No gravy train: Bisto-maker Premier to cut 300 jobs despite strong festive sales January 19, 2023 Leading British manufacturer Premier Foods’ grocery business has gone from strength-to-strength over the Christmas period, as it looks to close a loss-making factory costing 300 jobs. The company, the maker or famous brands including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Custard and Angel Delight, cashed in on festive purchasing despite the cost of living crisis, with sales up [...]
Diageo buys Don Papa Rum as drinks maker continues drive to re-stock drinks cabinet with premium brands January 17, 2023 Alcohol giant Diageo has swooped in for super-premium brand Don Papa Rum for £230m. The London-listed drinks company is putting up the cash with a possible £157m consideration through to 2028, subject to performance. The maker of Jack Walker whisky said the dark rum brand had annual growth of 18 per cent in Europe and [...]
Marks and Spencer shells out £480m as it revamps UK stores in bid to become leading ‘omnichannel’ retailer January 16, 2023 Marks and Spencer (M&S) is to plough nearly £0.5bn into an accelerated UK-wide investment drive which will result in 20 new larger and improved stores across the UK in the next financial year. The retailer also aims to create over 3,400 new jobs whilst providing shoppers with a “seamless” customer experience. M&S said it was [...]
Where to celebrate Burns Night in London: Bars and restaurants serving haggis and drams January 13, 2023 Burns Night, the birthday of the great Scottish bard Robert Burns is one of the highlights of the London restaurant scene, with venues across the capital laying on special spreads and keeping the city’s bagpipe community in work. Expect a lots of readings of the tongue-twisting Address to a Haggis as well as the consumption [...]
Marks & Spencer’s top 10 festive favourites: slow-cooked turkey, shortbread snow globes, light-up gin and shapewear to hold it in! January 12, 2023 Marks and Spencer saw a record Christmas trade during the latest festive period, with a record £80m sales alone on 23 December, the last Friday before Christmas. Incoming CEO Stuart Machin can also take comfort in a 7.2 per cent rise in the clothing and home category to £3.6bn. But it was the retailer’s Christmas [...]
John Javier, chef at The Tent (at the end of the universe) on his favourite London restaurants January 11, 2023 John Javier is the mastermind behind The Tent (at the end of the universe), an invite-only “members club and restaurant” at 17 Little Portland Street in Fitzrovia. We asked him his favourite places to eat on his day off in London. Old Street Chinese Restaurant Hands down my favourite Chinese restaurant in London. You gotta [...]
Majestic: Brits taste for champagne and sparkling wine in December boosts sales with second-largest festive intake ever January 10, 2023 Brits guzzled down 20 per cent more wine at Christmas than before Covid, as Majestic posted its second-highest festive intake in 40 years. The UK’s largest specialist retailer, Majestic Wine, raked in a sales increase of 21.1 per cent against 2019, with English sparkling wine proving particularly popular. Majestic reported that sales rose 0.2 per [...]
Where to eat for Chinese New Year: Best London restaurants to celebrate the year of the rabbit January 6, 2023 With one new year already receding in the rear-view mirror, attentions are turning to the next – the Chinese New Year, which falls on the 22 January and marks the beginning of the year of the rabbit. Dining is a huge part of the traditional celebrations and London’s restaurants are pulling out all the stops [...]
Pret launches a value sandwich meal deal, but what can you get and for how much? January 5, 2023 A sandwich for under £3 and a baguette deal for a fiver are part of Pret A Manger’s new value range meal deal announced today. With the cost of living crisis continuing to bite into millions of Brits’ earnings and savings, high-street favourite Pret is now offering food deals to make lunch cheaper. The new [...]
What we’ll be eating in 2023: A guide to top new food trends, from seaweed to set menus January 5, 2023 London is one of the dining capitals of the world, representing every corner of global cuisine and sending ripples across the world with its food trends. We asked some top chefs what they think will be the big food trends of 2023, with answers ranging from lots more seaweed to a resurgence of “proper” Neopolitan [...]