All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers complains of ‘significant uncertainty’ over energy bills next year COST CRISIS Mitchells & Butlers has said “significant uncertainty” remains over the heftiness of its energy bill next year, as pub bosses have called for more financial aid. The All Bar One and Toby Carvery owner said its trading environment “remains very challenging,” as cost inflation headwinds were expected to be as much as 12 per cent [...]
Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots on Brixton being the ‘sauce’ of entrepreneurial spirit ELECTRIC AVENUE In Brixton, the “heartbeat of the community” is its market, Dragons’ Den star and the businessman behind Reggae Reggae sauce, Levi Roots, tells CityA.M. The south London district has been Roots’ home ever since he moved to the UK as a young child from Jamaica, so it’s no surprise it is close to his heart. [...]
Quiz swings to profit as it heads into Christmas party dress season Fashion retailer Quiz has continued to bounce back after a torrid lockdown, swinging back into the black in the first-half of the year. The retailer – which operates 62 stores in the UK and an e-commerce platform – posted a £1.8m profit before tax, for the six months to 30 September. It had suffered a [...]
BrewDog in the dock as watchdog bans controversial ‘one of your five a day’ ad December 7, 2022 An ad for BrewDog has been banned over a “tongue-in-cheek” claim that its fruit-flavoured beers constitute “one of your five a day”. An email, dated July 20, featured the subject heading “One of your five a day”, and advertised beers with names that included Lost In Guava, Pineapple Punch, and Lost In Lychee & Lime. [...]
Moonpig customers purchasing cheaper gifts and ‘hesitating’ due to Royal Mail strikes December 7, 2022 Shoppers hunting for birthday and anniversary presents are forking out for cheaper options and hesitating to send cards due to postie walk-outs, Moonpig’s boss has said. Ongoing disruption from Royal Mail strike days was “clearly not helpful” to the greetings cards business, CEO Nickyl Raithatha told CityA.M., as customers expected deliveries on specific days. Customers [...]
BrewDog ad banned for branding beer ‘one of your five a day’ December 7, 2022 A BrewDog advert has been banned by the industry watchdog after it branded beer as “one of your five a day” in a marketing email. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the claim was misleading, suggesting that consumers could be confused by the messaging. The body of the email featured the heading “FEELING FRUITY” in [...]
Textile workers’ rights group: Shein ‘offering up fig leaf’ with £12m investment into factory standards December 6, 2022 Shein has left many environmental campaigners unimpressed after revealing it would invest £12.2m into improving standards at its suppliers’ factories. The Chinese retailer admitted its hours for workers at two sites breached local regulations, after allegations of worker mistreatment in a recent Channel 4 documentary. Staff at one factory were working up to 13.5 hour [...]
Exclusive: Merciless cost of living crisis is giving Buy Now Pay Later space a major boost December 6, 2022 Buy Now Pay Later offerings may be controversial and much-criticised, it seems the cost of living crisis is giving the format a major boost. In fact, it has emerged that nearly half of all Brits are more likely to or are already using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services compared to a year ago, according [...]
December strikes: Who’s walking out when and how will it affect you? December 6, 2022 December is set to be a month blighted by industrial strife, with everyone from nurses and posties to train drivers and security staff to walk out. With inflation reaching a 41-year high at an eye-watering 11.1 per cent, thousands of workers have voted to down tools and ask for a real-term increase in pay. As [...]
Have a Very Malty Christmas: The best festive whisky December 6, 2022 With Christmas just around the corner, time is running out to restock drinks cabinets or buy gifts for your whisky-loving friends and family. Celebrate the season in style with this eclectic selection of exceptional Scottish whiskies. Ardbeg Wee Beastie The youngest release in Ardbeg’s core range, the five year old Wee Beastie is anything but [...]