Ocado not for you: Three reasons why online grocer’s results may not be as bad as they seem February 28, 2023 Ocado’s crown as the online food retailer which keeps the middle classes stocked in organic essentials has been threatening to slip for a while now. As one of the companies which sits at the ‘higher-end’ of the online supermarket price point the rising cost of living, not to mention higher mortgage interest rates, was expected [...]
Primark owner Associated British Foods ‘dodging most economic bullets’ as outlook improves February 27, 2023 Primark owner Associated British Foods has upped its outlook for the full year after reporting a jump in sales at the budget fashion chain as consumer spending held up better than expected. The group said sales at the retailer, which has 419 stores, are set to rise by 16 per cent at actual exchange rates [...]
Fruit and veg shortage will get worse before it gets better, warn farmers February 25, 2023 The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned that shortages of some fruit and vegetables in UK supermarkets could be “the tip of the iceberg”. NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said a reliance on imports has left the UK vulnerable to “shock weather events”. Soaring energy bills exacerbated by the war in Ukraine have also put [...]
Explainer: If the middle class can’t afford electric cars, what about everyone else? February 23, 2023 Green innovation always had one big problem to grapple with: affordability. Healthy, organic food is great, but not as long as it’s affordable only for the privileged few clients of Planet Organic. A pair of sustainable socks can cost you up to £30. This is not to say that those who can afford to make [...]
Isa explainer: should you go for cash or stocks & shares? February 23, 2023 Savers have just over four weeks to make the most of this year’s tax-free savings allowance. We look at the different types of ISA available and how to find the one that’s right for you. Individual Savings Accounts, or Isas, were introduced by the government to encourage more people to save and allow savers to [...]
Inflation bites into profits of Actimel owner Danone with sales up 13 per cent to £23.7bn February 22, 2023 French food giant Danone, producer of Actimel, has reported a full year increase in sales but admitted that soaring inflation and a hike in costs had impacted its profit margin. The food manufacturer said sales increased to €27.7bn (£23.7bn) in 2022, up 13.9 per cent on a reported basis and 7.8 per cent on a [...]
Explainer: How the Conservatives lost the farmers’ vote February 21, 2023 The Conservatives have lost Britain’s farmers. In December, support for the Tories among farmers dropped to 42 per cent. For the first time in living memory, less than 50 per cent of the farming community said they would vote Conservative if there was an election tomorrow. In December 2021, that number was 57 per cent. [...]
Glimmers UK will avoid recession this year emerge as experts cheer return to growth in PMI February 21, 2023 Warnings that the UK is headed for a recession may have been misplaced after figures out today revealed private businesses returned to growth for the first time in half a year. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) composite flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for February hit 53 points, up from [...]
Sainsbury’s cuts prices as supermarkets battle to provide cheap food in cost of living crisis February 20, 2023 Sainsbury’s has become the latest British supermarket to try and reduce the price of their products, after it revealed it will launch discount £2 fruit and vegetable boxes. Sainsbury’s said that its ‘Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me’ boxes will include a variety of surplus fresh fruit and vegetables with the boxes being sold at a [...]
Tesco raises store workers pay by 7 per cent February 20, 2023 Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, will raise hourly pay for about 220,000 store workers by 7 per cent from April – another increase that will likely catch the attention of the Bank of England, which is worried about inflationary pressure in the economy. The supermarket group, one of the country’s largest private sector employers, said a [...]