E-commerce bonanza: Brits to spend record £120bn online this year alone September 6, 2021 Following a surge in online sales in 2020 thanks to Covid-19 and three strict lockdowns, UK shoppers are expected to further increase their spending as new data forecasts £120.5bn in online purchases this year alone. Online sales in the UK saw an increase of 46.5 per cent in 2020, with British consumers spending £110.6bn online [...]
Retail crisis: Every single day, nearly 50 stores in Britain close down September 6, 2021 Almost 50 chain stores per day closed down on British high streets, retail parks and shopping centres in the first half of the year, according to research. But the rate of closures slowed compared with the first six months of 2020, a survey conducted for accountancy firm PwC found. Figures collected by the Local Data [...]
Taking off: New routes on way for City Airport as passenger numbers rebound September 6, 2021 Both British Airways and Deutsche Lufthansa have reportedly restored their flights to key financial hubs from London City Airport, as bosses eye the return of business travel. Zurich, Frankfurt and Rotterdam flights will start taking off again this month, Bloomberg reported, according to the airports chief operating officer Alison FitzGerald. “We’re seeing some early signs of [...]
Norwegian passenger numbers rebound as it unveils new Autumn routes September 6, 2021 Budget carrier Norwegian has enjoyed a lift to passenger numbers in recent weeks, as demand for the beleaguered travel industry rebounded in the summer months. Some 790,000 passengers flew with Norwegian in August, around one and a half times more than in the same month last year. The airline added that the number of future [...]
More street markets under plans to make outdoor hospitality rules permanent September 5, 2021 Street markets could open all year round under Government plans to make permanent some of the changes for outdoor hospitality introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. Pubs, cafes and restaurants would also be able to keep new structures such as marquees and additional seating on their grounds, following a consultation launched on Sunday. The hospitality sector [...]
Shortages and price hikes: Brexit bravado risks ripping up retailers’ Christmas stockings September 3, 2021 The festive season may be months away, but major retailers usually start stocking up for Christmas in September. This year, however, the government’s “Brexit hubris” means it is refusing to allow EU-based drivers to return and end Britain’s HGV driver shortage, according to David Jinks, head of consumer research at international delivery firm ParcelHero. He told [...]
Exclusive: Half of all UK businesses currently unable to run at full capacity September 2, 2021 Half of all UK businesses are still unable to run at full operational capacity, according to new research shared with Morning Wire this afternoon. Global logistics firm One World Express commissioned a survey of more than 350 decision-makers within UK businesses. It found that 50 per cent had not seen improvements in business performance since lockdown restrictions began [...]
Summer holidays: Wizz Air passenger numbers jump more than 50 per cent September 2, 2021 Wizz Air’s passenger numbers surged more than 50 per cent in August to around 3.5m, as travellers flocked to the budget airline for their summer holiday. In the year to August, however, passenger numbers were down 44.6 per cent to some 14.7m, as restrictions across Europe in the 12 months prior severely curbed travel. Shares [...]
Stop blaming Brexit for beer supply issues, says Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin September 2, 2021 Brexit is not the cause of driver shortages as pub chain Wetherspoon’s was hit by beer supply issues earlier this week, the company’s founder Tim Martin said this afternoon. The group apologised to customers on Wednesday after it said supplies of Heineken, Carling and Coors beers ran dry in some pubs. Martin, an ardent supporter [...]
Shortage of cans leads to scarcity of Diet Coke and Coke Zero products September 2, 2021 A shortage of aluminium cans looms for Coca-Cola’s bottling business in the UK and Europe as its supply chain has come under pressure. It comes as social media users have highlighted a scarcity of Diet Coke and Coke Zero products in recent weeks. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) said today that it has faced “a number [...]