Refusal to return to the office post-coronavirus ‘could be grounds for dismissal’ December 7, 2020 Employees who refuse to return to the office post-coronavirus despite being asked to do so could be in breach of contract and face dismissal. Employers had the right to apply to work flexibly before the pandemic, and will be able to do so post-pandemic, too. However, if an employer refuses that application, and the employee’s [...]
‘Zoom anxiety’ infects the nation during the pandemic December 3, 2020 Most of the population has experienced ‘Zoom anxiety’ since March, when working moved online and Zoom became a widely used tool to connect colleagues and friends. Home workers worried about everything from their looks and their Zoom background to having a technical problem and being unable to fix them. Following an 80% increase Google searches [...]
High profile retailer failures will ‘once again shine spotlight on auditors’ December 3, 2020 A possible avalanche of corporate failures could once again shine the spotlight on auditors, according to Menzies partner James Hadfield. The partner said he could foresee more failures coming, and believed it likely auditors would become a talking point in the process. The high street is having a particularly tough time at the moment, with [...]
Collapsed Debenhams claimed £40.5m of taxpayer cash via furlough scheme December 3, 2020 Collapsed Debenhams claimed £40.5m of taxpayer cash via furlough scheme
Tesco CEO: Movement of product is the biggest Brexit issue December 3, 2020 The movement of products across borders is the biggest issue facing supermarkets because of Brexit, not food price inflation, the chief executive of Tesco has said. Speaking on Sky News today, CEO Ken Murphy said: “The biggest challenge we face really is the movement of product between borders, the movement of product between Great Britain [...]
Aldi becomes fourth supermarket to return business rate relief December 3, 2020 Aldi has become the forth supermarket to return the full value of the business rate relief it has received during the pandemic. Aldi will pay back more than £100m to the government and devolved administrations. The decision follows pledges from Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s to do the same, which will pay back £585m, £230m and [...]
Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai detained following fraud charge December 3, 2020 Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy supporter, has been charged with fraud and detained until a court hearing in April next year. Lai was arrested on Wednesday night along with two other senior executives from media company Next Digital, of which Lai is the founder. The three men appeared in court the [...]
Countryside chairman to step down following pressure from activist investor December 3, 2020 Countryside Properties chairman David Howell will step down from the board in 2021, a day after its third-largest investor called for his removal. Yesterday US-based shareholder Browning West said leadership changes at the housebuilder were “immediately required”, claiming the developer had “several significant deficiencies”. The pressure from Browning West followed previous letters to the board [...]
Sainsbury’s to forgo business rates relief December 3, 2020 Sainsbury’s has decided to forgo the business rates relief on its stores granted by the government since March. Lockdown restrictions have remained in place for longer than originally expected and throughout the pandemic all Sainsbury’s stores have been deemed essential retail. Almost all have been open and trading strongly, with the exception of a small [...]
Insurer Phoenix reports £1.7bn cash generation December 3, 2020 Insurer Phoenix Group has reported a full-year cash generation of £1.7bn, exceeding the top end of its target range and more than doubling from last year. The life insurer’s reported cash generation compares with £707m it reported in 2019 and a target range of £1.5-£1.6bn. Group CEO Andy Briggs said: “As we execute successfully against [...]
