Business

Business leaders have strengthened their calls for an immediate overhaul of self-isolation rules for double-jabbed people ahead of tomorrow’s final lifting of restrictions across England. The Confederation of British Industry has demanded those who have received two doses of a COVID vaccine should not have to self-isolate for 10 days if they are a contact

One of the great puzzles emerging from the last year has been why, in spite of COVID, repeated lockdown, and surging self-isolation, recruitment agencies have seldom been busier. Employment levels are still rising and unemployment has – so far – not become the scourge many anticipated. In theory, such a tight labour market should generate

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Britain’s biggest accountancy firm, is preparing to unveil record profits following a surge in demand for its services during the pandemic. Sky News has learnt that partners at PwC have been told in recent days that they can expect average pay for the year to June 30 of £818,000 – a 19% increase

Pubs chains including Wetherspoons have said they will do away with mask requirements for customers from next week – but will still require staff to wear face coverings in some cases. Pub giants including Greene King, Mitchell and Butler, and Wetherspoons, who run nearly 6,000 sites between them, have promised that from Monday punters will

The owners of The Daily Telegraph are eyeing a £4bn windfall from a flotation of Very Group, their online shopping empire. Sky News has learnt that the Barclay family has appointed STJ Advisors, which works with companies ahead of public listings, to prepare Very Group for a stock market debut next year. The appointment of

Supermarkets have said they will encourage customers to keep using face masks in stores from next week – but will not bar those who do not. Retailers including Tesco and Asda have followed Sainsbury’s in setting out how they will operate from 19 July when most COVID-19 safety rules will be scrapped in England. Wearing

Factories across the country are on the verge of shutting down due to isolation warnings from the test and trace app, the UK’s manufacturing union Unite has claimed. The union says it has been warned by a number of companies, particularly in the automotive sector, that swathes of staff are being advised to self-isolate by

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,

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