Shoppers at Sainsbury’s will be encouraged to keep wearing masks in stores next week even though it will no longer be legally required. The company became the first major supermarket to reveal its stance hours after the government published guidance saying it “expects and recommends that people continue to wear a face covering in crowded,
Business
The owner of department store chain John Lewis and supermarket Waitrose is to cut around 1,000 jobs in a store management shake-up. John Lewis Partnership (JLP) said it was following in the footsteps of rival retailers by simplifying management structures so it can reinvest in customer service and sprucing up its shops. It is the
US inflation revved up further last month partly thanks to the biggest monthly bounce in used vehicle prices for more than 60 years. America’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 5.4% in June compared to a year ago, matching a level last seen in 2008, as the economy continued to rebound from the coronavirus crisis
Monday night saw the three main US stock indices – the S&P 500, the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones Industrial Average – close at fresh all-time highs for the second successive session. For the most important and broad-based of these, the S&P 500, it was the 39th time this year it has done so. It
Sunshine, football and pent-up shopping demand have helped retailers enjoy their strongest quarter of growth for more than two decades, figures show. Sales for the April-June period were 10.4% ahead of the same month in 2019 – with 2020 performance stripped out of comparisons because of the closure of shops during lockdowns. It was the
Ryanair says it will hire 2,000 pilots to crew its fleet of new Boeing aircraft, the airline said on Monday, in a spark of hope for an industry pummelled by the pandemic. Last month, Ryanair took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, with a further 12 planes expected in time for the peak
Uber will this week name a former Tesco executive as the head of its European delivery arm amid a frenzy of competition in the rapid grocery sector. Sky News understands that Eve Henrikson, who spent years working for Britain’s biggest online grocer, is joining the owner of the world’s best-known ride-hailing app as regional general
Tony Hayward, the former BP chief executive, is plotting the flotation of a new ‘blank cheque’ company that will seek to capitalise on booming investor appetite for companies exposed to the world’s multi-trillion dollar shift to cleaner energy. Sky News has learnt that Mr Hayward is in advanced talks to list Energy Transition Partners, a
Pension watchdogs are scrutinising the collapse of Ralph & Russo, the upmarket British-based fashion brand which is now at the centre of a legal fight. Sky News understands that The Pensions Regulator is examining the treatment of the company’s retirement scheme in the period before administrators were called in in March. The status of the
Business leaders say employers should be willing to be flexible on working hours on Monday, to enable football fans to celebrate England’s Euro 2020 victory… or recover from defeat. England face Italy in the tournament on Sunday night in their biggest game for men’s football since the 1966 World Cup final. The match will be
There was a time, in the wake of the first wave of COVID-19, that politicians and economists yearned for a V-shaped recovery – an immediate bounce-back from the financial devastation of lockdowns. The second wave put paid to that, and as we tiptoe out of the most recent restrictions, the line drawn by GDP is
The economy grew by 0.8% in May but remains 3.1% below its pre-pandemic peak, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure was just over half of the 1.5% growth predicted by economists and it was also lower than the 2% growth seen in April, when restrictions eased for non-essential retailers, hairdressers, pubs and
The chief executive of the competition watchdog is preparing to step down next year, creating a further vacancy at the helm of one of Britain’s most powerful economic regulators. Sky News has learnt that Andrea Coscelli has informed colleagues that he does not intend to seek a further term at the Competition and Markets Authority
Holiday bookings for the winter are already slowing due to “ongoing speculation around international travel”, operator Jet 2 said as it reported a big annual loss. The group had previously revealed that trips for this summer were being left until the last minute due to uncertainty over travel rules but in its latest update also
Top executives at financial firms could see their pay linked to progress on diversity under measures being discussed by UK regulators. In a joint paper, the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said they wanted to prompt banks, insurers and other firms they regulate to act more quickly to
The government is putting the finishing touches to a deal that will see one of Britain’s oldest steelmakers taken into public ownership. Sky News has learnt that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is finalising the nationalisation of Sheffield Forgemasters, which plays a critical role in the supply chain of the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet. The