Morrisons blames Labour for closure of 100 lossmaking stores Retail Morrisons has taken aim at Labour policy for “significant cost increases” as it announced the closure of 100 lossmaking stores. The supermarket chain said on Thursday that it will close the 100 unprofitable Morrisons Daily convenience stores, in a move which could affect hundreds of jobs. Morrisons has faced steep debt costs following its £7bn [...]
‘Political choice’: Retailers urge government to act on rising costs Retail Retailers have urged the government to cut tax and red tape to counter soaring energy costs caused by the Iran war. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), an industry trade body, has accused Labour of making a “political choice” not to cut energy taxes and delay costly regulation to avoid the worst shop inflation. The effective [...]
Controversial £2bn packaging tax could be scrapped as food inflation looms Retail The government is reviewing a controversial £2bn sustainable packaging tax as it faces increasing pressure from retailers to prevent food prices from soaring. The Treasury is reportedly looking at potential changes to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) tax, which requires large businesses to pay towards the cost of disposing of their packaging. Retailers have been [...]
Supermarket bosses meet Rachel Reeves amid dire food inflation warning April 1, 2026 The bosses of some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets met Chancellor Rachel Reeves in emergency cost of living talks on Wednesday, amid warnings that food inflation could rise to double digits this year. Leading supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons attended Downing Street after efforts to gather industry bosses last week were abandoned amid concerns [...]
Fevertree takes Environment Agency to court over green packaging tax March 24, 2026 Fevertree has launched a legal challenge against the Environment Agency over its application of a sustainability packaging tax, which is charged on glass bottles. The premium drink mixer brand claims the glass used in some of its products should be classified as non-household packaging and be exempted from the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) levy, and [...]
‘Packaging tax’ to force further price rises October 1, 2025 UK businesses will be forced to pass the vast majority of costs incurred by a new packaging tax onto consumers, in a move that will stoke already rampant food inflation and compound financial pressures on hard-pressed households. According to fresh figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), retailers plan to pass over 80 per cent [...]
New green tax labelled ‘own goal’ ahead of Budget September 30, 2025 A new green tax coming into effect this week has been labeled an “own goal” for the Labour government and stoked fears it could lead to prices soaring. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) levy is designed to increase increasing recycling rates among local authorities, by passing on the costs onto the companies selling the products. [...]
Industry chiefs sound alarm over ‘horrific’ packaging tax June 30, 2025 A new packaging tax that makes the producers of waste pay for their packaging to be recycled poses a multibillion-pound threat to UK businesses and will encourage firms to relocate their production abroad, senior industry figures have warned. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) released on Friday the final fees for [...]
‘It’s existential’: Unpacking a looming tax scarier than the National Insurance hike April 13, 2025 For William Fugard, chief executive and co-founder of Gusto Organic, headaches caused by issues beyond his control are an occupational hazard. The terms on which the UK decided to leave the European Union meant that – in 2019 – the cost of exporting a pallet of his firm’s premium soft drinks went from £70 to [...]