Features
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Apr- 2020 -15 April
Covid-19 & designer watches: The impact of the outbreak
The coronavirus outbreak has caused widespread devastation across the entire globe. Not only are the numbers of cases and deaths caused by the COVID-19 virus already in the tens of thousands, but industries and societal constructs are continuing to struggle as a result. One such industry to suffer the consequences…
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Mar- 2020 -30 March
The minimum wage increase is about to hit – and it beggars belief
As if to bang the final nail into the coffin himself, we can only assume the Treasury’s top man, chancellor Rishi Sunak, refuses to give ground on the next wave to crash over the retail and hospitality industries. I am talking of course about the increase in the National Minimum…
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26 March
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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24 March
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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20 March
Waste not, want not: the designers driving ethical change
Last month marked a watershed moment as Rosh Mahtini became the first ever jeweller to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Mahtini received the esteemed award based on her commitment to sustainability and ethical practices, exemplified by her innovative jewellery brand, Alighieri. As the first jewellery designer…
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13 March
BT’s boss catches it, markets rebounding, pain medication prices spike
Today I am going to rattle through a wider selection of stories than normal because the spread of the virus is hitting so many sectors hard, with key figures in the business community affected. The markets are recovering some of their losses this morning after having their worst selloff since…
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10 March
Banks to help us all out with coronavirus fallout
Once again the business pages on all major news outlets are pretty much dominated by the developing story of coronavirus – every sector has some kind of tale to tell. So here is the roundup from today. RBS said it will allow mortgage holidays for people who are forced to…
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6 March
Flybe’s pensions in doubt; Poorest 20% no better off than before, 1m Virgin customers on unsecured database
Flybe’s pension pot for 1,350 current and former workers is at risk, as the fallout from one of the first casualties of the coronavirus business threat manifests in full. Flybe of course was already embattled before the new Covid-19 virus came along, and was the subject of a controversial bailout…
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4 March
Coronavirus is stepping up a gear – this could be serious
When I started this column back in December I did not anticipate a single subject would dominate it so much, but as I wrote last week it would be silly not to address the latest coronavirus circumstances given that each new development so far has had a profound impact on…
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2 March
Entrepreneurs relief may be scrapped by Sunak
The new chancellor, Rishi Sunak, may scrap entrepreneur’s relief to raise £3bn a year as a means to bring in some extra dosh for the Treasury. Sunak will undoubtedly be looking for ways to raise extra revenue given the government’s infrastructure spending plans as it seeks to make a visible…
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