Anne Pitcher, the Selfridges managing director who has spent a lifetime working in shops, replies bluntly when asked how it felt to turn the lights out and pull up the shutters on Oxford Street’s most iconic store. ‘Awful,’ she says, describing herself as ‘never happier than when I’m on the shop floor’. ‘The day we … Read more
The Mail on Sunday today launches a £3million support package to help Britain’s legion of small firms beat the coronavirus crisis. The owner of The MoS, Daily Mail, the i and Metro is giving away £3,000 of free advertising in its newspapers to each of 1,000 small businesses as they prepare to do everything they … Read more
Fears Government’s 14 day quarantine plan will lead to food shortages and factory closures By Francesca Washtell For The Daily Mail Published: 21:51 BST, 13 May 2020 | Updated: 21:51 BST, 13 May 2020 Manufacturers have slammed the Government’s plans to introduce a 14-day quarantine for visitors to the UK. The five main industries have … Read more
Barclays £100 compensation offer to small business owners left waiting for Bounce Back loans branded ‘insulting’ By Lucy White For The Daily Mail Published: 21:51 BST, 13 May 2020 | Updated: 21:51 BST, 13 May 2020 Barclays has begun to offer compensation to customers who were left waiting over a week for their lifeline Bounce … Read more
Supplier fears eased as Government steps in to guarantee trade credit insurance agreements By Daily Mail City & Finance Reporter Published: 21:51 BST, 13 May 2020 | Updated: 21:51 BST, 13 May 2020 The Government has stepped in to guarantee trade credit insurance agreements as thousands of businesses struggle to pay their bills. Suppliers to … Read more
Normally, Mark spends his working hours sat among hundreds of colleagues in Santander’s busy Glasgow office. But, since lockdown started, he has instead been fielding calls from the bank’s customers at his home, in a makeshift, one-man call centre. The banking giant is receiving an unprecedented number of calls from customers worried about their finances. … Read more
Homeware store boss Liz Lawson has furloughed half of her 65 staff ‘Fund will save firms’ Liz Lawson is the fourth generation to run 116-year-old Lawsons, which has four Devon homeware stores. It usually has an annual turnover of £2.8 million, but has had to close its Totnes and Plymouth shops to the public. Liz, 52, … Read more
Lance Forman’s family firm has survived flood, fire, ‘Red Ken’ Livingstone, the Left-wing firebrand former mayor of London, and two World Wars. Having weathered all that, he certainly has no intention of letting his world-famous smoked salmon business be laid low by a virus. The 57-year-old is a former president of the Cambridge Union and … Read more
Demise of the office job: As millions work from home, Britain’s biggest landlord fears virus could force firms to cut back on building space By Matt Oliver For The Daily Mail Published: 23:36 BST, 12 May 2020 | Updated: 00:21 BST, 13 May 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic could trigger the decline of the traditional office … Read more
Struggling small firms land £8.4bn of Bounce Back loans since it launched on May 4 By Lucy White For The Daily Mail Published: 23:37 BST, 12 May 2020 | Updated: 00:23 BST, 13 May 2020 Britain’s banks have now lent more than £8billion to keep the country’s smallest businesses afloat during the pandemic. In the … Read more