Author: LoveWorld UK

British airline EasyJet (EZJ.L) said it had pushed back the delivery of 24 aircraft to between 2025 and 2027 and secured additional flexibility on orders from planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) as part of its planning for a smaller travel market. EasyJet is not expecting travel demand to recover to its pre-coronavirus levels until 2023 and the airline has been under strain due to months without revenues during lockdown. It said in May it needed to cut 4,500 jobs, or 30% of its workforce. It had already said in April it would defer the 24 planes. Shares in the company traded up…

The number of people on British company payrolls fell by more than 600,000 in April and May as the coronavirus lockdown hit the labour market, and vacancies plunged by the most on record, official data showed on Tuesday. The jobless rate unexpectedly held at 3.9% over the three months to April – despite a record slump in overall economic output during that period – as firms turned to the government’s job retention scheme to keep employees on their books. Economists polled by Reuters had mostly expected a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.7%. “The furlough scheme continues to hold…

Long queues of shoppers snaked outside some stores in England from early in the morning on Monday, with discount fashion retailer Primark proving a big draw as non-essential shops reopened their doors after 83 days of lockdown. Queues formed outside several branches of Primark, which does not sell online so has not taken a penny in the country for weeks. In Birmingham, home to the world’s biggest Primark, the store opened early as hundreds of people lined up outside. Department stores, clothing retailers, electrical outlets and bookshops have been closed since March 23 when Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a…

British finance minister Rishi Sunak must extend the government’s already huge coronavirus income support measures to include over 1 million more workers who have missed out, lawmakers said on Monday. People who started jobs after a cut-off date in March for the state’s wage subsidy scheme or who set up a company in the last year should not be excluded, the lawmakers from parliament’s influential Treasury Committee said. Self-employed people who earn more than a threshold set by the government, freelancers in industries such as theatre and television and directors of companies who pay themselves in dividends should also be…

The crowded daily commute in London has long been a source of misery for millions. But getting to work will be even more of a challenge following Britain’s coronavirus lockdown. Capacity on the transport network in one of the world’s biggest financial hubs has been reduced by 85% to comply with social-distancing rules, protecting commuters by preventing them cramming into trains, the London Underground and buses. Everyone using public transport must also now wear a face covering. As the lockdown restrictions are gradually eased, many now face the quandary of how to reach the City of London, Canary Wharf and…

After 83 days of coronavirus lockdown, non-essential stores in England reopen their doors on Monday, hoping to get the tills ringing again and start a long road to recovery. The stores have been closed since March 23 when Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. While outdoor markets and car showrooms reopened on June 1, Monday will be the big return to business for retailers. It only applies to England, with stores in Scotland and Wales waiting for guidance from their devolved administrations on when they can resume trading. Non-essential stores in Northern…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a cross-government commission would examine racism and the disparities experienced by minority ethnic groups in education, health and the criminal justice system following Black Lives Matter protests. Johnson said he could not ignore the strength of feeling shown by tens of thousands of people who had demonstrated in British cities following the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. “What I really want to do as prime minister is change the narrative, so we stop the sense of victimisation and discrimination,” he said on Sunday. “We stop the discrimination, we stamp…

Global demand for premium foods like wagyu beef, bluefin tuna and caviar has plunged with thousands of restaurants shuttered and many economies sliding into recession amid the coronavirus pandemic. As strict lockdown measures to contain the outbreak ravage global economic activity, the luxury food industry could be among the worst hit since it heavily relies on restaurants and top hotels for demand for deluxe items from caviar to champagne. While some gourmet food producers are tapping consumers directly to stay afloat, others have been forced to cut output as some products have lost nearly half their value since the start…

Mothercare’s (MTC.L) Irish franchise owner placed its 14 baby products stores into liquidation on Friday, becoming one of the first major retail outlets in Ireland to blame the coronavirus lockdown for its demise. Mothercare Plc still operates around 1,000 overseas franchise stores following the collapse of its UK business, where it fell victim to stiff competition from online retailers and rising costs across the retail industry. Major UK retailers have a big presence on the high street in neighbouring Ireland, where an economy that has been the fastest growing in Europe for much of the last five years has shielded…

The United Kingdom has abandoned its plan to introduce full border checks with the European Union on Jan. 1 as British ministers face pressure from businesses not to increase chaos already caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the Financial Times newspaper reported on.ft.com/37k1mxW. Instead, Britain will introduce a temporary “light-touch regime” at ports such as Dover for incoming EU goods, the newspaper reported, adding that this will happen whether or not there is a Brexit free trade agreement with the EU. The newspaper said that officials have conceded, however, that goods flowing to the EU from the UK could face full checks…