Competition watchdog CMA launches probe into Morrisons takeover of McColl’s July 13, 2022 The CMA, the UK’s competition watchdog, confirmed this morning the launch of a ‘phase one’ investigation into Morrisons’ takeover of McColl’s. Bradford-based supermarket chain Morrisons snapped up McColl’s in a £190m rescue deal in May after the convenience chain collapsed into administration in light of soaring costs due to supply chain disruption, inflation and its [...]
June bookings for Hostelworld climb to pre-pandemic levels as pent-up demand for travel surges July 12, 2022 June bookings for Hostelworld sites hit 80 per cent of June 2019 levels as backpackers flock back on holiday this summer. Net revenue exceeded 2019 levels by 104 per cent thanks to higher average booking values, and the firm’s success in April and in May in drawing backpackers in once again. Booking demand into Europe, the largest destination [...]
JD Sports hires former Morrisons chair Andrew Higginson to fill the boots of Peter Cowgill after 18 years at the helm July 8, 2022 JD Sports has hired Andrew Higginson to help fill the boots of Peter Cowgill as the sportswear retailer’s new chair. Mr Cowgill stepped down from JD Sports in May after 18 year as the company’s executive chairman. The resignation came after the company was fined £4.3 million by the competition watchdog for exchanging information with [...]
Revenue climbs for Supreme despite slowdown of lighting vapes July 5, 2022 Vaping giant Supreme posts revenue growth of seven per cent to £130.8m in its full year results thanks to fresh acquisitions and customer momentum for 88vape.
Heinz baked beans and ketchup disappear from Tesco shelves amid price increase row June 30, 2022 Tesco, the country’s largest supermarket, is facing shortages of Heinz baked beans and ketchup after a row over price hikes. The US salad-cream maker has hit pause on supplying Brits’ cupboard staples, with some stores having already run out of products and some unavailable to order online. A Tesco spokesperson said: “With household budgets under [...]
Small businesses lambast government’s price cut plan for being a “slap in the face” June 29, 2022 Asking small businesses to cut product prices as a way for the government to help Brits with the cost-of-living crisis was deemed as a “slap in the face” by trade bodies. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) argued that forcing small firms to “soak up additional costs just isn’t realistic,” as business owners are no [...]
Sales at Morrisons drop as supermarket boss cites ‘very fragile’ trading environment June 29, 2022 Supermarket Morrisons has seen sales drop by 6.4 per cent in the second quarter of the year, blaming a “very fragile and difficult consumer environment.” In a trading update for the 13 weeks ending 1 May, the grocer said it had experienced a “very challenging” trading environment with cash-strapped Brits tightening their belts as inflation [...]
Price of Aussie wine could fall victim to Treasury reforms – yes, even after the trade deal June 24, 2022 AT THE end of last year, to much fanfare, the UK and Australia signed the free trade deal – the first negotiated from scratch following Brexit. The UK is the number one destination for Australian wine exports in value and volume, exporting 246 million litres of wine worth AU$449m in the 12 months to March [...]
New winemakers taking Macon by storm June 15, 2022 The Macon has been referred to as “the unknown cousin of Burgundy”, but with prices soaring all over Bourgogne it is worth taking stock, literally, of these delicious wines and some of the bold, new winemakers taking over the region. Though Burgundy can be seen as the old-school seat of traditional winemaking, a younger generation [...]
Tesco to reveal consumer spending habits with update this week June 12, 2022 Supermarket giant Tesco is set to shed more light on how customer spending is holding up as shoppers deal with rapidly increasing food inflation. The UK’s biggest grocer will reveal how trading has performed over the three months to May when it updates shareholders on Friday June 17. Tesco has been resilient despite pressure on [...]