Amazon to open its first physical store outside the US in the UK this morning October 6, 2021 E-commerce giant Amazon is opening its first store in the UK this morning, selling items including books, technology and toys, as the online retail behemoth continues its expansion in physical retail. The US company will open the first Amazon 4-star store outside the US on Wednesday at 10am at the Bluewater shopping centre, near Dartford [...]
First Royal Mail drones take off for remote Orkney Islands to deliver letters and parcels October 6, 2021 Royal Mail has started a two-week trial of scheduled, autonomous flights between Kirkwall and North Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands with Windracers to help better connect remote island communities. The mail giant is using drones to deliver the post. The mail is being carried by a large, twin-engine, UK-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) named Ultra [...]
Produce workers ‘nabbed from farms by hospitality recruiters’ October 5, 2021 Hospitality recruiters have attempted to recruit seasonal pickers from farms in a bid to stem labour shortages, a trade body has claimed. Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, told CityA.M., that recruiters were attempting to recruit people to work in bars “wherever they could find them.” “Particularly in the summer, competition for [...]
Travelodge sees ‘green shoots’ of business travel revival October 5, 2021 Hotel giant Travelodge has said it has started to see the “green shoots” of business travel returning. It comes as the business has launched a new online solution Travelodge Business for those making work trips. Travelodge soft-launched its business service with nearly 100 existing customers earlier this year. Now, it is signing up almost 1,000 [...]
Hotel Chocolat jump more than 10 per cent after digital pivot pays off October 5, 2021 Hotel Chocolat’s shares have jumped more than 10 per cent today, as it posted solid revenue growth for the past year, suggesting the chocolatier’s pivot to becoming a digital brand is making headway. Revenue increased by over 20 per cent, which Walid Koudmani, market analyst at financial brokerage XTB said marked “encouraging signs for its [...]
EG Group to divest some petrol filling stations after watchdog concerns October 5, 2021 Petrol station forecourt operator EG Group has announced it will divest 27 petrol filling stations. The group – owned by the billionaire Issa brothers – said it had entered into a binding agreement to divest more than two dozen stations across the country to Park Garage Group. It comes after the competition watchdog expressed concerns [...]
COP26: What do diamonds and sunglasses have to do with climate change? October 5, 2021 What do diamonds, sunglasses, high-end lululemon sportswear and concrete have to do with climate change? They can all be made using carbon dioxide (CO2), locking up the planet warming gas. Watch the full report.
Marks Electrical eyes London IPO after online growth October 5, 2021 Online retailer Marks Electrical has announced its intention to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) on London’s AIM market. The group – which sells, installs and recycles a variety of household electrical items – has seen online growth swell as consumer behaviour has changed. Revenue hit £56m in the year to March 31 2021, up [...]
Debenhams launches new online marketplace following Boohoo takeover October 5, 2021 Debenhams has launched a new online marketplace following its takeover by Boohoo earlier this year. It comes after Debenhams, once a historic high street staple in the UK, ended up another casualty of the pandemic that drove shoppers to the digital sphere. The website, launched by marketplace software as a service (SaaS) platform Mirakl, will [...]
Furniture specialist ScS hails ‘strong year of recovery’ October 5, 2021 Furniture specialist ScS said this morning it is experiencing a “strong year of recovery” as the firm bounced back to profitability. The Sunderland-based company reported a pre-tax profit of £22.7m for the year to July 31, after tumbling to a £3.1m loss in the previous year. Steve Carson, chief executive of ScS, also hailed a [...]
