Fears over business rates mount as Britain’s major retailers prepare to form action group January 13, 2019 Some of Britain’s biggest retailers are coming together in an urgent bid to seek business rates relief from the government, City A.M. has learned. Around 50 major high street names are joining a mass lobbying effort to curb forthcoming rises in their property tax, as profits plunge in the face of falling sales and online [...]
Trust me, we’ve been thinking about market power and competition all wrong November 13, 2018 Economists, politicians, and commentators on both sides of the Atlantic are growing more concerned with the supposed “monopolisation” of the economy. In a 2017 report, the Social Market Foundation found that eight of 10 key British markets, including in phones, gas and groceries, were highly dominated by small numbers of companies. Its director, James Kirkup, [...]
Pret A Manger agrees payout with US staff who claim they were short changed October 28, 2018 Pret A Manger will pay almost $1m (£779,000) to US workers who claim they were underpaid while working for the company. The sandwich chain has been accused of rounding down the hours that staff at its New York outlets were reimbursed for. It is the second time the UK-based firm has been hit by accusations [...]
Deliveroo to update app with allergen information in wake of Pret crisis October 24, 2018 Food delivery startup Deliveroo has today said it is revamping its app with a new menu system which will allow restaurants to upload allergen information for every dish. London favourites such as Tortilla, Mildred's and Chipotle have signed up for the app's trial roll out in December, which will feature 30 brands that serve almost 300 sites. [...]
Second customer to have died after allergic reaction to Pret product named as Celia Marsh October 8, 2018 The second Pret a Manger customer believed to have died after having an allergic reaction to one of the chain's products has been named. Celia Marsh, 42, died on 27 December 2017 after eating a "super-veg rainbow flatbread" that was supposed to be dairy-free, but was later found to contain a yoghurt with traces of dairy. [...]
Pret a Manger supplier hits back at claims its products killed a second allergic customer at sandwich shop in 2017 October 8, 2018 A Pret a Manger supplier has hit back at claims that its yoghurt killed an allergic customer. Pret a Manger says a supposedly dairy-free yoghurt from supplier Coyo contained traces of a dairy protein, causing the death of a customer in its Bath store on 27 December last year. It is the second recent death [...]
Pret a Manger has work to do in the wake of customer allergen death October 2, 2018 In recent days, an inquest heard about the tragic case of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15-year-old who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich while on board a flight to Nice. Her death came after she ate a baguette containing sesame seeds – an allergen not listed on the wrapper – [...]
New Pret a Manger owner backs company’s CEO after teenager died from allergic reaction to baguette September 30, 2018 Pret a Manger’s new owner has stood by the food chain’s pressured CEO Clive Schlee after a teenager died from an allergic reaction to one of the company’s baguettes. The coroner investigating the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse concluded allergy labelling on Pret’s products was inadequate. JAB, a Luxembourg-based German-owned investor, announced its acquisition of Pret in [...]
Itsu takes a bite out of its losses despite heavy growth investment September 30, 2018 The founder of fast food chain Itsu has claimed “food is the new fashion”, after the company saw its end-of-year losses fall despite investments in overseas expansion. Itsu, which is known for its Asian-influenced food, particularly sushi and rice dishes, saw raw sales growth of 10 per cent last year, with pre-tax losses dropping to £8.9m, [...]
Amazon reportedly planning 3,000 cashierless convenience stores September 20, 2018 Online retail giant Amazon is reportedly planning to open 3,000 cashierless stores over the next few years as it bulks up its bricks-and-mortar retail presence. Amazon could aggressively expand its Amazon Go brand with plans to open 10 locations by the end of this year, according to Bloomberg, with 50 locations in major cities by [...]