Tesco gears up to announce interim results amid sector’s driver chaos October 3, 2021 Supermarket behemoth Tesco is expected to reveal a big share buyback programme this week, alongside setting out plans to overcome supply chain disruption. Tesco’s buyback scheme will run in parallel to its normal dividend, The Sunday Times reported, with no expected plans for a special dividend. The grocer will post its interim results on Wednesday, [...]
No more Botox and lip fillers for under 18s in England from today October 1, 2021 As a new law comes into force in England today, people under 18 years of age will no longer be able to get Botox and dermal lip fillers for cosmetic reasons. The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act, which was brought into force in England on Friday, means it will be illegal to administer [...]
Sainsbury’s looking to hire 22,000 people in supermarket’s biggest-ever recruitment drive October 1, 2021 Sainsbury’s is creating 22,000 seasonal jobs to help it meet higher demand around Christmas. The retail group, which also owns Argos, said it will be hiring store staff, delivery drivers and logistics workers as part of its “biggest ever recruitment drive”. Roles will be available across the UK from Friday, four weeks earlier than last [...]
Hospitality sector urges Chancellor to freeze VAT at current rate to aid recovery October 1, 2021 Hospitality bosses have called on the Treasury to introduce a permanent lower rate of VAT to aid pubs and restaurants’ Covid recovery. The tax on pubs and restaurants rose from 5 per cent to 12.5 per cent today, following the temporary reduction introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. The Treasury’s goal is to return the tax [...]
Natasha’s Law: Parents of teenager say allergen legislation is bittersweet moment October 1, 2021 Businesses will be subject to a new labelling law from today, in a move that will impact 2m people in the UK with food allergies. The law is known as Natasha’s Law, following the death of teenage girl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after eating a sandwich on a flight. The sandwich was not required to [...]
Sainsbury’s recruiting for 22,000 Christmas jobs October 1, 2021 Sainsbury’s is creating 22,000 Christmas jobs, with higher numbers of staff required than usual. This represents 10,000 more roles compared to on average over the past five years, the retailer confirmed. It is looking for store staff, delivery drivers and logistics workers as supermarket bosses have warned of a rocky Christmas amid a labour shortage. [...]
VAT rise likely to hurt hospitality recovery and may cause more permanent closures September 30, 2021 The upcoming 7.5 per cent VAT rise will slow down Covid recovery for the hospitality sector and may lead to a number of additional closures, a SME tax expert told City PM today. The Government’s scaling back of its Covid support measure is coming too soon for businesses with little or no cash reserves, according [...]
VAT for hospitality to rise to 12.5 per cent tomorrow September 30, 2021 Hospitality bosses have called for a freeze on increases to VAT, as the tax on pubs and restaurants will rise to 12.5 per cent tomorrow. The 12.5% rate will replace the reduced 5% rate that has applied to hospitality businesses since July 2020. It marks a step in the Treasury’s goal to return the tax [...]
H&M reinstates divided payments as profits triple on back of global recovery September 30, 2021 Swedish retail giant H&M nearly tripled its profit during the past quarter on the back of a “strong recovery” in sales as restrictions eased across the globe. H&M told shareholders this morning that it had reinstated its dividend for the first time in 18 months as a result. It reported a pre-tax profit of £520m [...]
M&S pledges to be fully net zero on carbon emissions by 2040 September 30, 2021 Supermarket Marks & Spencer has committed to becoming fully net zero in carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of a national government target. The retailer set out plans for rapid decarbonisation of its operations that will cut its carbon footprint by a third by 2025, from a 5.7m tonne 2017 baseline. M&S has reset [...]
