The Christmas ship may have sailed warn delivery experts post Felixstowe bottleneck October 13, 2021 The Christmas ship might have already sailed, as Felixstowe’s massive bottleneck is causing container ships loaded with Christmas gifts to be redirected towards EU ports. According to home delivery company Parcelhero, the next two weeks will be critical for retailers as shipping companies are doing everything they can to allow warehouses to be fully-stocked in [...]
Rail Passenger Service Contracts to be introduced from November October 13, 2021 The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that from 4 November Passenger Service Contracts (PSCs) will be introduced for all rail operators. As part of the Williams-Shapps plan for rail, the PSCs will replace the old franchising system where each operator would set timetables, fares and collected revenues on its part of the network. According [...]
Vertu exceeds market expectations in six-month results October 13, 2021 Automotive retailer Vertu has exceeded market expectations, registering a £51.8m adjusted profit before tax on revenues amounting to £1.9bn. In the six-month period ending 31 August, the company reported a gross margin of 11.6 per cent as well as a £57.3m net cash flow, compared to £36.5 registered in the first quarter of FY2021. “The [...]
Volvo launches world’s first fossil-free steel vehicle October 13, 2021 Volvo Group launched today the world’ first vehicle made of fossil-free steel, announcing that more will follow in 2022 as part of the company’s pathway to reach net zero by 2050. Made in collaboration with Swedish company SSAB – which specialises in transforming raw materials into steel – the load carrier for mining and quarrying [...]
Sunak causes rift with Cabinet over EV discount end October 13, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly in a row with other Cabinet members – including transport secretary Grant Shapps and business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng – over his proposed plans to cut grants for buying electric vehicles (EV). As reported by the Telegraph, the Treasury is expected to slash the grants – which amount to £2,500 for [...]
EU’s Brexit peace offering includes removal of 50 per cent of customs checks on British goods October 13, 2021 European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic is expected to present a number of proposals later today aimed at resolving the political stand-off between the UK and EU over the movement of goods across the Irish sea. He has promised the measures will be “very far-reaching”. The Telegraph reports the EU will offer to remove up [...]
US to open land borders with Mexico and Canada for fully vaccinated in November October 13, 2021 The US plans to end a 19-month land border closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic in November. The country will require all international visitors to be vaccinated. Vehicle, rail and ferry travel between the US and Canada and Mexico has been largely restricted to essential travel, such as trade, since the earliest days of the [...]
Roof tiler Marley abandons £500m floatation plans amid growing market concerns October 12, 2021 The biggest producer of roof tiles in Britain has abandoned its £500m plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, blaming “market volatility” as investors fear a rise in UK interest rates. Marley Group announced its change of plans this morning despite “considerable institutional investor interest”, according to the company. The news came less than [...]
Maersk starts deviating cargo ships away from UK as containers can no longer be unloaded October 12, 2021 Maersk has started rerouting several of its container ships away from Felixstowe because of a backlog of containers in the UK. The Danish shipping giant said it plans to unload its ships elsewhere in Europe before using smaller vessels to finally get deliveries to the UK, according to the Financial Times. Lars Mikael Jensen, head [...]
UK shorter-term bookings surge compared with pre-Covid levels October 12, 2021 Despite uncertainty on travel restrictions, during the summer the British airline industry registered a 25 per cent jump in shorter-term international bookings compared with pre-pandemic levels. Data from the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) showed that this year 52 per cent of international flight bookings from the UK were made over a four-week window, compared to [...]