Business news in brief
Aviation regulator to get tougher powers over refunds
Tougher powers will be handed to the aviation regulator after passengers struggled to get refunds when flights were grounded during the outbreak, the Department for Transport has announced. The plan to give more teeth to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was announced in a report by the government’s Global Travel Taskforce as part of efforts to “build consumer confidence and develop trust in booking travel”. Consumer group Which? previously accused the CAA of “failing” passengers over its lack of enforcement action on refund delays. UK consumer laws say passengers are entitled to cash refunds for cancelled flights within seven days, but many had to wait several months for a payout or offered vouchers. PA
Drinkers urged to support local independent brewers
A campaign is being launched calling on drinkers to support local independent brewers when pubs reopen next week. Around five million pints of cask beer are estimated to have been poured away because of the coronavirus crisis, with the brewers who made it left to foot the bill. Sales of hand-pulled cask beer, which
can only be sold in pubs, have been hit hard by restrictions, with sales down 70 per cent over the last year. The Cask Is Back, So Back Cask campaign is backed by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), the Campaign for Real Ale, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and Cask Marque. James Calder, chief executive of SIBA, said: “Because cask beer can only be enjoyed in the pub it’s the drink millions of beer lovers across the UK have missed most during lockdown. PA
Travel money firm Ramsdens expects small loss
Currency exchange and pawnbroking business Ramsdens has said online jewellery sales soared in the last six months as it prepares for a potential reopening of the travel industry. The company said that while it had kept almost 90 per cent of its stores open, it also saw strong growth online, more than doubling revenue from its online jewellery sales compared with the same period last year. Yet the board said it expects to report a small loss for the six months. “We are pleased with the group’s resilient performance despite the ongoing difficult trading conditions – testament to the strengths of Ramsdens’ diversified business model,” said chief executive Peter Kenyon. PA
Just one in seven managers expect full office return
Fewer than one in seven leaders in some of the UK’s biggest companies have said they expect a full-time return to offices by the end of this year, according to a new survey. Data gathered for office company IWG suggested that firms were much more likely to pursue a hybrid work model in the future, than go back to asking staff to work from a central office five days a week. The answers came from 501 managers at FTSE 250 companies who were surveyed about their plans for the future. Some 13 per cent predicted a full-time return this year, with 38 per cent saying they would downsize across the board and 42 per cent were looking to move to or invest in a shared office. PA
John Lewis targets young families with cheaper range
The launch of a cheaper range of products by John Lewis comes amid concerns that the department store giant is not widely seen as “good value for money”. The retailer, which will reopen its UK stores on Monday, said it aims to appeal to more younger families through the ANYDAY own brand range. It comes weeks after the group confirmed that it will permanently shut eight of its stores – including sites in Sheffield, Aberdeen and York – as part of the major shake-up of its operations. Since the start of last year, the John Lewis Partnership has explored new growth strategies in order to help the recovery of the lossmaking department store arm. PA