Ten Entertainment bowled over by most successful summer ever September 22, 2021 Family entertainment provider Ten Entertainment has marked record sales since it reopened after England’s third lockdown. The firm – which operates 46 bowling and family entertainment centres in the UK – said it had seen 22.5 per cent sales growth in the six weeks from May 17. Like-for-like sales in the 11 weeks since June [...]
Suburban takeover: Pret sets out plans for more than 200 new shops September 22, 2021 Sandwich chain Pret a Manger has announced plans to open more than 200 UK shops in the next two years, as it aims to become more than a “white collar worker’s staple”. The business hopes to double its size within five years, with a £100m net investment by JAB and Pret founder Sinclair Beecham to [...]
Exclusive: Sustainable targets are everyone’s responsibility, says festival veteran September 21, 2021 The founder of a festival focused on sustainability and innovation in fashion has said customers and businesses need to join forces to tackle fast fashion. The organisation Fashion District aims to bring businesses together, attract global talent to East London and accelerate growth in manufacturing in the area. From September 22 to 26, Fashion District [...]
Controversial ‘fire and rehire’ programme prompts Weetabix engineers to walk out September 21, 2021 Engineers employed by Weetabix, and part of the union Unite, have launched a string of autumn strikes in a dispute over pay. The first strike, based at the company’s factories in Northamptonshire, begins today and will last 48 hours. Unite, the second largest trade union in the UK, has accused the cereal giant of planning [...]
Lockdown momentum: B&Q owner Kingfisher sales hit $7bn in six months September 21, 2021 It appears home DIY has kept up its momentum post-lockdown, as B&Q owner Kingfisher’s sales have grown by more than £1bn in the past six months in comparison with last year. Kingfisher, which also owns Screwfix, performed well in 2020 despite the impacts of the pandemic, due to homebound consumers getting stuck into home improvements. [...]
Black Sheep Coffee: Already seeing office return benefit September 21, 2021 A London coffee business with a stronghold in the City has said it is already reaping the rewards of home workers returning to offices. Black Sheep Coffee plans to double the size of its estate this year, backed by more than £4m in additional funding. “A lot of our sites are getting really busy now, [...]
Craft beer concerns: Carbon dioxide shortages threaten breweries September 20, 2021 Craft beer breweries fear their production may be thrown into chaos by shortages of carbon dioxide. While bigger drinks producers have been able to access CO2 recovery plants, smaller breweries said they were reliant on the main suppliers. One London brewery said it could be forced to halt production if suppliers were forced to prioritise [...]
Exclusive: ASOS and Boohoo lead the pack as online-only retail sales hit record £16bn September 20, 2021 Sales at the UK’s 20 biggest online-only retailers have reached a record £16.4bn in the last year, rising 22 per cent from £13.2bn the previous year, according to calculations based on Companies House data. This growth continues to be driven by the success of fashion retailers, which increased their revenues by 14.2 per cent to [...]
Exit without paying at any till: Aldi trialling first checkout-free supermarket September 20, 2021 Aldi is trialling its first checkout-free store to allow customers to shop at the supermarket and exit without the need to pay at a till. The discount supermarket chain said the store is in London but declined to give further details of the location of the trial site. It said shoppers will scan a smartphone [...]
Morrisons moves into pub sector supply with marketplace partnership September 20, 2021 Supermarket Morrisons has made a move into the hospitality arena after teaming up with StarStock, an online marketplace for the on-trade. StarStock, which allows brands to sell direct to operators through its e-commerce platform, has partnered with the supermarket to allow it to supply pubs and restaurants. Restaurant operators will be able to have “direct, [...]