Companies, organisations and individuals have been ramping up their response to the coronavirus crisis as lockdown is extended, with defence manufacturers now delivering face shields to hospitals and drinks producers providing hand sanitiser to care homes.

Ways of resuming working practices following the worst of the pandemic are beginning to be considered as the country also continues to home in on the key objectives of battling the virus that is devastating families and continues to claim lives of people of all ages.

In Victoria Masterson’s Monday Interview, Karen Wood, director of enterprise at Informatics Ventures, says the coronavirus crisis can offer chance for “different perspective”.

She says: “It’s a very intense period, but also potentially a very innovative period in the search for solutions across the board.

“It really requires people to keep a strong focus. A focus on the future, on the world beyond Covid-19 and on being part of the recovery and the solution.”

BUSINESS WEEK: Coronavirus: Restaurants and bars slam ‘unfair’ exclusion from Covid-19 grants | Lockdown and furlough scheme extended | Scott Wright's column 

In this week’s Monday Business Voices, Paul Sheerin, chief executive of Scottish Engineering, examines lockdown guidance and says that “manufacturing in Scotland has been left in a particularly concerning position due to a divergence in approach by our UK and Scottish governments”.

In Mark Williamson’s SME Focus this week, the spotlight is on Helen Chalmers’ Highland Liquor Company in Ullapool in the North West Highlands, which they claim as the most north-westerly distillery in mainland UK.

It has also moved on Covid-19, with Ms Chalmers saying:  “The safety and wellbeing of our staff is paramount first and foremost and so now all staff have been furloughed on 100 per cent of their salaries.

“Before the coronavirus lockdown we checked with medical practice and were able to repurpose the by-product of gin production into hand sanitiser.”

Boohoo is set to unveil soaring sales for the past year this week, as investors await news of how the business has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Analysts have backed the company to continue to outshine the wider market despite the outbreak, with its operations able to continue despite the Government-mandated lockdown which has hammered high street rivals.

In its full-year trading update on Wednesday April 22, Boohoo is expected to post a sales jump of around 42% to £1.22 billion for the year to February as shoppers continued to flock to its site.

The Manchester-based group has announced a series of profit upgrades over the past year as online-only retailers have gone from strength to strength, despite challenges in the wider retail sector.

Most recently, in January it said it expected to deliver revenue growth of between 40% and 42% for the year to February 2020, a significant increase on its previous range of between 33% and 38% growth.

It is now expected to reach the higher echelons of this updated range, while analysts have also predicted it will deliver adjusted earnings before tax and interest of £123.6 million after boosting profit margins.

But shareholders will now turn their focus to its performance for the current period, with analysts predicting that sales could dive temporarily.

Experts at Peel Hunt said they have "cut forecasts to factor in a 25% drop in sales this quarter", with growth expected to be flat in the following three-month period.

Elsewhere, Bank of America analysts described Boohoo as the "best placed online retailer" to deal with coronavirus headwinds, highlighting that it has "higher margins" than its peers and an "agile supply chain".

Boohoo said all of its warehouses are still operating after alterations to work within health and safety remits issued by the Government.

Rival Asos said its group sales have slipped by 20% to 25% in the past three weeks after demand weakened in most markets.

In its latest trading update in January, Boohoo reported a 44% jump in revenues to £473.7 million for the four months to December 31 after a strong festive period.

On Tuesday, Primark owner Associated British Foods interims are due, along with trading updates from the London Stock Exchange Group, Centamin and Netflix.

The Office for National Statistics unemployment figures are also due on Tuesday as well as its earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information for April, and the Treasury Select Committee’s economic impact of coronavirus.

Fever-Tree finals are due along with the ONS CPI and RPI inflation for March on Wednesday.

Trading updates from Unilever, AJ Bell and Tullow Oil are due on Thursday as is the ONS public sector finances for March, and coronavirus and the economic impacts on the UK.

The coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) lending figures are also out on Thursday along with the CBI Quarterly Industrial Trends Survey.

Pearson will provide an update on Friday, when the ONS retail sales for March will also bring an update on how the high street has been hit by coronavirus.

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