Wetherspoons’ boss was right to withhold wages

The media and the Twitterati have had a field day vilifying the founder and owner of pub chain Wetherspoons over his decision not to pay his staff in light of the coronavirus restrictions. Tim Martin had sent an email to his 43,000 staff saying he could not afford to pay…

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Covid-19: Banks under fire over emergency loan scheme

Banks have come under fire over government-backed emergency loans which require business owners to sign for a personal guarantee, as the UK battles with the Covid-19 pandemic. The British Business Bank (BBB) opened applications for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) on Monday (23 March), and claimed the loan…

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Assay offices close their doors

All four assay offices across the UK have closed their doors amid the coronavirus crisis. The assay offices, in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield, will now be closed for business for “at least” three weeks. In a statement, the British Hallmarking Council said: “The pandemic has caused many disruptions to…

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NAJ postpones 2020 summit

The NAJ has announced that it will be postponing its 2020 Seminar amid the current coronavirus situation.  It is now scheduled to take place in June 2021.  The Summit was due to take place between the 20 June and 22 June at the De Vere Staverton Park Estate in Northamptonshire,…

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Birmingham Assay Office closes operations

The Birmingham Assay Office has announced that it will be “closing all operations” from today (24 March) for the three weeks stipulated by the government.   The office said that the decision came in light of the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement on Monday evening, and said that the move would “protect…

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Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Advice for employers

The Job Retention Scheme is a huge incentive for companies to keep employees on payroll. To access the support companies need to classify employees as a furloughed worker, which means they should not undertake any work for the company while furloughed, including answering calls or emails. In exchange employers can claim a grant of…

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PM bans ‘non-essential retail’, instructs public to stay at home

The UK public are only allowed to venture out of their homes for essential supplies and one exercise outing per day, or face fines, under new measures introduced this evening by the prime minister. In a recorded address filmed in No 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson said the police will…

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H.Samuel announces temporary store closures amid Covid-19 virus outbreak

High street jewellery store H. Samuel has announced the temporary closure of all its stores amid the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. The retailer announced all store closures will take effect from today (Monday 23 March) but its website will be “open as usual.” In a statement, the retailer…

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F. Hinds and Chapelle close all stores until further notice

Family-run jewellery business F. Hinds, which also operates Chapelle, has announced that all sites for both brands are to close until further notice.  In a newly released statement, the Hinds family said: “It is with great sadness that we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close all of our…

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Lebrusan Studio launches ready-to-order engagement rings

Lebrusan Studio has announced the launch of a “compact” new selection of ready-to-order engagement rings, entitled The Candy Pop collection. The collection, named after its “palette of sweet pastel hues”, features four hand-crafted rings with Sri Lankan sapphires in assorted colours and shapes. Each gemstone was hand-selected by the sustainable…

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