Coronavirus

Feb- 2021 -

16 February

BIRA calls on government for ‘clear exit plan’ out of lockdown

The British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) is calling for the UK government to make a clear exit plan out of lockdown for the sector, with Andrew Goodacre CEO of the group stating that “retail continues to be and always has been a safe place”. The plea comes one week ahead…

Jan- 2021 -

22 January

Retail sales fall to lowest ever annual level

The retail sector has suffered its largest annual fall since records began, with total sales down 1.9% against the year prior, as restrictions on non-essential retail continued to impact the sector as a whole. This was the biggest decline since records began in 1997, according to the ONS. After declines…

21 January

Chancellor considers adding furlough extension to March budget

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering another extension to the government’s Job retention Scheme (JRS) as it continues to try and mitigate the impact of covid-19 on the UK economy. According to Bloomberg, Sunak is considering a fifth extension to the furlough scheme that will cover roughly 5 million workers…

15 January

Supreme Court sides with small firms in business interruption insurance case

The Supreme Court has delivered its judgment in the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA)’s business interruption insurance test case, with the court’s ruling in the favour of small firms potentially forcing insurers to pay out £1.2bn in CBI claims. Following the judgement, thousands of policyholders will now have their claims for…

Oct- 2020 -

12 October

PM unveils three-tiered lockdown system

Prime minister Boris Johnson this afternoon announced a new three-tier lockdown system that will see some hospitality businesses in the North-West forced to close from Wednesday. Under the new system, different rules for regions will be classified as being on ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ alert depending on the rate…

Jul- 2020 -

2 July

High street retailers ‘urgently’ need government recovery plan, says Usdaw

Shopworkers union Usdaw has urged the government to agree with employers and trade unions a recovery plan for the high street as “thousands of further job losses are announced”. The union said the scale of job losses across the retail industry is “accelerating” as the high street continues to struggle…

Jun- 2020 -

24 June

Kennel Club welcomes The Animals and Wildlife Bill in Scottish Parliament

The Kennel Club, has welcomed the news that The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill has become law upon receiving Royal Assent after it received cross party support in the Scottish Parliament. As well as raising the maximum sentence for animal cruelty in Scotland to up to…

24 June

Coronavirus diaries: Inspired Pet Nutrition

There is no doubt that we have been through unprecedented times in the last few months. Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) attended Crufts in early March with a skeleton crew and it was agreed that those who attended would isolate from the office for a week afterwards. In the following two…

22 June

Cheshire Police warn of rise in pet scams during coronavirus pandemic

Police in Cheshire have warned the public of a rise in pet buying scams during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the start of lockdown, West Midlands Police warned the public against buying pets online without visiting them first, as they fear criminals are taking advantage of the current Covid-19 pandemic. Online…

18 June

Pet Place secure £1m CBILS loan from Lloyds Bank

Pet supplies firm, Pet Place, has announced it has secured a £1m Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) loan from Lloyds Bank. Pet Place, which owns five superstores across North Wales, has said it has successfully scaled up its online and click and collect services after a 600% increase in…