Iceland boss: Absence of government support on energy bills risks job losses and bankruptcy for firms August 23, 2022 Iceland boss Richard Walker has called on ministers to issue more support for businesses struggling with sky-high energy bills. Without a price cap on businesses’ energy bills, smaller firms would surely collapse, the supermarket’s managing director told CityA.M. An absence of further support for businesses was “really serious,” as the colder months approach, Walker said. [...]
Pubs face winter ‘extinction’ with some facing energy bill spike of 500 per cent August 23, 2022 Pub landlords are facing an “extinction” this winter as a majority of operators said they feared being forced to shut down in the coldest months. Some 65 per cent of publicans said they were likely to close over winter, despite a lucrative Christmas period free of Covid restrictions, when surveyed by industry title The Morning [...]
Co-op appoints Shirine Khoury-Haq as first female chief in 159 years August 23, 2022 The Co-op has appointed its former chief financial officer and interim boss Shirine Khoury-Haq as group CEO. The group’s former boss Steve Murrells, stepped down in May following the company’s annual general meeting. Murrells took the reins of the supermarket as CEO in March 2017, following a five year stint heading the company’s food business. [...]
Shoppers spend more at convenience stores this summer while volume sales at large grocers dip August 23, 2022 Convenience stores have seen sales buoyed this summer, as shoppers coughed up £3.6bn on groceries in them over the past month. Over the four weeks to 13 August, convenience stores made up some 28.9 per cent of sales, according to fresh data published by NielsenIQ on Tuesday. Total till grocery sales saw a growth of [...]
Saga bolsters board in push to pandemic recovery August 23, 2022 Over 50s specialist Saga has called in three new directors to bolster its leadership team today as it looks push ahead with its recovery from a pandemic slowdown.
Iceland to launch energy labelling on food as households battle sky-high bills August 23, 2022 Iceland will launch energy saving cooking guidance on packaging this autumn, as it partners with an energy firm on providing cost-cutting tips to households. Through a joint campaign, Iceland and Utilita are carrying out a dramatic overhaul of the supermarket’s own-product packaging to focus on energy efficient cooking methods. From early next month, the ‘Shop [...]
30-min weekly shop: Uber Eats and Co-op team up for rapid delivery service August 23, 2022 Co-op and Uber Eats are partnering up for a speedy service as the grocery sector’s battle for convicent delivery hots up. On the Uber Eats app, shoppers can order more than 6,000 products from around 1,000 Co-op food stores. Groceries are to be delivered in as little as 30 minutes, the firms said on Tuesday [...]
WH Smith chair Henry Staunton lined up as new Post Office head August 22, 2022 The UK government is lining up outgoing WH Smith chairman Henry Staunton to head the Post Office, as it seeks to navigate the fallout of the miscarriage of justice that saw hundreds of the state-owned company’s workers wrongfully convicted of serious crimes. Former ITV finance director Staunton has been chosen as the preferred candidate to [...]
Barrio Familia snaps up ‘world’s largest tequila bar’ in Covent Garden August 22, 2022 Barrio Familia has bought the world’s largest tequila bar, the former Tropicana Beach Club in Covent Garden. It is the first new opening for the bar chain since it was snapped up by Nightcap in November 2021. The flagship bar will open in November and will be the fifth venue for the group, alongside bars [...]
Cineworld seeks ‘potential’ restructuring to deal with £4bn debt burden August 22, 2022 Cineworld has said it is looking to gain liquidity and potentially restructure its balance sheet through a “comprehensive deleveraging transaction” as it carried billions in debt. The company, which owns US-based cinema chain Regal, said it had voluntarily sought a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in the US in pursuit of a potential restructuring. “Cineworld and [...]