Warmer weather and remaining restrictions on other activities likely to see drive-in cinema as popular optionThe UK is on track to hit “peak drive-in” this summer with outdoor cinema bookings surging ahead of the lifting of restrictions on some Covid-safe gatherings next week.There has been an “explosion” in the number of events being listed to run from next week, as drive-in cinema benefits from being included in the first wave of outdoor attractions allowed to resume from 12 April under Boris Johnson’s “cautious but irreversible” roadmap out of lockdown. Continue reading...

11 Apr 2021 11:07 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Surge in housebuilding joined by strong growth in infrastructure and commercial projectsBritain’s construction sector has had its sharpest pick-up in activity since 2014 amid signs that the domestic economy is recovering more quickly than Brexit- and pandemic-affected trade flows, new figures have shown.The latest snapshot of the construction sector, which accounts for around 6% of total UK output, pointed to an across-the-board increase in March, with house-building, commercial projects and infrastructure work all displaying strong growth. Continue reading...

08 Apr 2021 14:14 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

From bakeries and pizzerias to breweries and roasteries, customers are supporting their favourite eateries during the pandemic by buying an astonishing amount of branded goodsRestaurant merch used to mean a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt. But now, many roasteries, bakeries, breweries and restaurants are offering covetable, design-savvy merchandise.At a time when the hospitality industry is in tatters because of the pandemic – UK restaurants and casual dining firms recorded almost 30,000 job losses in 2020 and seven in 10 restaurants fear they will have to close as a result of the pandemic – many establishments around the country, including Crazy Pedros, a pizza parlour and tequila bar with branches in Manchester and Liverpool, the Taiwanese cult restaurant Bao, Mangal 2 and Top Cuvée, have seen a rise in merchandise sales. “The T-shirts have been absolutely flying out,” says Max Halley of Max’s Sandwich Shop. Merchandise is a way for customers to support their favourite spots. For many businesses, ithas been a genuine help. “T-shirt sales have topped up pay packets, paid rent and utility bills ... money we owed suppliers and all that sort of stuff. They have kept our heads above water,” says Halley. As Brodie Meah, co-owner of north London’s Top Cuvée restaurant and wine shop, points out, it helps that “There’s a better margin on selling T-shirts than a plate of cooked food”. Continue reading...

02 Feb 2021 11:54 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Online greetings card retailer placed 140m shares at 350p to give new investors a 41% stakeMoonpig’s shares flew up 17% as it joined the stock market, valuing the company at £1.4bn at the end of its first day.The online greetings card and gift retailer, which also operates as Greetz in the Netherlands, placed 140m shares at an initial price of 350p on Tuesday, to give new investors a 41% stake in the company. Continue reading...

02 Feb 2021 19:29 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Britain’s leading ice company makes five billion cubes a year, filling everything from cocktail glasses to ice baths. Now it faces its toughest challenge – for what is ice without a party season?The ice in your drink comes from one of two places: your freezer, or someone else’s. For homemade ice, the supply chain is reassuringly familiar: water goes into the freezer, and a bit later, ice comes out. But what about the ice cubes that you bought from a supermarket, or extracted, by the handful, from a plastic bag at a drinks party? They were frozen when you took possession of them; they are long gone now. Where did they start out, back when they were water?Follow their journey all the way back from the point of sale – through warehouses and depots and cold storage facilities and innumerable temperature-controlled lorries – and there’s a decent chance that most of them came from the same place: an industrial estate just outside South Kirkby in West Yorkshire. The company that made them is called The Ice Co, and if you haven’t heard of it, you have almost certainly used its products. Continue reading...

10 Dec 2020 06:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Sales of Christmas turkey and alcohol were up by just over a third in November, says KantarNovember was the biggest month ever for UK grocery sales with shoppers spending almost £11bn as the return of lockdown in England drove supermarket purchases of food and alcohol.Sales of turkey and alcohol were up by just over a third and festive light sales soared 238% in November, according to analysts at Kantar, as shoppers brought forward preparations for Christmas and began treating themselves at home while pubs and restaurants were closed. Continue reading...

08 Dec 2020 17:59 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Smaller ‘farmgate’ sellers reclassified as essential retailers in run-up to holidaysSpecialist Christmas tree sellers, farms and stalls were allowed to reopen for sales in England this weekend, after the government changed the lockdown rules to reclassify them as “essential” retailers.While supermarkets and garden centres have been selling fresh-cut trees because they were deemed to be essential businesses, smaller “farmgate” sellers were forced to close because of the month-long restrictions. Continue reading...

22 Nov 2020 15:44 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN