Rishi Sunak has succumbed to pressure from business leaders and announced more than £1bn in support for companies across the UK hit hardest by the pre-Christmas surge in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant (The Financial Times £).
Pubs, restaurants and leisure businesses hit by omicron losses will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 in a £1bn Christmas aid package announced by Rishi Sunak (The Telegraph).
The funding will primarily help firms in the leisure and hospitality sector, and follows concerns that they have faced cancelled bookings and plummeting custom since the government implemented its Covid “plan B” (The Guardian).
High street hopes of a bumper Christmas have been dashed by the arrival in the UK of the Omicron variant, the latest snapshot of consumer activity has confirmed (The Guardian).
The Omicron coronavirus variant and early Christmas shopping have contributed to disappointing sales in the year to December, a survey has found (The Times £).
Renewed deal speculation and relief that it has dodged a pre-Christmas profit warning have revived the stock market fortunes of THG after a turbulent year (The Times £).
A £14 own-label champagne from Aldi has become a hit in the UK and is second only to Moët & Chandon in sales as shoppers seek luxury but without the hefty price tag (The Guardian).
McDonald’s Japan said on Tuesday that because of delivery delays from Canada, it would only be able to offer the smallest serving of french fries at its 2,900 outlets (The Financial Times £).
The company said it had taken the measure to ensure that customers could still order fries, even though the “stable procurement of resource materials” was proving difficult (The Guardian).
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