Visitor numbers at the UK’s leading attractions are still almost a quarter lower than before the pandemic, thanks to a perfect storm of Covid, Brexit, energy prices and the wider financial crisis, according to the sector’s trade body. Figures published on Friday by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions show that while the number of […]
The chief executive of Royal Mail has been accused of “incompetence or cluelessness” by MPs calling on the regulator Ofcom to investigate whether the company broke legal service requirements. Parliament’s cross-party business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee has asked the watchdog to investigate a suspected breach of the universal service obligation (USO), which requires […]
Mike Ashely’s Frasers Group has snapped up The Mall in Luton in a £58m deal as the retail giant expresses its “confidence in the future of the UK high street”. The Mall in Luton spans 900,000 sq. ft of space and is home to more than 150 retailers including Primark, TK Maxx, and H&M. It […]
Virgin Orbit has paused its operations and furloughed its workforce as it hunts for a funding lifeline. The satellite launch company, based in California, will put all work on hold for at least a week with just a skeleton team remaining at work. Bosses told employees at an all-staff meeting on Wednesday that the remainder […]
The UK now ranks 29th in a global chart of life expectancy, down from seventh place in 1952, according to new analysis. Researchers warned that the UK was slipping down the global ranks, performing worse over the past seven decades than all G7 countries except the USA. For the analysis, which was published in the […]
The John Lewis Partnership has confirmed that it will ditch the annual bonus for its 74,000 employees next year after it sank back into the red. The employee-owned group posted a loss before exceptional items and tax of £78 million for the year to January 28, down from a profit of £181 million last year. […]
Deliveroo shares have continued to pedal downwards this morning as investors struggle to regain confidence in the brand following its decision to slash some 350 job roles and disastrous IPO listing. It comes as the food delivery group, which has seen its share price fall consecutively over the past 12 months due to tough market […]
Nuclear must form part of a decarbonised portfolio of energy production, argued Grant Shapps, energy and net zero secretary. He said: “If you want to get to net zero and get rid of hydrocarbons, we have to accept that base loads are required somewhere. Nuclear power can and should be part of that.” Shapps told the […]
Overseas bricklayers and carpenters could be able to get work visas more easily in the UK after the government updated its shortage occupation list. The list, which now also includes roofers and plasterers, highlights occupations that employers are struggling to fill. However, hospitality, which has had problems recruiting, was not included. The change on construction […]
Business groups have urged the government to make permanent a new £9 billion-a-year capital allowances scheme designed to stimulate investment. The chancellor yesterday announced a new “full expensing” policy for the next three years under which businesses can deduct 100 per cent of the cost of capital spending for certain plant and machinery against taxable […]