the screw on Sainsbury’s as retailers fight to retain price-wary customers April 23, 2023 The supermarket giant is set to report a fall in annual pre-tax profits this week, posting up to £690 million, down from £730 million last year. According to the latest Kantar survey, Sainsbury’s reported a strong 12-week sales growth of 12 per cent at the end of March, but fell short of rivals Aldi and [...]
Test and Trace failed to reach 30,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in week before Christmas January 5, 2021 The Test and Trace scheme failed to reach more than 30,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in the week before Christmas, at the same time the government warned that a new coronavirus mutation was spreading across the country. Latest official figures showed that 232,169 people tested positive for Covid at least once between 17 [...]
It’s gin time: Aldi faces off with Marks and Spencer in court over light up bottle January 23, 2024 Aldi and Marks and Spencer are back in court today for round two of their fight over a light up gin bottle with gold flakes. Marks and Spencer launched an intellectual property legal action against discount supermarket rival Aldi back in 2021 over a gin. Marks and Spencer introduced a new line of gin based [...]