Act now to prevent culture sector collapse, say MPs September 24, 2020 The government should take immediate action to protect the UK’s cultural and sporting sectors, the parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee warned today. In a letter to culture secretary Oliver Dowden, lawmakers urged officials to use the pause created by the latest Covid-19 restrictions to implement a number of recommendations that would enable [...]
A quarter of hospitality firms could go bust by the end of the year without more government support September 23, 2020 New data from the pub industry released today showed that almost a quarter of hospitality businesses think they will go bust by the end of the year without new government support. Yesterday Boris Johnson unveiled sweeping new measures to curb a rise in coronavirus cases, including a 10pm curfew on all hospitality firms. The move, [...]
Fast food bosses urge Rishi Sunak to put in place new support schemes September 23, 2020 The bosses of some of the UK’s largest restaurants have tonight written to chancellor Rishi Sunak urging him to provide more support for the sector after new coronavirus measures were put in place yesterday. In the letter, the chief executives of fast food giants such as Itsu, KFC and Pizza Hut, along with takeaway service [...]
Asda to ‘Covid-proof’ trolleys and hire 1,000 safety marshals September 23, 2020 Asda has revealed a new investment plan to make its supermarkets Covid-secure, including the use of technology found in NHS coronavirus hospitals. The supermarket giant said it would appoint 1,000 new safety marshals stationed outside doors and in aisles, to make sure customers are wearing masks and maintaining a social distance from other shoppers. It [...]
Tesco boss warns against panic buying after new virus restrictions September 23, 2020 Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis has said there is no need for customers to be panic buying groceries, following new restrictions imposed across the UK to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections. Images have been shared on social media of supermarket shelves stripped of food staples such as pasta and flour, bringing back memories [...]
Luke Johnson: 1m employees on furlough face redundancy September 23, 2020 Former Pizza Express boss Luke Johnson has warned that at least a million jobs could be lost in the hospitality industry as the government tightens restrictions. Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the restaurant mogul predicted that if the government cut all subsidies, “of the 3m [on furlough] at least a million, maybe more, will be made [...]
Ralph Lauren to cut 15 per cent of global workforce September 22, 2020 Fashion magnate Ralph Lauren has said it will cut around 15 per cent of its global workforce, as it seeks to recover costs and streamlines its offering to focus more on digital channels. The cuts, which will take place by the end of this fiscal year, could affect up to 3,700 jobs. The layoffs could [...]
Night-time businesses slam 10pm curfew as ‘devastating’ September 22, 2020 Businesses in the UK’s night-time economy have slammed the Prime Minister’s announcement of a 10pm curfew on venues for up to six months as “devastating”, and warned that it will lead to wide-scale business collapse and unemployment. Boris Johnson today announced a 10pm curfew on all hospitality and leisure venues in England in a bid [...]
Business groups call for further support as UK tightens restrictions September 22, 2020 The government must set out a new support package as new restrictions threaten to derail the economic recovery, business groups have warned. Addressing the House of Commons today, Boris Johnson dealt a devastating blow to the hospitality sector as he unveiled plans for a 10pm curfew. And as he warned of a second wave of [...]
Kingfisher profit jumps as online sales rise during lockdown September 22, 2020 B&Q-owner Kingfisher increased its pre-tax profit by 62.4 per cent in the first half of the year as a strong second quarter and online sales growth boosted the retail group. The FTSE 100 firm also said it had seen “an encouraging start to the second half of the year”. It said like-for-like sales were up [...]