Exclusive: Richard Caring hits suppliers with mandatory ‘discount’ amid £1bn sale talks June 12, 2025 The Richard Caring restaurant empire, which includes the Ivy Collection and Caprice Holdings, has demanded its suppliers take a 2.5 per cent “discount”, blaming “increased tax burden and cost of employment, cost of indirect products [and] services and also direct cost of food and beverage.” In a letter dated 3 June, signed by Richard Caring’s [...]
Slower April wage growth to feed into interest rate cut hopes June 9, 2025 An expected drop in wage growth in April compared to the previous month could encourage Bank of England officials to vote for further interest rate cuts this year, leading analysts have suggested. Labour market data for April, which is due to be published on Tuesday morning, is set to reveal wage growth has cooled while [...]
B&M: Revenue ticks up as new stores outperform June 4, 2025 Discount retailer B&M has reported a bump in its full-year earnings after progress in France and a better-than-anticipated performance at its new stores. The London-listed Luxembourg-headquartered company reported revenue of £5.57bn in the 52 weeks ended March 29, up 3.7 per cent year on year. It said the higher revenue was “primarily driven” by the contribution [...]
Is Asda’s ambitious turnaround starting to bear fruit? May 29, 2025 Asda has had a tumultuous year and a half. Since January 2024, the supermarket giant has undergone numerous leadership changes, IT issues, and sales woes. Its troubles began back in 2021, when it was bought in a debt-fuelled takeover by the billionaire Issa brothers – who have since departed the board – and private equity firm [...]
Grocery inflation jumps to highest level in more than a year May 28, 2025 Grocery price inflation shot up to 4.1 per cent in May, driven by chocolate and suncare products in the hottest start to the month on record. The rise follows a 3.8 per cent jump in April and a 1.8 per cent rise in March, according to Kantar. “This latest jump in grocery price inflation takes [...]
Spending in pubs surges as Brits flock to beer gardens May 28, 2025 Pubs enjoyed a boost in April during the sunny spring weather as Brits opted for outdoor beer gardens over indoor restaurants. Like-for-like sales growth at pubs reached 9.1 per cent year on year, according to the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. Sales across all hospitality outlets were 4.2 per cent ahead of April 2024 [...]
Hard to swallow: food inflation rises for fourth month in a row May 27, 2025 Food inflation rose for a fourth consecutive month in May, with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) warning a new packaging tax and the government’s workers’ rights overhaul will fuel further price rises in the coming months. The cost of food rose by an average of 2.8 per cent year on year in May, up from [...]
Greggs gains momentum after lacklustre start to the year May 20, 2025 Greggs has reported an uptick in sales boosted by its expanded food and drink offering. Its share price rose six per cent as investors cheered the return to strong trading. The FTSE 250 company reported a 2.9 per cent increase in sales in the 20 weeks to May 17, an improvement from 1.7 per cent [...]
Clipper tea owner gets £76m pay day after KP Snacks deal boosts profit May 7, 2025 The owner of tea brand Clipper is in line for a huge pay day after the sale of Whole Earth to KP Snacks saw a massive spike in profit. Kallo Foods, whose products also include Kallo and Mrs Crimbles, sold the brand towards the end of 2024 for a then-undisclosed sum. New accounts have now [...]
UK tariff threats put small businesses on alert May 6, 2025 UK small businesses have already taken steps to reduce trading with the US amid a temporary reprieve from tariffs, a leading industry group has suggested. The Labour government is yet to rule out retaliatory tariffs on US goods given President Trump’s trade war could hit UK exporters in under three months. But new research indicates [...]