Boots enjoyed a bumper year thanks to booming sales of COVID-19 tests, according to its latest company results – despite footfall levels on the high street still being weaker than they were before the pandemic. In the 12 months between August 2020 and August 2021, sales topped £34bn at parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA).
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The government wants to change how frequently overseas HGV operators can deliver in the UK to help solve the current supply chain problems. A consultation on extending “cabotage” rights will be launched on Friday to try to shore up supply chains and prevent shops running out of goods or increasing prices due to an HGV
Pure Gym, Britain’s biggest health and fitness club chain, is close to abandoning a £1.5bn stock market listing amid growing signs of jitters among investors. Sky News has learnt that Pure Gym, which is majority-owned by the private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, could decide as soon as this week to shelve its proposed
The EU has offered to cut 80% of checks on some goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in an effort to avoid a post-Brexit trade clash. It has drawn up plans designed to ease the flow of items across the Irish Sea, including chilled meats, to put an end to the so-called “sausage
UK economic growth picked up in August as bars, restaurants and festivals benefited from a first full month without COVID restrictions in England, official figures show. Gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.4% month-on-month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – slightly below experts’ average forecast of 0.5% growth. However the report also
There are almost 10,000 fewer licensed premises across Britain since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – with a rush of closures taking place since the summer despite a reopening of the economy, according to a report. The latest market recovery monitor from industry consultants CGA and business advisory firm AlixPartners said the sector, including
The number of job vacancies hit a record high of 1.1 million in the three months to September, as the post-pandemic labour market continued to recover. The Office for National Statistics said the number of job vacancies increased by 318,000, with all industry sectors above or equal to the levels seen between January to March
Big Ideas live will explore the challenges facing the economy as we come out of the pandemic. It will look at how business can fire up the UK, but also at the challenges they face in doing so. What are the jobs which will be created, post pandemic, and where in the country? And with
Online fashion retailer ASOS has warned profits could fall by as much as 40% as it counts the cost of supply chain strains and Brexit duties – and said it was parting company with its boss. Shares plunged as much as 15% in early trading as the group pencilled in slowing sales growth ahead, after
A £50m cash injection will enable Liberty Steel to restart production in Rotherham, saving hundreds of jobs. The investment is part of a wider restructuring of Liberty’s owner, GFG Alliance, also involving Liberty Primary Metals Australia. GFG was forced to seek new funding when its key lender, Greensill Capital, collapsed. Image: The Liberty Steel plant
A residential renewable energy supplier backed by BP is nearing collapse, joining the growing list of industry players which have found themselves unable to weather surging wholesale prices. A residential renewable energy supplier backed by BP is nearing collapse, joining the growing list of industry players which have found themselves unable to weather surging wholesale
A pig farmer who fears he may have to destroy 80 animals a week due to a shortage of butchers says the army may need to be called in to help. Stephen Thompson, who keeps 2,000 pigs at Povey Farm in Norton, Derbyshire, described the situation facing the industry as “the biggest waste and mess
Amber Rudd, the former cabinet minister, is joining a new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that will float in London and target a merger in the renewable energy sector. Sky News has learnt that Ms Rudd, who served as secretary of state for energy and climate change between May 2015 and July 2016, is to
Boris Johnson has appointed the former boss of Tesco as an expert supply chain adviser. Sir David Lewis, former chief executive of the supermarket giant, will assist both the prime minister and newly appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Stephen Barclay on both immediate improvements and any necessary long-term changes to UK supply chains
Royal Mail has launched a drive to take on more than 20,000 seasonal workers – just as new figures illustrate how employers are struggling to fill roles. Temporary staff are needed to sort high volumes of parcels, Christmas cards and letters for Royal Mail and its Parcelforce Worldwide arm from late October through to early
Firms are increasingly putting up prices as they pass on soaring costs, according to new figures that are likely to add to fears of a squeeze on household budgets. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found 10% of businesses increased their prices in early September, up from 8% in mid-August and 4% in