British-made craft gin and English sparkling wine are now top sellers in M&S December 22, 2016 British-made craft spirits and wine are finally having their moment this year. Marks & Spencer declared British gin the spirit of Christmas 2016 after reporting more than a quarter of a million bottles of its eight new gins made in the UK have been sold following their release this autumn. Gin sales increased 150 per cent [...]
A UK research centre disproved the US Surgeon General’s claim of a link between the popularity of e-cigarettes and a desire to smoke among young people December 21, 2016 Electronic cigarettes were the 10th fastest growing product of 2016, growing almost £30m in sales, an increase of 20 per cent to £174.6m, a new study by Nielsen found. As the product's popularity surged, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released his first government review earlier this month. Murthy cautioned against the use e-cigarettes, saying they posed a public health concern for [...]
Pensions Regulator racks up external costs of £1.4m on probe into BHS and Sir Philip Green December 21, 2016 The pensions watchdog has so far incurred external costs of at least £1.4m from its investigation into BHS and Sir Philip Green, City A.M. has learned. The money, nearly £400,000 of which is in legal expenditure, is in addition to internal costs for the Pensions Regulator (TPR), which has 16 staff working on the probe, [...]
Port and sherry sales halved between 2005 and 2015 due to the high alcohol duty December 21, 2016 Sherry might be Santa's favourite drink, but new research suggests its popularity has slipped dramatically over the past decade. Port and sherry sales halved between 2005 and 2015, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). In 2005, the equivalent of more than 82m bottles of fortified wines, which includes port, sherry and vermouth, were sold in [...]
From Manhattan hot dog cart to Leicester Square and UK expansion: The story behind upmarket burger restaurant Shake Shack December 21, 2016 Upmarket US burger company Shake Shack started as a modest hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in Manhattan in 2001. This month, it opened a new flagship UK store in Leicester Square, its fourth this side of the pond, with two more – in Victoria and Canary Wharf – to follow early next year. [...]
Holiday delivery failures threaten to have a big impact on UK retailers’ bottom lines and tarnish reputations December 21, 2016 Delivery failures over the Christmas period are set to impact UK retailers' bottom lines as they could be missing out on more than £3bn, new research today revealed. In the UK, 16m consumers faced delivery delays over the 2015 holiday season, and 73 per cent of them still refuse to shop with the offending retailer this [...]
Coca-Cola gulps down stake in AB InBev’s Coca-Cola Beverages Africa unit for $3.15bn December 21, 2016 Coca-Cola has snapped up a 54.5 per cent equity stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) bottling business for $3.15bn (£2.5bn). The Africa unit includes operations in a dozen countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. It was previously owned by British firm SABMiller, which AB InBev took over for £79bn in October. [...]
Why you should serve a magnum on Christmas day December 21, 2016 Yes, Yes, Christmas is a time for giving. But it is also a time for a decent glass of wine or two and sharing them with friends and family. One of the greatest pleasures in collecting and appreciating wine is choosing the wines that will work just right with the occasion and the planned menu [...]
General Mills’ share price dropped by as much as four per cent as profit slipped below expectations December 20, 2016 Shares in the US food giant General Mills fell by as much as four per cent in early trading as the company reported its quarterly earnings had slipped below expectations The figures The maker of Cheerios and other breakfast cereals reported its operating profit margin was down 18.7 per cent on the previous year, and [...]
Heavy Black Friday discounting drove the basket value of online electrical purchases to its lowest value ever December 20, 2016 Black Friday discounting slashed the average value of online purchases in the electrical sector by 22.7 per cent year on year, a new report suggests. Discounts on electronics were key for attracting bargain-hunting Black Friday shoppers, but new figures show the price cuts brought the average basket value down to £119 in November, its lowest value [...]