Quentin Blake designs whisky labels based on Macbeth March 21, 2023 Through his namesake Burgess Studio, Lexi Burgess has spent years working on the design side of the whisky industry. This involvement encouraged him to look into the history of distilleries, where the shifting allegiances between the major players – sometimes cooperative and sometimes cut-throat – reminded him of the machinations of Macbeth. That realisation crystalised [...]
Virgin Wines: Share price falls and major review announced after Christmas ‘challenges’ drink into profits March 14, 2023 Virgin Wines‘ share price tumbled this morning as the online wine bank reveals it is undertaking a full review after a shift in consumer confidence which knocked profits in the first quarter. Shares in the online wine retailer slumped 1.50 per cent when the market opened this morning as the group revealed its profits before [...]
Aldi to lift restrictions on fresh produce as shortages ease March 11, 2023 Aldi said it will remove all customer limits on buying fresh produce as supply issues which led to widespread shortages begin to ease. The supermarket joins Lidl and Asda in lifting restrictions. Aldi said in a statement on Saturday: “From Monday (March 13), Aldi will remove all purchasing restrictions on fresh produce – including limits [...]
Food shortage: Tomatoes are back on the menu as supermarkets begin to lift customer limits on fruit and veg March 10, 2023 Supermarkets have started to drop customer limits on buying certain fresh fruit and vegetables as food shortage issues that led to widespread shortages begin to ease. Asda confirmed it had removed limits of three on cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, leaving restrictions of three on just tomatoes and peppers. The supermarket said [...]
Domino’s grabs slice of the action: Digital drive and World Cup orders help pizza maker shrug off inflation and recession fears March 9, 2023 Fast-food giant Domino’s Pizza pulled through 2022 relatively unscathed with marginally lower profit, as a partnership with Just Eat and the Football World Cup boosted orders. The pizza delivery favourite reported system sales of £1.46bn in 2022, slightly down from the previous year’s £1.49bn. Its group revenue was at £600m, up on last year’s £560m, [...]
Hotel Chocolat ‘cautious’ as falling revenue and profit dampen outlook for Mother’s Day and Easter sales March 8, 2023 Hotel Chocolat had a bittersweet second half of 2022 with dents in its revenue and profits, owing to “hefty investments”, as it is not so optimistic ahead of Mother’s Day and Easter. The premium chocolate maker reported a fall in its revenue to £129m down from £142m last year, while its gross profit was down [...]
Cost of living crisis: One in seven Brits have skipped meals because they cannot afford to eat March 7, 2023 One in seven people have skipped meals due to the rising cost of living, according to a survey. Almost one in 10 have prioritised meals for other family members above themselves and 4% have used a food bank, the Which? consumer insight tracker found. Some seven in 10 (72 per cent) have turned the heating [...]
Salad Days: A run on grow bags and why Harry and Charlotte could help Brits see off food shortage, says RHS March 2, 2023 A shortage of fruit and vegetables in particular tomatoes, cucumber peppers and lettuce, is believed to be behind an increased interest in gardening. Brits have been being advised to avoid salads for the next “few weeks” as supermarkets have kept restrictions in place on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said [...]
A bigger bite: Pret hikes team member salaries as commuter coffee favourite vows to invest in workforce March 2, 2023 Pret a Manger will increase the salaries of its workers from the start of next month to avoid falling foul of minimum wage laws, which change on April 1. Sandwich chain Pret said that it would hike pay for its worst-paid staff by 2.9 per cent, from £10.30 an hour to £10.60 an hour. It ensures [...]
JustEat: Takeaway orders tumble due to spending pullback but profit outlook raised March 1, 2023 Online food delivery firm Just Eat Takeaway.com has said it returned to underlying earnings last year and expects to remain profitable in 2023 despite seeing a drop in orders as customers cut back. The Amsterdam-based group swung to underlying earnings of 19 million euros (£16.7 million) last year from losses of 350 million euros (£308 [...]