Brits told they should brace themselves for even higher food and drink prices November 9, 2022 Food and drink prices are expected to climb even higher than previously expected – with meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy and bread seeing the biggest increases, a new forecast has suggested. The rate of food price inflation will reach a peak year-on-year of between 17 per cent and 19 per cent in early 2023, the Institute [...]
Top dog at BrewDog to replace Simon Longbottom as boss of Stonegate November 9, 2022 One of BrewDog’s top bosses is leaving the brewer to head one of the country’s largest pub chains, Stonegate. David McDowall, BrewDog’s president and chief operating officer, is to take up the reins at the Slug & Lettuce chain, it was first reported by Sky News. Stonegate, which operates 4,500 pubs across the country, confirmed [...]
JD Wetherspoon sales lift as budget chain ‘one of few winners’ amid economic crunch November 9, 2022 JD Wetherspoon posted buoyant sales for the first quarter, although it said demand had softened slightly in October. Shares dropped by as much as eight per cent, after the company admitted October trading had been slightly slower than expected. Like-for-like sales were 9.6 per cent higher than the same period last year, with the pub [...]
Marks & Spencer profit dented as Ocado joint venture books £0.7m loss November 9, 2022 Marks & Spencer’s half-year profit slid on Wednesday after it said its joint venture with online grocer Ocado had suffered a £700,000 loss. In half-year results to 1 October, M&S said its group profit before tax was £205.5m, versus a £269.4m sum the previous year. Bosses pointed to a lack of business rates relief compared [...]
BrewDog signed beer distribution deal in Qatar despite ‘anti-sponsorship’ campaign November 8, 2022 BrewDog has signed a deal with an alcohol distributor operating in Qatar, despite launching an ‘anti-sponsorship’ campaign this week protesting human rights in the country ahead of the World Cup. The firm’s beers are distributed in the country by the Qatar Distribution Company – a state-owned subdsidiary of Qatar Airways – which is the only [...]
Barry’s: Office return to City comes ‘hand in hand’ with thriving fitness industry November 8, 2022 The return of office workers and recovery of the fitness sector come “hand in hand”, according to Barry’s Bootcamp London co-founder Sandy Macaskill. Gym-goers’ routines were set off course during the pandemic with “stop-start” closures hitting the fitness industry hard over the past three years. For the head of Barry’s, which has seven studios in London [...]
Restaurants ‘entering winter in freefall’ as insolvencies leap by almost half November 8, 2022 There has been a tsunami of restaurants entering liquidation in the quarter to September, causing hospitality leaders to renew cries for government support this winter. According to recent numbers from the Insolvency Service, the number of food venues facing insolvency sky-rocketed 46 per cent in the most recent quarter. Some 158 businesses went into liquidation [...]
Shoppers continue turning to own label groceries as yearly food bill to leap by £682 November 8, 2022 Sales of own-brand groceries shot up last month while fewer consumers forked out for a Halloween pumpkin this year, as households seek to trim down costs. Shoppers are increasingly switching to cheaper alternatives of food essentials, as historically high levels of inflation amp up the pressure on Brits this winter, according to data from insights [...]
Hilton Foods warns profit will be dented after slower than expected cost mitigation talks November 8, 2022 Meat packer Hilton Foods warned its annual operating profit would take a hit after challenges passing on high inflationary costs in its seafood arm, causing shares to plunge. In a trading update on Tuesday morning, the FTSE 250 firm admitted its profit would come in at a lower than anticipated sum following challenges in its [...]
Online retailer Marks Electrical delivers double-digit revenue growth despite economic volatilities November 8, 2022 Marks Electrical has delivered a double-digit revenue growth despite current market volatilities. In the six months ended 30 September, the online electrical retailer posted a revenue growth of £43.1m – 15.1 per cent up on last year’s levels. The company grew its position in both the Major Domestic Appliance as well as in the Consumer [...]