Business

The maker of top cleaning brands including Dettol and Cillit Bang, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), has reported a recovery in condom sales thanks to relaxed coronavirus restrictions. The FTSE 100 company, which has been among the few winners in the COVID-19 crisis to date thanks to its household hygiene and healthcare products, reported a 9.5% lift

Two-thirds of businesses say the government has done a poor job of communicating its plans for a post-Brexit trade agreement, according to a survey. The YouGov online poll of 1,000 businesses showed 21% described the communication as somewhat poor and 45% very poor. Just 8% said the government had done a very good job and

The first major corporate casualty of the coronavirus crisis in the UK, Flybe, could be back in the air next year. It was announced that the company, which folded in March as a collapse in demand for air travel exacerbated already deep financial turbulence, had been effectively bought out of administration by a firm affiliated

One of the insurers embroiled in a battle with the City watchdog about the payment of claims from coronavirus-hit businesses has begun lining up a successor to its veteran chairman. Sky News has learnt that RSA Insurance Group is working with headhunters on a search to replace Martin Scicluna, who also chairs the supermarket chain

Around two-and-a-half million coins celebrating the contributions ethnic minority communities have made to the UK will enter circulation on Monday. The coins will feature the words “Diversity built Britain”, along with a geodome representing connection and strength. The Treasury says that the new coins show the intent of the Royal Mint and Chancellor Rishi Sunak

A shareholder in Flybe when it collapsed this year with the loss of thousands of jobs is in talks with its administrators about a potentially controversial bid to resuscitate the regional airline. Sky News has learnt that Cyrus Capital, a hedge fund with offices in Mayfair, is behind a plot to reacquire some of Flybe’s

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Rishi Sunak that “now is not yet the time to balance the books”. In an interview with Sky News, Kristalina Georgieva said the UK must stand ready to spend more to support businesses and households through the second surge of the pandemic. Her comments come

Pret A Manger plans to shut six more shops and cut around another 400 jobs in the face of the resurgent coronavirus pandemic. The recovery of the coffee and sandwich chain has been hampered by recently tightened COVID-19 restrictions and rising case numbers. In August, the company axed 2,800 roles as part of a shake-up

Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has lashed out at the “ever-changing raft of ill-thought-out” coronavirus regulations as the pub chain sank to a £105.4m loss. His renewed criticism came as the company’s delayed results also revealed that sales fell by 30% from £1.82bn to £1.26bn in the year to 26 July. Lambasting the government’s handling of the

A quarter of a million hospitality jobs are at risk from additional coronavirus restrictions imposed on London from this weekend, the mayor of London has been warned by an industry chief. Sky News has seen a letter to Sadiq Khan from Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, in which she said that his request for

Pubs group Marston’s has warned that 2,150 jobs will be impacted after the government tightened coronavirus restrictions. Curfews and new rules on face masks table service, added to “three tier” guidance for operating in England as well as tough limitations in parts of Scotland had taken their toll on consumer confidence, the company said. Marston’s

The government is paying individual private sector consultants million-pound wages to work on its test and trace system, according to documents seen by Sky News. Some executives from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) helping the government set up and run its testing system are being paid day rates of around £7,000 – equivalent to an annual

Online fashion retailer Asos has reported a 329% rise in annual profits after sales held up thanks to demand for casual clothing and sportswear during lockdown. Revenues rose 19% for the year to the end of August – a slight slowdown compared to the 21% growth in the first half of the year, with smart

More than 90 million people could be forced into “extreme deprivation” this year as developing and emerging economies are hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the world’s lender of last resort predicts the pandemic will undo decades of progress in reducing global

Unemployment rose to a three-year high over the summer and there were more redundancies than any time since 2009, official figures show. The jobless rate climbed to a higher than expected 4.5% in the three months to August, up from 4.1% a month before, as the coronavirus crisis took a further toll on livelihoods. That

Boris Johnson will this week seek to portray Britain as a welcoming destination for foreign investors by unveiling plans for a Downing Street operation aimed at securing backing for multibillion-pound infrastructure projects. Sky News has learnt that officials at Number 10 are coordinating the launch of a unit called the Office for Investment, which insiders