Food inflation to hit 4.2 per cent in 2025 as cost pressures loom, BRC warns January 9, 2025 According to projections from the BRC, food prices will rise by an average of 4.2 per cent in the second half of 2025.
Why the state should stay out of the kitchen January 7, 2025 A think tank has seriously floated the idea of government-run restaurants. The idea belongs in an age of wartime rationing, not the thriving, free-market food scene the City enjoys today, says Matthew Kilcoyne One wonders if the festive sherry stocks have been hit rather hard in certain London think tanks this Christmas. How else to [...]
Yeo Valley doubles profit after natural yoghurt demand surges January 6, 2025 Profit at Yeo Valley has almost doubled after sales at the dairy giant jumped by £40m during its latest financial year. The Somerset-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax profit of £8.1m for the year to 26 May, 2024, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The latest figure comes after Yeo Valley returned to the [...]
Tesco and Sainsbury’s to shed light on Christmas sales performance January 5, 2025 The UK’s biggest supermarket groups will shed light next week on how they fared over the key Christmas period amid pressure on shoppers’ budgets. Tesco and Sainsbury’s will both provide third-quarter updates for investors and analysts, where they will reveal their sales for the weeks running up to Christmas. Both grocers are expected to reveal [...]
Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-covid levels’ December 27, 2024 The slump in the number of people heading to the shops during Boxing Day sales signals a return to declining pre-pandemic levels, an analyst has said. Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.6 per cent from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 8pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s [...]
Retail in 2025: The year of personalisation, AI, wellness – and no more barcodes December 24, 2024 2024 has been a tough year for retail. From companies sounding the alarm on business rates in the first half of the year to low consumer confidence and footfall proving stickier than expected, the festive period has now been overshadowed by stark warnings about further cost rises next year. Restructuring partner at RSM UK, Gordon [...]
UK retail sales rise slightly in November amid concern over golden quarter December 20, 2024 The latest ONS data showed retail sales jumped 0.2 per cent last month, following a 0.7 per cent fall in October.
Bank of England holds interest rates and downgrades growth forecasts December 19, 2024 The Bank of England held interest rates at 4.75 per cent today, while downgrading economic forecasts for the UK towards stagnant growth. Only six members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep interest rates steady, less than had been expected, as three voted to cut rates by 0.25 per cent citing fears over [...]
Inflation spike ‘raises questions’ over health of UK economy December 18, 2024 The spike in inflation to 2.6 per cent today has raised questions about the health of the UK economy, according to analysts. The news comes ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide the path of interest rates tomorrow, with markets agreeing that combined with higher-than-expected wage growth yesterday, a cut is off the [...]
UK inflation spikes ahead of Bank of England rates decision December 18, 2024 UK inflation spiked to 2.6 per cent ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide interest rates later this week. Year-on-year inflation matched expectations of 2.6 per cent in November, up from 2.3 per cent in October, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed. Meanwhile, core inflation, which strips out volatile commodities like [...]