Online share of grocery sales hits record level during third lockdown March 1, 2021 The third national lockdown pushed the share of online grocery sales to a record high in January, double the level the previous month. The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping with Britain’s big four supermarkets expanding their capacity during the crisis. The online share of grocery sales hit 16 per cent in January, [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak eyes tax on online deliveries and freelance workers February 28, 2021 Rishi Sunak is reportedly preparing to announce new taxes on online deliveries and freelance workers in Wednesday’s Budget to help pay off the UK’s Covid spending. The tax would likely target online firms like Amazon and Asos who have seen profits soar over the past year, after people spent much of 2020 in lockdown. It [...]
Hospitality redundancies: How many restaurant and pub jobs have been lost during the pandemic? February 27, 2021 How many restaurant and pub jobs have been lost during the pandemic?
Toast This Morning with a glass of Phillip Schofield’s own wine February 26, 2021 People say watching This Morning with Phillip Schofield is like having a nice cup of tea with an old friend. Well, you can go one better than that now, after the beloved presenter launched his own wine brand. The talk show host is a knowledgeable wine enthusiast who began collecting wine after he was introduced [...]
Hospitality sector ‘facing cash crunch’ without further support February 26, 2021 One in five businesses in the UK hospitality sector could run out of cash in the next week unless more emergency support is confirmed, the industry has warned. In a letter to the government, more than 200 hospitality firms warned they faced a “truly perilous” situation with months of continued restrictions ahead. Prime Minister Boris [...]
Sainsbury’s workers welcome third pandemic bonus and pay rises February 26, 2021 Sainsbury’s is set to award its staff with a third bonus and pay rises for keeping shops stocked throughout the pandemic, the supermarket chain said this morning. The group has also announced a pay rise, which forms part of a 24 per cent increase in wages for store staff over the last five years. Following [...]
Puppy love: Pets at Home hikes profit forecast as Brits splash out on furry friends February 26, 2021 Pets at Home has scrubbed up its profit expectations for the full year after continued demand for its animal offerings helped boost trading. The reptile and rabbit retailer said it now expected pre-tax profit for 2020 to hit £85m — ahead of its previous guidance of £77m. This includes a £28.9m repayment of business rates [...]
Primark owner takes £1.5bn sales hit from lockdown restrictions February 25, 2021 Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) this morning warned lockdown store closures would take £1.1bn off first half sales
Plus-size fashion retailer N Brown reshuffles board amid chairman’s exit February 25, 2021 N Brown, the plus-size fashion retailer, announced this morning that its chairman will step down to focus on his other business activities. The firm, which owns Simply Be and Jacamo, said Matt Davies will leave the group from 31 March and will be replaced by Ron McMillan, who will subsequently give up his senior independent [...]
Asda puts 5,000 jobs at risk in online shopping push February 25, 2021 Asda has put around 5,000 jobs at risk as it aims to simplify the business and focus on its online shopping offer. The grocer this morning said it had begun formal consultations with 5,000 employees, but that it will create 4,500 new jobs in online operations this year. The supermarket has proposed the simplification of [...]
