Thursday newspaper round-up: Furlough scheme, KP Snacks, London offices

The Treasury is scrambling to complete 11th-hour plans capable of softening a national cost of living crisis, including a £200 rebate on energy bills and more help for the poorest households. No 10 and the Treasury have been under pressure from Tory MPs to act as millions of households brace for a record hike in energy bills from April, and the prospect of rising mortgage rates and tax increases. - Guardian

Companies handed a combined £1.3bn in controversial fast-track Covid contracts with minimal scrutiny also claimed at least £1m in furlough grants, it can be revealed. Analysis of the accounts of companies that won lucrative emergency contracts to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS during the height of the pandemic shows 12 also claimed funds to put staff on furlough at taxpayers’ expense. - Guardian

KP Snacks has warned there may be a shortage of some of its popular crisps and nuts following a ransomware attack. The company, which is behind brands such as Skips, Nik Naks, Hula Hoops, McCoy's crisps and KP Nuts, told its retail customers to brace for delays and cancellations of deliveries. - Telegraph

Investors from around the world are expected to spend £60 billion on London offices over the next five years in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic vote of confidence in the capital. American property investors will be the most acquisitive, Knight Frank says in its latest London Report. They will pour £15 billion into London offices between now and 2027, the property agent estimates. Funds from Germany, China, Singapore and South Korea are also expected to be active. - The Times

Unsecured creditors have been left £30.4 million out of pocket from the pre-pack administration of TM Lewin that resulted in the closure of all of the shirt company’s shops. TM Lewin was bought in May 2020 for about £25 million by Torque Brands, an investment vehicle led by James Cox, founder of Simba Sleep, and backed by Allan Leighton, chairman of The Co-operative Group. Only seven weeks later the company was put into a pre-pack administration that shut all its 66 stores and resulted in 600 job losses. At the time, Cox said that lockdowns had meant the business was no longer viable in its present form and that it would focus on an online model instead. - The Times