John Lewis planning to lure hundreds of engineers as it plots big retail push online May 3, 2022 Retail giant the John Lewis Partnership is zooming in further on its online operations as it is planning to recruit for more than 150 roles in engineering and delivery driving. John Lewis, which also owns Waitrose supermarket, said its recruitment drive will help grow its online stores, which together have more than 55m visits a [...]
Brits race to snap up sunflower oil as shops place limits: Restaurants face shortage of cooking oil April 23, 2022 Supermarkets across the UK have placed limits on how much cooking oil customers can buy due to supply-chain problems caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Tesco is allowed three items per customer while Waitrose and Morrisons have placed limits of just two items each. The British Retail Consortium’s Tom Holder said the move was a [...]
Prices rising fast: Brits face acute egg shortage as spiralling hen food costs and energy bills lead to mass exodus of farmers April 20, 2022 UK customers could face empty shelves as an exodus of British egg farmers is caused by a lack of support from supermarkets amid spiralling costs, industry players warned today. Farmers have previously called on supermarkets to increase their egg prices due to soaring feed and energy costs in the production process. However, the industry has [...]
Sainsbury’s and Waitrose ‘investigating as a matter of urgency’ after worker at sushi supplier has finger tips cut off April 13, 2022 Waitrose and Sainsbury’s are investigating “as a matter of urgency” after a worker had finger tips chopped off in Taiko Foods’ factory, which supplies sushi to the retailers. The retailers are looking into the incident, in which Viraj Kakadia operated reportedly unsafe and dangerous vegetable cutting machine at the Taiko Foods factory in Acton. The [...]
35 per cent of Brits admit bulk buying amid war and inflation shortage fears, report claims April 12, 2022 Warnings have been made against claims of stockpiling food after a report claimed 35 per cent have bulk bought items recently. Consumers are reportedly purchasing items in scenes reminiscent of the start of the pandemic, amid concerns about falling production for items such as wheat and oil, impacted by the war in Ukraine. Items such [...]
Waitrose left with £4m hole in pocket after brief deal with online partner April 12, 2022 Supermarket Waitrose is owed some £4m after a four-month partnership with an insolvent venture launched by an Ocado founder. According to a report in The Times newspaper, Waitrose is the second-largest trade creditor of online grocery business Today Development Partners, which collapsed last month. This was laid out in a progress report by administrators at [...]
Egg farmers: Supermarkets must raise prices by 40p to avert sector crisis March 31, 2022 Egg farmers have called on supermarkets to up the price of a dozen eggs by 40p as producers face cost pressures. Many free range egg farmers are bleeding cash on every egg laid by one of their hens, according to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA). Shoppers in the UK were unable to [...]
The City View: Consumers borrowing more, and Victoria Scholar on $15bn Barclays blunder March 29, 2022 Today Andy Silvester chats to Interactive Investor’s Victoria Scholar. They go through Barclays’ rough start to the week after an unknown investor sold over £900m worth of shares in the bank following its $15bn securities blunder; Waitrose’s legal row with ASDA, and consumers turning to discount retailers amid the cost-of-living crisis; and Tesla’s stock split. [...]
Deliveroo goes for speed as it joins forces with WHSmith for new 20 minute delivery service March 29, 2022 Online delivery giant Deliveroo said this morning it will soon be able to deliver a raft of products, from printer cartridges to bestselling novels, to customers in under 20 minutes. The company has joined forces with WHSmith as it continues to expand further from its traditional takeaway delivery business. It is Deliveroo’s first major leap [...]
Last minute Mother’s Day idea: Try the Pan Pacific hotel March 25, 2022 Mother’s Day is on the horizon and with canny timing the Pan Pacific hotel has launched an afternoon tea centred around childhood memories in its elegant Orchard Lounge. Award-winning executive pastry chef Cherish Finden recalls her own Singaporean childhood during either a traditional English tea or a fully Asian affair, the latter of which I opted for. We [...]