Friday newspaper round-up: Sports Direct, consumer sentiment, supermarkets
Warehouse workers at Sports Direct, the retail chain controlled by the billionaire Mike Ashley, appear to be receiving pay below the national minimum wage, according to expert analysis of a new Guardian undercover investigation. The concerns have emerged almost five years after the Guardian first exposed how the retailer was breaching minimum wage law, which resulted in workers receiving about £1m in back pay and Ashley being hauled in front of a parliamentary select committee. – Guardian
Fears of rising redundancies and concerns about the health risks of high street shopping have hit consumer confidence, according to a closely watched survey that flatlined last month. The GfK barometer for July showed confidence petering out, despite rising in May and June. It came as a senior Bank of England policymaker warned Britain’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic would be hampered while concerns about catching the virus and fears of redundancy limited spending. – Guardian
Major supermarkets and coffee chains say they will not enforce new rules which say customers should wear face coverings from Friday. Sainsburys, Asda, Co-op and Costa Coffee are among retailers saying they have no intention of policing the laws, which carry a penalty of a £100 fine. It comes after the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank-and-file officers, said it was "unrealistic and unfair" to expect them to patrol the aisles looking for people breaking the coronavirus regulations. – Telegraph
A new tax on the gain in property values when sold should be introduced to ensure the costs of the coronavirus crisis do not fall unfairly on young people, according to a non-partisan think tank. A report by the Social Market Foundation has said the Treasury should raise £421 billion over the next 25 years by imposing a property capital gains tax on all homes sold in Britain. It suggests that the tax could be set at 10 per cent of the increase in the value of the property. – The Times