Hotel Chocolat ‘cautious’ as falling revenue and profit dampen outlook for Mother’s Day and Easter sales March 8, 2023 Hotel Chocolat had a bittersweet second half of 2022 with dents in its revenue and profits, owing to “hefty investments”, as it is not so optimistic ahead of Mother’s Day and Easter. The premium chocolate maker reported a fall in its revenue to £129m down from £142m last year, while its gross profit was down [...]
Cost of living crisis: One in seven Brits have skipped meals because they cannot afford to eat March 7, 2023 One in seven people have skipped meals due to the rising cost of living, according to a survey. Almost one in 10 have prioritised meals for other family members above themselves and 4% have used a food bank, the Which? consumer insight tracker found. Some seven in 10 (72 per cent) have turned the heating [...]
Salad Days: A run on grow bags and why Harry and Charlotte could help Brits see off food shortage, says RHS March 2, 2023 A shortage of fruit and vegetables in particular tomatoes, cucumber peppers and lettuce, is believed to be behind an increased interest in gardening. Brits have been being advised to avoid salads for the next “few weeks” as supermarkets have kept restrictions in place on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said [...]
A bigger bite: Pret hikes team member salaries as commuter coffee favourite vows to invest in workforce March 2, 2023 Pret a Manger will increase the salaries of its workers from the start of next month to avoid falling foul of minimum wage laws, which change on April 1. Sandwich chain Pret said that it would hike pay for its worst-paid staff by 2.9 per cent, from £10.30 an hour to £10.60 an hour. It ensures [...]
JustEat: Takeaway orders tumble due to spending pullback but profit outlook raised March 1, 2023 Online food delivery firm Just Eat Takeaway.com has said it returned to underlying earnings last year and expects to remain profitable in 2023 despite seeing a drop in orders as customers cut back. The Amsterdam-based group swung to underlying earnings of 19 million euros (£16.7 million) last year from losses of 350 million euros (£308 [...]
Growers warn leek supply will be exhausted by April as Therese Coffey tells Brits to eat turnips February 24, 2023 Growers are warning of a leek shortage that will see British-grown supplies exhausted by April. High temperatures and a lack of rain, followed by a period of cold weather, are being blamed for creating the “most difficult season ever”. Supermarkets are already limiting the sale of tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables because of a [...]
Hold the ketchup: UK supermarkets facing tomato shortage February 21, 2023 UK supermarkets are facing a tomato shortage after bad weather in Europe and Africa disrupted supplies. Shoppers across the country have been sharing their frustration on social media after being unable to find tomatoes at their local stores. Growers and suppliers in Morocco have had to contend with cold temperatures, heavy rain, flooding and cancelled [...]
Cost of living: Brits switch to discount brands while 1.7m have cancelled subscriptions like Netflix, reveals Lloyds February 17, 2023 A fifth of people polled by Lloyds Bank have switched to discount brands in a bid to save cash to cope with the cost of living, while 1.7m have cancelled subscriptions like Netflix, it has been revealed. The shift to discount shopping has been significant during the cost of living crisis, with an 18 per [...]
Wagamama owner has ‘little hope for future’ activist shareholder says, urging major strategy overhaul February 16, 2023 Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group has shown “little hope for the future” and is in need of a strategy overhaul, an activist shareholder has urged. Oasis Management, a hedge fund which holds a 6.5 per cent stake in the company, called on the hospitality firm to “re-align its priorities” and take immediate steps to restore [...]
SSP: Upper Crust owner’s UK recovery hampered by rail strikes as commuters stop buying baguettes February 16, 2023 Upper Crust owner SSP has seen the recovery in its UK arm hampered by repeated waves of strike action across railway networks. The company, which runs food outlets at transport sites such as airports and railway stations, revealed the performance of its UK and Ireland business lagged behind other regions globally due to train strike [...]
