Dear Santa, for this Christmas I want the nanny state to get lost December 19, 2019 What is the best thing about Christmas? Presents are nice. Spending time with friends and family is obviously a highlight. But for many of us what truly makes the season is the food. Mince pies, pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding, a snifter of sherry — the festive period is all about indulging. But will we [...]
It may not be Hammond’s cup of tea, but we deserve some tax-cutting champions May 31, 2019 I for one am thrilled to see politicians not just talking about tax cuts, but competing for the best policy to reduce a tax burden that is at a near 50-year high. Sure, it took a leadership contest to get them properly talking about it, but from the home secretary’s endorsement of the Adam Smith [...]
Fevertree’s remarkable turnaround April 5, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. A 15 per cent trading range following annual results shows how divided opinion is on this AIM favourite now. Having accelerated from £158 million at IPO to a £3 billion-rated company in just over four years, posh mixers firm Fevertree Drinks (LSE:FEVR) underlined again today why it is regarded in [...]
Irn-Bru maker AG Barr sees revenues edge up March 26, 2019 Irn-Bru maker AG Barr revealed a modest bump in annual profits and revenues this morning, shrugging off challenges from a new sugar tax and CO2 shortages but forecasting continued uncertainty in the months ahead. The figures In its full-year results this morning, the FTSE 250 soft drinks manufacturer said that revenue grew by 5.6 per [...]
Is the proposed ban on TV junk food ads before 9pm just another example of nanny state regulation? March 19, 2019 Is the proposed ban on TV junk food ads before 9pm just another example of nanny state regulation? Daniel Pryor, head of programmes at the Adam Smith Institute, says YES. When the government wants to treat TV ads for fruit juice like soft porn, you know something has gone horribly wrong. There’s no legal definition of [...]
AG Barr expects rise in revenue as sales fizz January 25, 2019 Irn-Bru maker AG Barr has predicted a rise in full-year revenue this morning, despite echoing the fears of many in its industry over the current political and economic uncertainty. The firm said that revenue is expected to be roughly £277m for the year to 26 January, marking a five per cent rise on the previous [...]
Yet more sugar-taxes will leave consumers with a bitter taste January 7, 2019 It's been claimed that Brexit has taken up so much political energy that the government has lost its focus on other areas of policy. But fear not – the slack is being taken up by an army of bureaucrats and campaigners who seek to exert ever more control over our lives. With relentless energy the [...]
Halo Top ice cream defrosted from the startup doldrums to become a retail success December 17, 2018 Junk food is, rightly, under assault. This year, we’ve seen the introduction of a sugar tax on soft drinks, and last month London mayor Sadiq Khan announced a ban on junk food advertising on the capital’s public transportation network. This comes after tougher TV advertising rules introduced last year, which meant that ads for food [...]
Britvic profits fizz in the face of challenging year as low sugar alternatives surge November 29, 2018 Britvic, PepsiCo's UK producer, defied a flat retail market hit by a CO2 shortage this summer to exceed expectations in its full year results, giving share prices a five per cent boost. But as traders felt the sugar rush this morning, consumers have done the opposite, moving towards low and zero-sugar alternatives in the wake [...]
Sugar tax raises £154m but the government warns more must be done November 21, 2018 The sugar tax on soft drinks has raised £153.8m since it came into force in April, the government has said. The levy was rolled out seven months ago to help tackle childhood obesity, with revenue used to fund physical education in primary schools. The figure is less than half the original amount estimated when the tax was [...]