World’s largest low-carbon refuelling HGV station opens in UK March 3, 2022 The world’s largest low-carbon refuelling station for HGV has finally opened its doors in Avonmouth, near Bristol. The site, which opened today, is expected to refuel up to 80 HGVs per hour, using renewable bio methane to cut around 70,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year from HGVs. The station, installed and operated by bio [...]
Shop price inflation hits highest rate in more than a decade March 2, 2022 Shop price annual inflation surged to the highest rate since November 2011 last month, as households’ concerns about the cost of living increases. The rate hit 1.8 per cent in February, an increase from 1.5 per cent in January, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NielsenIQ. Non-food inflation surged to 1.3 per cent [...]
Sainsbury’s to shut 200 cafes as it eyes more Starbucks in stores March 1, 2022 Sainsbury’s has announced it will close 200 cafes in its stores this year as it attempts to rival discount retailers. The supermarket said 200 Sainsbury’s cafes will close to customers in the spring this year while it will roll out 30 food halls and 30 Starbucks cafes. Around 2,000 staff will be impacted by the [...]
Discount retailers benefit from cost of living crunch as shoppers head to Aldi and Lidl March 1, 2022 Grocery price inflation hit a new high of 4.3 per cent last month, with budget supermarkets luring shoppers in as the cost of living intensifies. Fresh data from Kantar reveals the fastest rate of inflation since September 2013, with the exception of the start of the pandemic when households panic bought essentials. Aldi and Lidl [...]
Pod Point’s profit skyrockets as EV market soars February 18, 2022 Electric vehicle (EV) charging firm Pod Point has reported skyrocketing profits as a result of strong consumer demand. In the year ended 31 December, the company registered an 86 per cent increase in year-on-year revenue, going up to £61.4m, while gross profit surged 99 per cent. Gross margins went up two per cent, while home [...]
Shop price inflation highest in a decade as Brits feel cost of living squeeze February 2, 2022 Retail inflation has soared in the past month, with Brits eyeing discount retailers for cheaper prices as the country faces a cost of living squeeze. Shop price annual inflation surged to 1.5 per cent in January, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen IQ shop price index. This was up from 0.8 per [...]
Households face extra £180 a year on average grocery bill February 1, 2022 Households are facing an extra £180 to their annual grocery bill after inflation has seen prices surge in recent months. The latest four-week grocery price inflation stands at 3.8 per cent, a 0.3 percentage point rise from December, according to the latest market data from Kantar. Take-home supermarket sales dropped 3.8 per cent over the [...]
‘John Lewis of sleep’: Eve Sleep shares sink 30 per cent despite accelerated lockdown growth January 19, 2022 Mattress retailer eve Sleep has reported lifted group revenue growth on 2019 levels with sleepy shoppers keen to opt for premium products. However the ‘sleeptailer’ saw shares sink 30 per cent on Wednesday after admitting Covid infection rates had “placed additional strain” on deliveries. The group posted two year group revenue growth of 11 per [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? January 13, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Aon Professional services firm Aon has hired an ex-HSBC director as its new enterprise client leader for financial institutions team. Pete Rutherford, who has held positions at Abrdn, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank, brings [...]
Not so little: Christmas jumpers power Lidl sales with one sold every two seconds January 11, 2022 A surge in demand for Christmas jumpers helped discount supermarket giant Lidl to post a 2.6% rise in sales over the festive season. The firm said its Christmas jumpers were the fastest-selling item in its so-called Middle of Lidl aisle, with around one sold every two seconds on its first day of sale. The group [...]