Essex fizz could give French winemakers a run for their money November 10, 2018 Wine from Essex could rival the Champagne region of France, scientists have found. A study from the University of East Anglia showed that some of the UK’s best land for wine production was in areas like Essex and Suffolk. The researchers found nearly 35,000 hectares of prime land for cultivating grapes across England and Wales, [...]
Golden quarter could bring Christmas cheer to struggling British retailers November 9, 2018 Retailers might find seasonal cheer in an early Christmas present as experts predict a strong final quarter to the year. Sales in the sector are expected to tick up by two per cent year-on-year, according to analytics company Global Data. The increase will be driven by food and groceries, which are expected to grow 2.5 [...]
Kerching: Supermarkets win court ruling over £300m cash machine case November 9, 2018 Supermarket giants including Sainsbury’s and Tesco have won a £300m court dispute over business rates for cash machines outside shops. Today’s ruling from The Court of Appeal decided in favour of the retail giants, who are set to be refunded hundreds of millions of pounds from the government and local authorities. For eight years retailers [...]
Creditors give green light to Gourmet Burger Kitchen closures November 9, 2018 Gourmet Burger Kitchen’s plan to close 17 of its restaurants was given the go-ahead by creditors today, as the firm looks to abandon its underperforming restaurants as part of a major restructuring plan. Some 250 jobs could be axed as a result of the closures, which have been triggered through a controversial insolvency plan used [...]
Iceland’s palm oil Christmas ad banned for being ‘too political’ November 9, 2018 Iceland has had to pull its eagerly-anticipated Christmas advert from the nation’s TV screens for breaching political advertising rules. The festive clip, which tells the story of deforestation caused by palm oil production through an animated short film about an orangutan, was made in a deal that Iceland struck with campaign group Greenpeace. However, the [...]
Next settles copying claims with fashion brand Scamp & Dude November 9, 2018 British clothing group Next settled a law suit over with fashion brand Scamp & Dude this morning, agreeing to pay the profits from any sales of a contested design to the label after claims that it copied the smaller firm's designs. Scamp & Dude, which said that it will use the profits for charitable purposes, [...]
Bacon producer Finnebrogue urges Liam Fox to fry export regulations on ‘bonfire of red tape’ November 9, 2018 The head of one of Britain’s main sausage and bacon makers has called on the government to boost exports by cutting back cumbersome regulations. Denis Lynn said he is still waiting for approval to export Finnebrogue’s new nitrate-free bacon, six months after applying to the Food Standards Agency. He said a “bonfire of red tape” would [...]
Fastjet stays airborne after trading boost but warns over its future survival November 9, 2018 Embattled budget airline Fastjet will remain airborne at least for now after improved trading as discussions continued over its future. The African airline had warned in October that it needed urgent cash to survive. But it said improved trading and cash generation had secured its short term future while discussions with shareholders and creditors continued. [...]
British tourism will thrive – from the EU and beyond and whatever the weather November 9, 2018 Tourism is worth £66bn a year to the British economy, and its importance to our country will only continue to grow. This week, London’s Excel hosted the World Travel Market. It is the UK’s most significant annual tourism event, where deals worth almost £3bn are estimated to have been signed. Some 50,000 visitors are believed [...]
Thousands of stores fall off high street as retail woes worsen November 9, 2018 Fresh evidence of the retail woes facing Britain’s shopkeepers emerged this morning, with more than 2,500 stores vanishing from the high street over the first six months of this year. Some 14 stores have closed every day in the first half of 2018, as stiffer competition and higher costs make the retail struggle for survival [...]