Littlewoods owner puts 2,000 jobs at risk, robots ‘could take a third of London jobs’, and more trending news

Up to 2,000 jobs are at risk as Shop Direct – owner of Littlewoods and Very – is closing three warehouses. The online retailer is closing the sites, which are all in Greater Manchester, from mid-2020 onwards. It is building a new warehouse in the East Midlands, which will employ 500 permanent and 300 agency workers and will open in 2021. The new site will allow for the next-day delivery of products ordered before midnight due to a partly automated factory floor using robotic assistance.

Also … Carpetright is closing 92 stores as part of restructuring plans that will put more than 300 jobs at risk.

Around a third of jobs in London are at high risk of being taken by robots in the next 20 years. That’s according to new research from EY and the Centre for London, which claims automation in the capital could be accelerated by Brexit, wage pressures and a 10% drop in the cost of robots. The sectors most at risk include those that rely heavily on workers from elsewhere in the EU, such as retail, transportation, accommodation and food.

Tesco has made a three-year turnaround from loss maker to money spinner. Three years after the supermarket chain reported the second largest loss (paywall) in British corporate history, Tesco announced a dividend of 3p per share to reflect soaring profits. CEO Dave Lewis said the profit was made by selling non-core parts of the business and working on providing customers with a broader range of affordable products. Tesco’s pre-tax profit increased 800% in the year to 24th February totalling ￡1.3bn.

Plumbers and gas technicians have been identified as the unlikely first line of defence against cyber attacks. The government has flagged the need for mandatory training among tradespeople due to the proliferation of internet-enabled smart devices. A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport report identified home gas heating systems which can be switched on with an app as one of the many systems that could be hacked to serious consequences. The report recommends security experts and trade chiefs work together to produce a cyber safety course.

"Generation Rent" is spurring increased investment in build-to-rent properties. Generation Rent is a cohort of people from Generation X and Y that is staying in the rental market much longer. Currently more than 1.1 million people between the ages of 35 to 44 are renting in England. To cater to this market, the number of British properties purpose-built to be rented out has increased by 30% in the past year, data by British Property Federation and Savills shows.

Idea of the Day: By showing they’re unique and they care, small businesses without global branding can compete with the big guys when it comes to attracting top talent, writes Inge Geerdens of CVWarehouse.

“Always be true to yourself. That may not be as sexy as the competition, but it beats being fake every time.”

This article was updated. From earlier: Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to join the US in a missile attack on Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack.

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