Coronavirus update: the latest news from East Midlands businesses
Leicestershire County Cricket Club has introduced a number of operational changes in response to the global coronavirus health crisis.
This will see the club reduce its staffing levels on site to minimal levels at The Fischer County Ground to support efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of employees and supporters during this difficult period.
A statement from the Club said: “We are making plans for the majority of our staff to work from home, with a few on site who are unable to do so (i.e. our groundstaff and facilities team).”
Staffline, the Nottingham-headquartered recruitment giant, says its is experiencing “significant variance” between customer segments in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company is reperting a marked increase in demand in the food sector, including food processing, logistics and supermarkets.
A statement from the firm said: “While this increase in demand may be temporary, Staffline is well-placed to respond to this sudden and unpredicted surge in consumer demand given the size of the Company’s database, geographic reach and technology-enabled operating platform.”
However, demand from other sectors such as retail, automotive and manufacturing has “diminished considerably” with the Group’s limited exposure to white collar and permanent recruitment also impacted.
The statement added: “It is too early to assess the net impact of these changes in demand mix. The company is in the process of conducting a bottom up reforecasting exercise incorporating these considerations.”
East Midlands brickmaker Forterra has said it has stopped production as its sites with immediate effect, in line with Government guidance.
The firm also committed to building its huge new brick factory in Desford.
In a statement, the firm said: “The Board has decided to suspend all business operations as soon as possible until further notice. In some cases shutting down our facilities in a controlled and safe manner will take several days, and we will take all necessary measures to ensure our factories can efficiently resume production at the appropriate time.
“The Board welcomes the Government’s announcement that funding will be available to ensure employees can still be paid a proportion of their salary during a period of furlough and anticipates making use of this facility.
“At this stage the Board is unable to quantify what impact Covid-19 and the actions we are taking will have on the 2020 results and as such is currently unable to provide meaningful guidance on future earnings.”
