Supermarket chain Tesco and 2 Sisters owner Boparan are among those that have expressed an interest in Carluccio’s sites and other assets after the Italian chain collapsed into administration last month (The Financial Times £). Boparan Restaurant Group, part of Ranjit Singh Boparan’s business empire, is believed to have lodged a bid with the administrators for the brand and a significant number of its 71 restaurants. (The Times £)

The government has sought to allay growing fears about the impact of a protracted Covid-19 lockdown on the economy by announcing that its loan guarantee scheme will be open to mid-sized firms that were in danger of being left out (The Guardian). Larger companies and fast-growing start-ups are set for more help under new emergency support measures announced by the government (The Times £). Businesses with a turnover of more than £45m will be allowed to access funding through a new government scheme, the chancellor has announced (Sky News). Loans to all medium-to-large firms will now be included in the government’s £330bn coronavirus support package for the economy (The BBC).

Some of Britain’s biggest privately owned companies will get a lifeline on Friday when they are given access to a new emergency scheme which allows them to borrow up to £50m of government-guaranteed debt. (Sky News)

The Treasury is considering calls to increase the government guarantee on loans to small businesses from 80% to 100% to boost the flow of urgently needed funds. (The Times £)

The price of high-demand food bought online in UK has risen sharply. The cost of a basket including tinned beans, rice and lavatory paper is up 4.4%, says ONS. (The Guardian)

The maker of Imperial Leather soap and St Tropez fake tan warned that social distancing had hammered sales of its personal grooming products. (The Times £)

KFC, Burger King and Pret a Manger have reopened some fast food restaurants across Britain following a coronavirus shutdown as hopes grow the disease is reaching its peak (The Telegraph). Some of the UK’s high street food brands are offering delivery-only services as they partially reopen some branches (Sky News).

Aldi will start selling grocery parcels online from today for delivery to households who are struggling to get to the shops. (The Daily Mail)

Farmers have defended the transportation of workers from Romania to the UK amid the unemployment crisis caused by COVID-19. (Sky News)

Supermarket shortages in the UK may soon expand from toilet rolls and dried pasta to fresh fruit and vegetables. British farmers reliant on a migrating seasonal workforce are struggling as tighter post-Brexit immigration policies combined with global coronavirus lockdowns have depleted worker numbers. Farmers have only secured 10% of the usual 80,000 required this season, according to the National Farmers Union. (The Financial Times £)

With the world in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the shipping industry is already feeling the impact as the global economy heads into a deep recession. (The BBC)

The world’s biggest luxury group LVMH and the largest cosmetics maker L’Oréal have shaken off the sharp falls in first-quarter sales due to Covid-19, saying they will be able to withstand the knock to their businesses. (The Financial Times £)

Amazon has begun a four-day closure of its warehouses in France as it races to comply with a court order to limit its sales to essential products, following a high-profile battle with a French union over protections against Covid-19 for its employees. (The Financial Times £)

One of the largest US pork producers is closing two more meat processing plants after one of its facilities in South Dakota became a hotspot of coronavirus infections, threatening to further strain a food supply chain already disrupted by the pandemic. (The Financial Times £)

Topics