Sunday trading laws will be suspended for a year and cafés and pubs will be given fast-track approval to serve food and drink outside under plans to boost the economy (The Times £, The Daily Mail). Sunday trading laws could be suspended for a year in a move the government hopes will stimulate the economy (The Guardian, Sky News)

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has said in an interview that it would be “wrong” to relax Sunday trading laws. (The BBC)

The Telegraph’s Tim Stanley writes that relaxing Sunday Trading would be “a bad idea that would bring marginal economic benefit while hitting small shops and employees hard, and as it’s an obvious attack upon the Sabbath”. (The Telegraph)

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has been alerted that £36bn of emergency Covid-19 loans to small businesses are at risk of turning toxic and could impede any recovery — as data this week will lay bare the damage inflicted on the economy from the coronavirus (The Times £). Emergency coronavirus lending schemes backed by the Government and Bank of England could leave businesses with £36billion in debt they cannot repay, experts warn (The Daily Mail). A group set up to work out how to recapitalise swathes of UK plc in the wake of the crisis will suggest that emergency schemes launched by the Treasury could result in the vast bad debt burden accruing in 2021 (Sky News).

Wm Morrison is bracing itself for a shareholder revolt at its annual meeting this week amid a row over its contributions to its bosses’ pension pots. (The Times £)

While supermarket workers get extra praise, their bosses get extra pay, writes Polly Toynbee in The Guardian. “While supermarket workers are rightly praised for heroism, putting their lives on the line during this pandemic, a public affection for their company’s brand may wane when people hear that those same companies are awash with cash.” (The Guardian)

Grocers and corner shops are enjoying a revival as almost two thirds of shoppers turn to local stores during the coronavirus pandemic. (The Times £)

Ministers have identified June 22 as the date when they hope to reopen England’s pubs and restaurants serving customers outdoors, amid fears of mass job losses if the hospitality sector misses out on the lucrative summer season. (The Financial Times £)

Britain’s biggest shopping centre-owner Intu has put administrators on standby as it enters a crucial fortnight that will determine whether it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic intact. (Sky News)

Landlords and retailers braced for disaster as £2.5bn rent bill looms. Frantic negotiations are said to be underway, with rents being waived, deferred or renegotiated altogether. (The Telegraph)

Primark is paying rent to a select group of landlords, but has forced them to sign gagging orders — after it refused to pay millions of pounds to others. (The Times £)

Pandemic takes a chunk out of the great British sandwich, writes The FT. The coronavirus pandemic has cut sharply into sales, as office workers do their jobs — and make food — at home and outlets such as Pret A Manger have been forced to close. (The Financial Times £)

The FT looks at how slaughterhouses became breeding grounds for coronavirus. High infection rates among employees worldwide put working practices under renewed scrutiny. (The Financial Times £)

Tate & Lyle aims for sweet spot in the drive to provide alternatives to sugar. Covid-19 has added to the growing challenge of catering for changing public tastes. (The Times £)

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