Iceland to launch energy labelling on food as households battle sky-high bills August 23, 2022 Iceland will launch energy saving cooking guidance on packaging this autumn, as it partners with an energy firm on providing cost-cutting tips to households. Through a joint campaign, Iceland and Utilita are carrying out a dramatic overhaul of the supermarket’s own-product packaging to focus on energy efficient cooking methods. From early next month, the ‘Shop [...]
30-min weekly shop: Uber Eats and Co-op team up for rapid delivery service August 23, 2022 Co-op and Uber Eats are partnering up for a speedy service as the grocery sector’s battle for convicent delivery hots up. On the Uber Eats app, shoppers can order more than 6,000 products from around 1,000 Co-op food stores. Groceries are to be delivered in as little as 30 minutes, the firms said on Tuesday [...]
Barrio Familia snaps up ‘world’s largest tequila bar’ in Covent Garden August 22, 2022 Barrio Familia has bought the world’s largest tequila bar, the former Tropicana Beach Club in Covent Garden. It is the first new opening for the bar chain since it was snapped up by Nightcap in November 2021. The flagship bar will open in November and will be the fifth venue for the group, alongside bars [...]
M&S doubles down on plans to demolish Art Deco Oxford St store August 21, 2022 M&S is doubling down on its plans to demolish its flagship Marble Arch store, as its CEO describes a trip to Oxford St as “dismaying.” The supermarket is embroiled in a battle with heritage campaigners over plans to raze its Art Deco store in the West End. M&S says the store has “asbestos throughout,” and [...]
Amazon slows down expansion of Fresh checkout-free stores August 21, 2022 Amazon has reportedly slowed down its rollout of checkout-free supermarket stores, as economic turmoil looms. The tech firm has rejected discussions for dozens of new Amazon Fresh stores, according to a report in The Times. It has also opted to not look for more locations, the newspaper’s report states. However, a small number of openings [...]
Soho House owner cuts yearly forecast despite buoyant UK membership August 18, 2022 The company behind Soho House has slashed its yearly forecasts even as its UK membership has soared. Membership Collective Group said that Soho House had boosted its UK membership by 20 per cent in the past year from 45,277 to 54,764. The Wall St-listed group marked a 96 per cent revenue, with sales hitting $243.8m. [...]
Brits’ spending drops sharply as recession clouds gather August 18, 2022 Brits’ credit and debit card spending dropped dramatically over the past week, according to fresh data published by the Office for National Statistics. This data ranked at 97 per cent of its level in February 2020, the month prior to the country’s first Covid lockdown. The figures are based on Bank of England CHAPS interbank [...]
Madame Tussauds owner Merlin Entertainments slams ‘wholly inappropriate’ winding up petition from Experian August 18, 2022 The owner of Madame Tussauds and London Dungeons has been slapped with a winding up petition by Experian. Merlin Entertainments, which owns theme parks such as Alton Towers and Legoland as well as some of London’s top cultural destinations, faces proceedings due to a dispute over debt. A winding up petition sees unpaid creditors take [...]
Mary Portas: Future of high street is ‘less retail but better retail’ August 18, 2022 The future of the high street will involve “less retail but better retail”, according to broadcaster and retail guru Mary Portas. More than nine in ten retailers believe the UK high street is suffering, according to new research from marketplace Ankorstore, backed by Portas. High street firms are facing turmoil including heightened energy bills, staff [...]
Royal Mail posties back strike action in ballot August 17, 2022 Royal Mail workers have voted overwhelmingly to back further strikes. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have voted in a second ballot to enter into a formal dispute with management over pay and conditions. Members voted by 98.7 per cent on a 72.2 per cent turnout. An earlier vote in July had seen some [...]