Jubilee weekend boom fails to lift June’s retail sector July 22, 2022 An uptick in sales of food during the Jubilee weekend was offset by slower sales across the rest of the retail sector to see June retail volumes drop 0.1 per cent compared to previous month. The Jubilee weekend saw food shops sell 3.1 per cent more food last month than they did in May, as [...]
Covid cases triple and hospital cases double as hyper-infectious Omicron variants drive new Coronavirus wave July 19, 2022 The World Health Organisation said this afternoon that Coronavirus cases have tripled across Europe in the past six weeks, accounting for nearly half of infections globally. Hospital admission rates have also doubled, although intensive care admissions remain low. In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO’s Europe director Dr Hans Kluge described Covid-19 as “a nasty [...]
Photo-Me posts ‘extremely strong’ results as Covid restrictions ease July 19, 2022 Photobooth operators Photo-Me today vowed to pay its shareholders almost £25m in the form of a special dividend after posting “extremely strong” results for the first half of 2022. The Epsom headquartered firm, that sells a range of photobooths and vending machines, said its balance sheet was bolstered by the reopening of the global economy, [...]
Bank lending to firms up £12bn after dip due to covid schemes ending July 18, 2022 The so-called loan ‘drought’ induced by the pandemic appears to be coming to an, with lending up by £12bn. Banks are increasing their lending in wake of a sharp decline in wake of both the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) ending. According to research from ACP Altenburg Advisory, [...]
Disinfectant product maker rides post-pandemic crest as it looks to break America July 18, 2022 Infection prevention product manufacturer Tristel rode the crest of the post-pandemic wave and weathered Brexit disruption, as it sets its sight on the American market. The company benefited from society recovering from coronavirus, with a spike in the use of disinfectant products, particularly in hospitals, as procedures return after lockdowns. It said there were almost [...]
Fourth time’s the charm: Government prepares Covid boosters for over 50s this autumn July 16, 2022 Covid boosters will be offered to everyone aged 50 this autumn, as the Government looks to contain hospitalisations and severe illness.
UK covid death toll passes grim milestone of 200,000 July 13, 2022 A grim milestone of 200,000 coronavirus-linked deaths has been passed as the UK grapples with a spike of a new variant. Figures released by the Office for National Spastics show that as of last week there was 200,247 fatalities registered in the UK where Covid was referenced on the death certificate. The watershed moment for [...]
Renold cuts debt and raises revenue in solid year July 13, 2022 Renold’s revenue grew 18.1 per cent to £195.2m while net debt dropped £4.6m to £13.8m for the year ended 31 March 2022. The manufacturer announced today that its operating profit had gone up from £11.4m in 2021 to £15.3m this year. The company recovered from the Covid pandemic and many of its businesses delivered were record [...]
Government braces to fund ‘substantial’ number of Covid-19 vaccine liabilities July 13, 2022 The government is bracing to fund a “substantial” number of liabilities relating to negative impacts from Covid-19 jabs, having spent more than £34bn on the vaccine rollout so far. The Department of Health and Social Care told vaccine manufacturers at the start of the programme that it would cover future claims against producers for [...]
Pandemic-born businesses could add over £20bn to UK economy, study shows July 7, 2022 Businesses started during the Covid pandemic could add £20.4bn to the UK economy as the number of start-ups during the pandemic grew. About 800,000 companies were registered in the first year of the pandemic in the UK, 22 per cent more than the year before, a joint report by CBI Economics and NatWest showed. 80 [...]