Budget 2021: If I have to pay £13,000, it will destroy my shop bbc.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
HOSPITALITY
Pubs and restaurant bosses face a battle for survival after being told they cannot reopen until April 12.
Up to six people from separate households could be able to meet then in beer gardens with no need to order food. Alcohol takeaways will also be available.
But food and drink will not be served indoors until May 17.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said apart from a couple of weeks in December, the sector will have been closed for nearly 200 days since November.
She said: This delay in reopening will make the job of survival all the more difficult for businesses only just clinging on to existence.
More support needed as England exits lockdown, say business leaders theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Retail footfall will ‘rebound’ after lockdown restrictions lift Print
There will be a “swift rebound” in retail footfall when non-essential stores re-open, a retail expert predicts.
The prediction comes as prime minister Boris Johnson set out his four-step plan to release England from lockdown, which sees schools reopen on 8 March, outdoor sports start from 29 March, non-essential shops, hairdressers and gyms reopen from 12 April, and all legal limits on social contact end from 21 June.
Evidence from retail analytics consultancy Ipsos Retail Performance shows that shoppers were slow to return to non-essential stores after the first lockdown was lifted in June 2020. In stores that re-opened in that first week footfall was only a third (32%) of levels the previous year.
Government delays business rates review talkingretail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from talkingretail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.