Coronavirus: Lookers to slash 1,500 jobs and shutter showrooms June 4, 2020 Car dealership Lookers today said it will cut roughly 1,500 jobs and close 12 showrooms as it reels from the impact of Covid-19. The struggling motoring chain, which employs roughly 8,100 people, said it will start consultations on the cuts across the business. Lookers also said it had identified a further 12 showrooms for closure, [...]
Pub chain Young’s eyes August reopening date June 4, 2020 Pub chain Young’s announced this morning that it is preparing to reopen its venues on 3 August. The company said the coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on its full year results to 30 March, with pubs forced to close for the final 10 days of the financial year. The closure of its pubs, and [...]
Supermarket delivery slots: Which grocers offer home delivery amid UK coronavirus outbreak? June 3, 2020 UK supermarkets are racing to increase capacity as the demand for home delivery services soars amid the coronavirus pandemic. All UK supermarkets are prioritising home delivery slots for those who are vulnerable, elderly, disabled or self-isolating. Many have introduced special in-store shopping hours dedicated to key workers. The surge in demand following the coronavirus outbreak [...]
Marks & Spencer scraps executive bonuses due to coronavirus pandemic June 3, 2020 High street retailer Marks & Spencer said it will scrap executive bonuses next year due to the coronavirus crisis. The firm said today that there will be no bonus scheme in operation for executive directors in 2020/21. M&S also said that the pay of chief executive Steve Rowe will be frozen, and there will be [...]
Bulmers owner C&C burns through €7m a month while pubs are closed June 3, 2020 C&C Group, the owner of Bulmers and Magners cider, revealed this morning that it is burning through €7m (£6.2m) each month that pubs and restaurants are closed. C&C, which makes 80 per cent of its revenue through sales to pubs, bars and restaurants, also reported €47.6m in exceptional items directly related to the coronavirus outbreak. [...]
Upper Crust owner SSP asks shareholders to reinvest dividend to raise £27m June 3, 2020 Upper Crust owner SSP Group has asked shareholders to reinvest their dividend payment to raise £26.8m for the firm, which swung to a loss during the coronavirus crisis. SSP, which operates mainly out of travel hubs that were closed during the pandemic, said shareholders can reinvest the proceeds of their 2019 final dividend payment into [...]
Survive and thrive: Gastropub goes takeout as punters enjoy the bar from afar June 3, 2020 London’s businesses have been forced to weather a storm they never saw coming, but many have pivoted to new ways of doing business. Today, Heath Ball – owner and landlord at Highgate gastropub The Red Lion & Sun – tells us about his new delivery service, dropping off wine to the park, and the future [...]
McDonald’s to open 22 restaurants for delivery this morning June 2, 2020 McDonald’s will from 11 o’clock this morning reopen 168 drive-thru restaurants across the country, as well as a further 22 for food delivery. Although the drive-thru reopenings are taking place all over the UK as part of McDonald’s plans to reopen all 1,019 of its restaurants by 4 June, the 18 of the 22 restaurants [...]
Card Factory scraps dividend as higher costs hit profit June 2, 2020 Card Factory today scrapped its full-year dividend as higher costs and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 weighed on profit. The figures Card Factory reported revenue of £451.5m for the year to the end of January, up 3.6 per cent year on year. Like-for-like sale dipped 0.5 per cent over the year. Underlying profit before tax [...]
O2 reopening after lockdown with virtual queueing technology June 1, 2020 O2 will reopen its stores across England this month, with new layouts and a virtual queuing system as part of its safety measures during the pandemic. At the so-called future stores, which will open from 15 June, customers will skip queues and instead join a virtual system. They will receive a text when an advisor [...]