Here’s some food for thought: The courgette crisis is no joke – the UK’s food security is at stake February 17, 2017 News of the so-called courgette crisis has been greeted with a certain amount of mirth in the press. The image of middle-class diners looking lost without their spiralized suppers after an uncommonly soggy winter in Spain was never going to provoke an outpouring of sympathy. However, a new report commissioned by Morrisons today suggests we [...]
Morrisons starts search for more local food suppliers February 17, 2017 Morrisons is looking for the "Innocent Smoothies of tomorrow" in a bid to get more local food to their shoppers. The supermarket wants to recruit more than 200 new suppliers across England, Scotland and Wales over the next year. To find Britain's best local food suppliers, Morrisons will invite foodmakers to pitch their products at a series [...]
Argos fined £1.5m for not paying workers the national minimum wage February 16, 2017 Home Retail Group has been fined £1.5m for not paying 37,000 Argos workers the national minimum wage. The business said it was paying back current and previous workers £64 each, with the total cost coming to £2.4m. If the company pays back HM Revenue and Customs within 14 days, it will only have to pay £800,000. Read [...]
Shares in the leading Coca-Cola bottling firm are fizzing as profit shoots up February 16, 2017 Leading drinks bottler Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC) today reached the top spot on the FTSE 100 risers' board as it announced its profit beat expectations yet again. The figures The soft drinks bottler's net profit jumped 22.5 per cent to €343.5m (£292.3m) from €280.3m for the year ended 31 December 2016. Net sales revenue lifted three per cent [...]
Laura Ashley shares dive: Poor first six months cannot be made up later February 16, 2017 Laura Ashley's share price fell over nine per cent as interim results missed expectations and the prospect of cost and currency headwinds spooked investors. The figures Total group sales over the six months to December fell from £150m to £146m, with like-for-like sales down 3.5 per cent. Profit before tax was £7.6m compared with £11.0m in [...]
Waitrose has been crowned the UK’s best supermarket February 16, 2017 Aldi and Lidl might be snatching market share from their rivals – but one middle class stalwart is still at the top of the nation's affections, according to a new survey. The report, by Which?, has crowned Waitrose the UK's best supermarket, above rivals Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Lidl. Meanwhile, Asda came bottom of the [...]
Under Armour boss backtracks after calling Donald Trump an “asset to this country” as analyst downgrades stock February 16, 2017 Kevin Plank hasn't had the best week. The Under Armour chief executive came under fire for his comments on Donald Trump, after giving an interview to CNBC last week saying: "To have such a pro-business President is something that is a real asset to this country." It caused a backlash, including from some of Under [...]
Canada Goose fluffs up the market by revealing plans for $100m listing February 16, 2017 High-end US coat maker Canada Goose has announced plans to raise $100m by listing on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. The listing will give the firm, backed by Bain Capital, the ability to pay down debt and expand sales in the US. And in what could be seen as a stroke of marketing genius, the [...]
Nestle misses long-term annual organic growth target for fourth year on the trot February 16, 2017 The KitKat, Smarties and Nespresso maker has announced another year of slowing growth in a tough environment and has slashed its sales growth target as a result. The news has left a bit of a bad taste in investors' mouths – shares edged down 1.37 per cent in early trading. The figures Nestle is aiming for sales [...]
Kraft Heinz has wrong ingredient as sales drop 3.7 per cent February 15, 2017 Kraft's share price fell in after-hours trading after its net profit missed forecasts. The figures Fourth quarter sales at the maker of Heinz ketchup and Kraft macaroni cheese fell 3.7 per cent, down from $7.12bn to $6.86bn. Read more: Bean there, done that: This is the Shard's newest tenant Net profit, however, increased year-on-year from $285m [...]