Bank guru’s inflation talk born of bitter experience
THE Bank of England’s Silvana Tenreyro spoke eloquently as ever about the likely fall in inflation in the UK as we head for an “incomplete V” shape (is that the same as the Nike Swoosh Recovery?). She should know what she’s talking about. The interest rate setter grew up in Tucuman, a poor area of Argentina, with inflation at 5000%. “If you had any bill in your hand, you run to the supermarket to stock your chocolates,” she told the Evening Standard a couple of years back. Companies were so busy hedging against inflation risks that there were “more accountants than engineers”. Must have been hell.
DIXONS Carphone chief executive Alex Baldock is effusive about the benefits of its Shop Live service, which allows staff to give techy advice via video link. “It means a colleague in Guildford with spare time can serve a customer in Glasgow,” he explains. That’s assuming the whalloper isn’t too scunnered to understand the wee geeky lad in a Currys down south.
FORTHRIGHT stuff from Iceland Foods managing director Richard Walker, who tweets: “If mandatory face masks in shops will make our customers and colleagues safer they are welcome — but we won’t put our staff at risk by asking them to police this.” Are relations souring between the frozen
food empire and Boris Johnson’s party? Richard’s dad Sir Malcolm, a Tory donor, helped Boris raise a 2019 election war chest and hosted him on the campaign trail. Spy’s sure the mood will thaw soon enough.