Confidence in personal spending on retail has improved by a point to -8, according to the BRC-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor poll (The Times). Nevertheless, BRC boss Helen Dickinson has warned that “retailers could face a turbulent few months”.
The Co-operative Group swung back to profit in the first half of the year and aims to boost its fortunes still further by opening more than a hundred new stores (The Times).
The Co-op grocery chain has revealed its losses from crime rose by almost 20% to £40m in the first half of the year, and it is now deploying artificial intelligence to identify offenders with concealed weapons and stolen items (The Guardian).
Exporters of plants and flowers from mainland Europe are turning their backs on supplying Britain as “painful” new Brexit border checks are putting some trading relationships at “breaking point”, the Horticultural Trades Association has warned (The Guardian).
Sainsbury’s and Tesco have ditched single-use plastic lids on their own label hummous pots, as part of efforts to reduce waste. But shoppers are complaining about prematurely spoiling dip (The Guardian).
Air fryers are now the third most-used appliance in UK kitchens after toasters and microwave ovens, according to a Good Food Nation survey (Sky News).
Post Office campaigner Alan Bates has threatened legal action if financial redress for victims of the Horizon scandal doesn’t come soon (Sky News).
Pharmacy closures are having a “huge impact” on those who need them, as figures show more than 430 permanently shut their doors last year, Healthwatch England has warned (Sky News).
The Guardian takes a look at ”Primark’s 50 years on the UK high street”. Having made its UK debut in 1974, ”it was not until it bought Littlewoods in 2005 that Primark became a household name”.
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