Coca-Cola bottling firm raises outlook on revenue spike as Russia volumes tank August 9, 2023 Coca-Cola HBC AG, the bottling company of the soft drink giant, reported a 19.3 per cent rise in revenues in its half year results as the group raised its outlook for the year. Operating profit for the bottler rose 15.9 per cent to €170m (£146m) as the group said it benefited from price increases in [...]
Beyond Meat: Pricey vegan alternative’s revenue falls 30 per cent as forecast slashed August 8, 2023 Beyond Meat slashed its annual forecast for the year as its revenues plummeted 30 per cent in the second quarter due to customers becoming more reluctant to buy into pricey fake meat alternatives amid the cost of living crisis. The US company, which supplies its vegan plant based burger patties to the likes of McDonald’s, [...]
The best party wines, from Ibiza to St Tropez and Santorini August 7, 2023 Each summer certain places draw epicureans and hedonists like a magnet. Crystalline waters, blue skies and beaming sunshine are all very well but as the beautiful people recline upon their beach beds, dance under the stars and dine under glorious sunsets, what I want to know is: what wine are they drinking? St Tropez held [...]
None for the road: Takeaway pints banned as Home Office ends pub pandemic scheme August 7, 2023 Bad news for punters who enjoy a cold pint on the go as the government has decided to put an end to the Covid-19 scheme which allowed pubs to sell takeaway pints. Pubs were allowed to sell alcoholic drinks in plastic cups to customers on the street in 2020, when businesses could not trade normally [...]
Last orders! Rate of pub closures reaches decade high as rate hikes and inflation bites August 7, 2023 The number of pub closures in the UK reached its highest quarterly figure in over a decade, new data reveals, as soaring costs force more of the country’s local watering holes to close their doors for good. Some 223 pub businesses entered insolvency in the second quarter of this year, up from 200 in the [...]
Pizza Express and Wagamama show signs of recovery after private equity and pandemic struggles August 7, 2023 Wagamama, Dominos and Pizza Express are among a cluster of top restaurants in the UK which have seen their profits increase in the last six months, new research shows, as the market slowly shows signs of recovery. The combined profit of the top 100 restaurants in the UK rose from £19.9m in September 2022 to [...]
Grind One espresso pod machine review: Stylish and simple August 2, 2023 As someone who spends an inordinate amount of time making espresso – and reading about making espresso and buying espresso-related paraphernalia – I long ago grew out of the Nespresso pod machine that used to sit on my desk. There’s something meditative about the process of making espresso: weighing out exactly 18 grams of beans, [...]
Domino’s Pizza delivers hot half year results as it opens 29 new stores August 1, 2023 Domino’s Pizza Group has benefited from a bleak winter with UK and Ireland stuffed-crust lovers staying in and ordering cheesy slices, as the chain adds more stores around the country. The pizza delivery company has reported a 19.6 per cent rise in revenue to £332.9m, up from £278.3m in the first half year ended 25 [...]
Carmen Stevens on philanthropy, wine and South Africa July 26, 2023 The first black South African to study winemaking in South Africa, Carmen Stevens owns the first black-owned winery in the country and, aided by her partnership with Naked Wines in the UK, provides meals to 25,000 hungry school children in Stellenbosch each year through ‘Carmen’s Kids’. WHAT GOT YOU INTO WINE? Wine has a lot [...]
Taku Mayfair review: Strict omakase restaurant is a show-stopper July 26, 2023 Some restaurants hook and cook you before you even reach your seat. At Walthamstow’s SlowBurn you walk through a working jeans factory, passing industrial washing machines and stacks of denim en route to your table. Sessions Arts Club has you enter its grand former courthouse through what looks like the stone-hewn corridor of a castle, asking [...]