PRESS DIGEST- British Business - May 13
May 13 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
The Times
- Sainsbury's has handed almost 2 million pounds ($2.45 million) in bonus shares to its senior executive team less than a fortnight after deferring its final dividend. https://bit.ly/3fHb557
- Vodafone's Chief Executive Officer Nick Read has effectively ruled out making a counter bid for Virgin Media. https://bit.ly/3fL3brh
The Guardian
- Britain's retailers have warned of the mounting risk of shop closures and job losses across the country after consumer spending plunged to record lows in April since comparable records began as the coronavirus lockdown took hold. https://bit.ly/2YZEd1A
- The severity of Britain's economic downturn could force the Bank of England to increase its stimulus, according to one of the central bank's senior officials. https://bit.ly/35SyBHQ
The Telegraph
- The Treasury will pay millions of workers' wages for most of 2020 after Finance Minister Rishi Sunak extended the taxpayer-backed furlough scheme until October - at a cost of up to 100 billion pounds ($122.51 billion) to the public purse. https://bit.ly/2LkOEoo
- Land Securities has warned the economy may not recover from the coronavirus crisis until at least 2022 following the devastation caused by the lockdown. https://bit.ly/2WtCY9o
Sky News - McDonald's is to reopen 30 drive-through restaurants next week, the fast food chain has announced. https://bit.ly/3bw9pbb - Companies are being threatened with prosecution if they do not make premises "COVID secure" for returning workers. https://bit.ly/2zwJeUM
The Independent
- UK's housing market has been given permission to begin returning to normalcy after weeks of lockdown — with measures to allow house viewings to resume and provisions to ensure builders return to work with social distancing measures in place. https://bit.ly/2Wu0eUJ ($1 = 0.8163 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
