Black Sheep Coffee: Already seeing office return benefit September 21, 2021 A London coffee business with a stronghold in the City has said it is already reaping the rewards of home workers returning to offices. Black Sheep Coffee plans to double the size of its estate this year, backed by more than £4m in additional funding. “A lot of our sites are getting really busy now, [...]
Craft beer concerns: Carbon dioxide shortages threaten breweries September 20, 2021 Craft beer breweries fear their production may be thrown into chaos by shortages of carbon dioxide. While bigger drinks producers have been able to access CO2 recovery plants, smaller breweries said they were reliant on the main suppliers. One London brewery said it could be forced to halt production if suppliers were forced to prioritise [...]
Exclusive: ASOS and Boohoo lead the pack as online-only retail sales hit record £16bn September 20, 2021 Sales at the UK’s 20 biggest online-only retailers have reached a record £16.4bn in the last year, rising 22 per cent from £13.2bn the previous year, according to calculations based on Companies House data. This growth continues to be driven by the success of fashion retailers, which increased their revenues by 14.2 per cent to [...]
Exit without paying at any till: Aldi trialling first checkout-free supermarket September 20, 2021 Aldi is trialling its first checkout-free store to allow customers to shop at the supermarket and exit without the need to pay at a till. The discount supermarket chain said the store is in London but declined to give further details of the location of the trial site. It said shoppers will scan a smartphone [...]
Morrisons moves into pub sector supply with marketplace partnership September 20, 2021 Supermarket Morrisons has made a move into the hospitality arena after teaming up with StarStock, an online marketplace for the on-trade. StarStock, which allows brands to sell direct to operators through its e-commerce platform, has partnered with the supermarket to allow it to supply pubs and restaurants. Restaurant operators will be able to have “direct, [...]
Red Bull threatens gin firm with legal action over use of word ‘bull’ September 18, 2021 A Norwich-based gin maker has been threatened with legal action by energy drinks giant Red Bull over the use of the word ‘bull’. Red Bull told gin maker Bullards there was a “likelihood of confusion on behalf of the public” as both brand names “include the term bull”. Bullards was asked to delete a series [...]
Rising gas prices endanger food supplies September 18, 2021 Food production could be hit by major disruption after rocketing energy prices have threatened to create a shortage of carbon dioxide needed for farming. Two fertiliser plants in the country have been temporarily shut down as gas prices have climbed. Firms could run out of carbon dioxide in less than two weeks, with some being [...]
Brits encouraged to back pubs and restaurants on National Hospitality Day September 17, 2021 Londoners have been called on to go out for a drink or meal this weekend to support businesses recovering from multiple lockdowns. Sector charities have organised National Hospitality Day on Saturday to raise awareness of the struggles faced by businesses because of the pandemic. Businesses participating include Brewdog bars offering free pints, Zizzi giving out [...]
Next to run Gap’s UK operation in joint venture September 17, 2021 Next will manage Gap’s online business in the UK and Ireland as a franchise partner, after the companies finalised an agreement. The fashion companies announced they will form a joint venture with Next owning 51 per cent and Gap owning 49 per cent. Next will operate Gap’s e-commerce business across the Next Total Platform, host [...]
Retail sales fall as reopening bounceback runs out of steam September 17, 2021 Retail sales volumes dropped 0.9 per cent last month as Brits rushed to dine out at restaurants when lockdown restrictions eased and stores faced supply disruption. A dip in food store sales of 1.2 per cent and a 1.5 per cent jump in automotive fuel sales suggests that people leaned into post-lockdown freedoms by travelling [...]
