FTSE 100 bucks the trend as global stocks fall on US-China tensions May 4, 2020 The FTSE 100 has climbed into the green in afternoon trading, faring better than European and US stocks which fell after the Trump administration stoked tensions with China over coronavirus. Britain’s FTSE 100 index was up 0.1 per cent just after 3pm at 5,770 points. London trading was choppy but helped by a fall in [...]
Marks & Spencer scraps 2021 dividend and warns of prolonged coronavirus disruption April 28, 2020 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has cancelled next year’s dividend in order to save £210m as the retailer warned of prolonged disruption to trading. The high street giant said it was preparing a “never the same again” programme to make permanent changes to ways of working, which will be unveiled when the company publishes its full-year [...]
Shoppers spend extra £524m at UK supermarkets in April April 28, 2020 Shoppers spent an extra £524m at UK supermarkets during the coronavirus lockdown compared to April last year. Grocery sales soared 9.1 per cent in the 12 weeks to 19 April, which were £524m higher in the past four weeks than they were in April 2019. Households made a record low 14 trips to UK supermarkets [...]
Full-year sales at John Lewis stores could fall 35 per cent April 21, 2020 Full-year sales at John Lewis could fall around 35 per cent, around double the current level, as the department store faces a significant drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. The department store said a 35 per cent drop would be the worst case scenario, assuming a significant drop between April and June, and [...]
Coronavirus: Here comes the startup chancellor April 20, 2020 Startups are the economy’s ‘department for the future.’ Their job is to future-proof all the other sectors – from retail and banking through ecommerce to public services. They are vital to the UK’s post-Brexit, post-Covid-19 future. They are also among its most vulnerable. Look up ‘start-up’ in the Cambridge Dictionary and the first example of [...]
Coronavirus: When are supermarket opening times for NHS and pensioners? April 17, 2020 As the UK heads into lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, supermarkets have enforced tighter restrictions and changed opening hours. Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving supermarkets one of the few stores to remain open. In recent weeks supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as consumers embarked on [...]
Just 2,000 frontline NHS England staff have had coronavirus tests April 1, 2020 Hospitals have been urged by Number 10 to test more NHS frontline staff for coronavirus as it has been revealed that only 2,000 have been tested. The government has come under fire this past week for failing to reach its daily coronavirus testing target, with the UK falling behind other OECD countries. There were just [...]
Coronavirus: Sadiq Khan asks for more immigrants to be eligible for Universal Credit March 30, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the Prime Minister to allow more immigrants to access Universal Credit during the coronavirus crisis. The London mayor wrote to Boris Johnson yesterday to ask for those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), such as most non-EU immigrants, to be allowed to claim benefits while the UK is dealing with [...]
Law and accountancy firms weigh coronavirus profit distribution delay March 30, 2020 Law and accountancy firms are weighing up delaying partner profit distributions to preserve cash to ride out the coronavirus-triggered economic crash. It is one strategy being considered among the Big Four accountancy firms and major law firms such as Linklaters and Pinsent Masons. US law firm Reed Smith, which has a sizeable London operation, confirmed [...]
Ocado orders coronavirus testing kits for staff March 30, 2020 Ocado has purchased coronavirus testing kits for its frontline workers, who will also receive a 10 per cent bonus during the pandemic. Employees working on the frontline of the food delivery operation, such as drivers, personal shoppers, drivers, engineers, and site managers will get a bonus on all hours worked from 23 March. The online [...]