Tesco drops annoying self-checkout “unexpected item in the bagging area” phrase July 30, 2015 No longer will shoppers be scolded by a machine telling them there are unexpected items in the bagging area, after Tesco announced the decision to drop the intensely annoying phrase from its self-checkouts. After feedback from customers, the supermarket has decided to make the automated voice a little friendlier, calling the current tones "a source [...]
Sainsbury’s share price edges up as it sells pharmacy business for £125m July 29, 2015 Shares in Sainsbury's rose 0.7 per cent to 261.1p after it announced a deal with the German owner of UK chain LloydsPharmacy to sell its pharmacy business for £125m. Read more: Growth at Co-op for the first time in a year as Tesco and Asda decline yet again As part of the deal, Celesio’s LloydsPharmacy will [...]
Tesco Ribena and Capri Sun ban: What’s next off the shelves, Coke, Haribo, Ketchup? These are the odds on how likely that is July 28, 2015 First they came for the Ribena and Capri Sun, now are they coming for our Coca Cola? Tesco is removing sugary drinks aimed at kids from its shelves because of worries over obesity, and people are not happy about that at all. Ribena, Capri Sun and Rubicon products that are the size of a kids [...]
Tesco’s ban on sugary drinks is fine – as long as the government keeps away and consumers can still vote with their feet July 28, 2015 As a libertarian, I don’t quite know what to think about Tesco’s decision to drop Ribena and other sugary drinks for kids. On its own, I can see the advantages. As part of a broader trend, it’s a little worrying. So why might Tesco be doing this? Let’s take it for granted that Tesco [...]
Supermarket wars: Growth at Co-op Food for first time in a year, as Tesco and Asda decline yet again July 28, 2015 The Co-Operative supermarket is back in growth for the first time in a year, as Sainsbury's reclaims its second place position in the sector. The sector experienced slight growth for the 12 weeks to 19 July, with sales up 0.8 per cent year on year – though this was generally experienced by the smaller [...]
Utopian Unilever is making waves: Boss Paul Polman is pushing an ethical agenda, but is it working? July 23, 2015 The website still exists but looks dated. SaveBenandJerrys.com, a grassroots campaign website with comic sans font, tried to stop ethical ice cream brand Ben and Jerry’s being scooped up by corporate giant Unilever in 2000. Yet 15 years after the consumer giant’s $326m takeover, the howls of protest appear a strange anachronism after moves [...]
Sony signs deal to make Emojis, the movie – coming soon to a cinema near you July 23, 2015 It was only a matter of time before this happened: Sony has signed a new deal to make a movie based on emojis, the colourful little smiley faces sand symbols embedded on your mobile device. Is a cash of thumbs up – or more a smiling pile of poo? We're not sure… Reports suggest the [...]
Unilever share price jumps after sales beat expectations again July 23, 2015 Unilever's share price jumped this morning after proving its critics wrong as sales beat analyst expectations. The figures Consumer goods giant Unilever once again beat revenue forecasts in the second quarter, with total turnover rising by 2.9 per cent to €14.2bn (£9.93bn). The better than expected results triggered a 2.8 per cent share price rise [...]
The world’s biggest emojis were just created by Tesco Mobile in a field near Bath to cheer up commuters July 22, 2015 The world's biggest emojis have been created in a field near Bath to cheer up weary commuters. With the help of 25 artists and 700 litres of paint, a giant smiling face emoji that spans 100ft – the equivalent of three double decker buses – graced the outskirts of the Somerset city while a mysterious [...]
Apple Pay UK: Where are people using it most? TfL races ahead July 22, 2015 A week after Apple Pay's launch in the UK, and there's one spot where it's proving by far and away the most popular place to use. The contactless payment which lets you pay by simply swiping an iPhone or Apple Watch, attempts to make paying for stuff as quick and easy as possible, and there's no [...]