Swingers’ CEO: Offices splash cash on crazy golf with pent up budgets May 3, 2022 Corporate bookings have returned with a bang as bosses are eager to spend two years’ worth of social budgets, the CEO of Swingers said. The crazy golf chain has seen business come “roaring back” since Covid restrictions eased, co-founder Matt Grech-Smith told CityA.M. Work bookings make up 45 per cent of Swinger’s trade, its chief [...]
West End woes: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella cancelled as cast learn of news ‘by press release’ May 2, 2022 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of Cinderella has been cancelled after less than a year, after the West End show faced a turbulent launch. Cinderella had faced a tumultuous run and is understood to have suffered heavy losses since its opening night last summer. Equity UK, the trade union for actors and singers, has written to [...]
Netflix abandons work on Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle’s animated series ‘Pearl’ May 2, 2022 Netflix has stopped work on Meghan Markle’s animated family series. The streaming giant announced it would drop the Duchess of Sussex’s ‘Pearl’ series, as it faced plummeting stock prices and falling subscriber numbers. This comes after Netflix announced its first quarter results at the end of last month, with its stock down 26 per cent, [...]
Retail union ups pay ask to £12 per hour as cost of living spikes May 2, 2022 Retail firms should pay a minimum wage of at least £12 per hour, as recent pay hikes offer little respite against soaring inflation, a trade union has urged. In recent weeks, several large employers have hiked wages for shop floor and warehouse staff. Supermarket giant Tesco will raise hourly wages by 5.8 per cent from [...]
Issa brothers mull petrol empire sale as Asda owners eye Boots bid May 2, 2022 The billionaire brothers behind the blockbuster Asda takeover are reportedly in talks to sell their petrol forecourt business for some £12.bn. Zuber and Mohsin Issa are thought to be considering a proposal for Boots, with the high street chemist’s US owners hoping for a £7bn price tag. A sale of EG Group would unlock billions [...]
‘Welfare value’ of Britain’s green spaces stands at £25bn, with Hyde Park topping the list May 2, 2022 The “welfare value” of Britain’s natural open spaces exceeds £25bn, with London’s Hyde Park topping the list at £24m. A new study funded by the government looks at pars, woods, riversides, beaches and country parks across Britain, assessing how locals enjoy the green space. Research by academics at the University of Exeter produced the outdoor [...]
Qantas buys 12 new planes in bid to conquer ‘final frontier’ of 20-hour flights down under from London and New York May 2, 2022 Australia’s national airline Qantas has ordered 12 huge new luxurious planes as it confirmed plans for new long-haul routes from London and New York, to conquer the “final frontier” of aviation. The carrier will launch 20-hour flights on Airbus A350-1000s, complete with wellbeing zones and extra measures for comfort, taking passengers down under from across [...]
How TikTok saved the bookstar: Will the UK stay in love with reading after lockdown? April 29, 2022 A decade ago, the narrative of bookselling was of the surging popularity of digital book sales, with physical editions left on the shelf. Figures from the Publishers’ Association in 2012 saw digital book sales shoot up 54 per cent while physical book sales dipped five per cent. Fast forward to 2021 and UK publishing sales [...]
Mastercard records surge in spending as global covid restrictions ease April 28, 2022 Payments giant Mastercard recorded a surge in spending on its network in the first three months of the year as consumers splurged on holidays and shopping as global covid restrictions were eased.
Star studded: Leonardo DiCaprio invests in vegan burger chain Neat April 28, 2022 Plant-based burger chain Neat has launched a Series B fundraise with US investors including Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The cash injection will be used to accelerate the company’s workforce and new product development, as it looks to expand both its restaurant and consumer goods arms. Neat, which already counts racing driver Lewis Hamilton as an [...]
