Environment minister doubles down on food strategy despite criticism from lead adviser June 13, 2022 Food minister George Eustice has doubled down on the government’s food strategy amid criticism it has not gone far enough to help issues like obesity and food poverty. The lead adviser to the plan, restauranter Henry Dimbleby, has criticised the blueprint as “not a strategy”. “It doesn’t set out a clear vision as to why [...]
UK economy shrinks 0.3 per cent amid recession worries June 13, 2022 The UK economy shrank in April, for the second month in a row, amid fears of a recession. Gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 0.3 per cent in April, following a 0.1 per cent drop in March, according to figures published by The Office for National Statistics on Monday morning. The drop was fuelled by a [...]
Top dining chains see losses swell as inflationary pressures hammer the high street June 13, 2022 The country’s top restaurants have seen losses swell considerably in the past six months, surpassing the £800m mark. According to analysis from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, losses at the top 100 restaurants swelled 24 per cent from £673m to £832m in just the past six months shows a new study by UHY Hacker Young, [...]
650k retail jobs lost in the past five years amid fears of unfair high street tax bills ahead June 13, 2022 Some 650,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past five years, as the high street comes under threat once more with consumer spending dropping amid historic inflation. The Centre for Retail Research has found that some 645,204 retail jobs have been lost and 72,580 stores closed across the UK since 2017. High street heavyweights [...]
Garment workers in Leicester face ‘many constraints’ in accessing fair pay and conditions still June 13, 2022 The government must do more to tackle the exploitation of garment workers across the country, a report into Leicester workers has found. Garment workers in the city still face obstacles to fair pay and conditions, according to a study from the University of Nottingham and De Montfort University, commissioned by the Garment & Textile Workers [...]
British Airways’ boss calls on ministers to take accountability over travel chaos June 12, 2022 The boss of British Airways’ owner Luis Gallego has pointed the finger of blame at the government after weeks of travel chaos have seen cancelled flights and lengthy airport queues. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the airlines chief said the government had to “take some accountability for all this,” referring to the shortage-induced [...]
Morrisons mulls sale of warehouses and fisheries in £600m deal June 12, 2022 Morrisons’ private equity owner is scouting for a buyer for its estate of warehouses, fisheries and food manufacturing hubs in a sale worth more than £600m. The New York private equity titan is mulling a sale-and-leaseback transaction in an endeavour to power returns from its £7bn takeover of the British grocer, according to a report [...]
On the rocks: Inflation puts pressure on grocers’ relationships with suppliers June 9, 2022 Tensions are escalating between the country’s retailers and their suppliers, according to research on behalf of the independent groceries regulator. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of suppliers said they had experienced being refused by a retailer to consider a request for a cost price increase or an unreasonable delay in concluding such a [...]
Private healthcare giant Mediclinic rejects £3.4bn offer from consortium June 9, 2022 Private hospital operator Mediclinic has rejected a £3.4bn takeover approach from a consortium including billionaire luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert. In an update on the London Stock Exchange, the Mediclinic board confirmed that it received an unsolicited and conditional proposal from a consortium on 26 May 2022. The consortium consisted of South African investment firm [...]
Poundland owner: UK shoppers particularly wounded by higher bills due to stagnant wage growth June 9, 2022 Poundland owner Pepco has said consumers in the UK have been particularly wounded by higher costs of living, impacting spending. Pepco, which also owns discount retailer Dealz, said higher wages in Central and Eastern European markets were significantly offsetting inflationary pressures. However, in the Western European markets, stagnant wage growth had led to shoppers paring [...]
