April retail volumes continue on downward trend amid cost of living crisis May 20, 2022 Retail sales volumes continue to go downward amid the cost of living crisis. According to the Office for National Statistics, volumes rose 1.4 per cent in April following a 1.2 per fall in March, while values went up by 1.9 per cent. But looking more broadly, in the three months to April, sales volumes fell [...]
Over 60? Supermarket giant Iceland to fight cost-of-living crisis by giving older shoppers 10 per cent discount May 20, 2022 Frozen food chain Iceland is set to introduce a discount for seniors as Britons struggle with soaring prices. The supermarket chain has announced that, from May 24, customers aged over 60 will receive a 10 per cent discount on their groceries every Tuesday with no minimum spend. In order to redeem the discount, senior shoppers [...]
Brits’ optimism tumbles to new depths, below financial crisis and Covid-19 lockdowns May 20, 2022 Rampant inflation, tax hikes, swelling food and energy bills and the Russia-Ukraine war has sent Brits’ optimism to its lowest level ever, reveals a closely watched survey published today. UK households are now even more pessimistic than they were when the world was in the teeth of the global financial crisis in 2008 and during [...]
London ensnared by global market turmoil as recession jitters spread May 19, 2022 The City was ensnared by a global market sell off today driven by investors ditching stocks over fears soaring inflation will tip major economies into recession. Britain’s biggest companies shed around £40bn today. London’s premier FTSE 100 index tumbled just under two per cent, taking its total losses for the year so far to nearly [...]
Policing minister and BRC say ignore call for ‘discretion’ prosecuting shoplifters May 19, 2022 The policing minister has urged officers not to let people off the hook if they steal food in order to feed their families amid a cost of living crisis. Kit Malthouse hit out at the “old-fashioned” thinking put forward by Andy Cooke, the new chief of HM Inspector of Constabulary, who said police should use [...]
From calorie counts to meal deals, Boris Johnson can’t make up his mind May 19, 2022 When American political activist Ralph Nader famously called McDonald’s double cheeseburger “a weapon of mass destruction” he was on to something. On this side of the pond too, decades of unhealthy fast – and fat – food eating have left a mark. Around 63 per cent of adults in England are either overweight or obese. [...]
Young’s to swap salmon and chicken for cheaper alternatives May 19, 2022 Pub chain Young’s has said it is prepared to switch pricier menu staples for cheaper alternatives as inflation stands at a 40-year high. Speaking to CityA.M., Young’s CEO Patrick Dardis said the company had switched salmon for fresh trout after steep price increases. “Pork is cheaper than chicken and so we have the ability to [...]
Bad at maths? The cost of Britain’s poor numeracy skills is no laughing matter May 19, 2022 Our nation’s poor report card for numeracy skills has been a longstanding challenge, and the current cost-of-living crisis is making that even more apparent. We all use numbers to navigate day-to-day life – from understanding interest rates to working out value for money while shopping. Nearly half of the UK’s working population has the numeracy [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Where the world was the last time inflation was this high May 19, 2022 Yesterday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that UK inflation had hit 9 per cent, reaching the highest level since 1982. This year we have slowly emerged from the pandemic, witnessed the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and we’re facing a dire cost of living crisis. But what was going on last time that [...]
Jaws drop as it emerges UK Health Security Agency pays 1,400 consultants as much as £3,100 per day May 19, 2022 It emerged today that the UK Health Security Agency is paying consultants as much as £3,100 per day. While the number used by the UKHSA has reduced, as of January 31 it was still employing 1,476 management consultants. In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee, the UKHSA said that the majority of these consultants [...]