NEWS SPECIAL
COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/
JJ Foodservice has reported
MINISTER ‘DEEPLY SHOCKED’ BY ABUSE OF SHOPWORKERS
sales of £225m for the
SMALL BUSINESS MINISTER PAUL SCULLY MP HAS WRITTEN TO THE
calendar year ending
ACS HIGHLIGHTING HOW ‘DEEPLY SHOCKED’ HE IS BY THE ABUSE
December 2020, an increase
FACED BY PEOPLE WORKING IN LOCAL SHOPS.
JJ REPORTS GROWTH
of 1.3% compared with the same period the year before, despite Covid-19. The predominantly foodservice wholesaler said “quick thinking and a successful business-toconsumer service” had helped recoup sales.
REPURPOSE REPAYMENTS Money being repaid to the Government by large companies should be used to provide additional rates relief to small and medium-sized
In a letter to the Association of Convenience Stores CEO James Lowman, Small Business Minister Paul Scully MP has highlighted the “tremendous effort” that convenience stores have made during the pandemic, paying tribute to retailers that have “gone out of their way to support the more vulnerable members of the community during this time”. Scully said he is “deeply shocked” at the violence and abuse suffered by retailers, often triggered as a result of reminding customers about
face coverings and social distancing measures. Lowman said: “We welcome the Minister’s recognition of the incredible work that convenience stores have put in to keep their communities going over the past year.” The Assaults on Retail Workers Bill is currently awaiting a second reading in Parliament, which would make offences against people working in shops aggravated for the purposes of sentencing. More details on the Bill are available here.
retailers and businesses in the hospitality industry which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, says tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg.
MILLION MARK More than one million people at greatest risk from coronavirus in Scotland have had their first dose of the vaccine. The programme has now reached more than onefifth (22%) of the 4.5 million people who will be offered a jab.
29,000 PUBS TO REMAIN CLOSED IN APRIL The British Beer & Pub Association says it believes 29,000 pubs – 60% of all pubs in the UK – will still remain closed in April, even if outdoor service is permitted. The trade association says this is because most pubs in the UK do not have a big enough garden or outdoor space to re-open and serve customers without opening indoors too. The figures come as speculation and reporting suggest that outdoor service could be permitted in hospitality venues from April. The BBPA says around 75% of UK pubs have a beer garden or outdoor space, but that only 40% of pubs are likely to have a beer garden or outdoor space big enough. Even then, if many with big enough outdoor spaces did open, they could still struggle to break even as they would still have vastly reduced capacity and have significant practical challenges such as the April weather to deal with. It would mean that if pubs did open outdoors only in April, just 17% of UK pub capacity (both indoor and outdoor) would be opened.
8 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 43 / WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2021
