Discount retailer Wilko is unilaterally changing its schedule of rent payments to conserve cash, as high street chains buckle under cost pressures (The Times £). Discount retailer Wilko has told shop landlords that it will pay its quarterly rent bills in monthly instalments as it tries to manage cash flow in the run-up to Christmas (The Daily Mail).

Fever-Tree is forecast to reveal a drop in profits on Tuesday after analysts warned it could be losing out to cheaper rivals, including Schweppes. (The Daily Mail)

The fragile state of Britain’s economy will be underlined this week by official figures showing a renewed slump in consumer spending amid soaring living costs, before a possible slowdown in activity during the national period of mourning after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. (The Guardian)

Salad days are over for European food producers as energy costs bite, writes the FT. Crops that require intensive heating in colder climates, such as cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, are the most directly affected. But the energy crisis is impacting the European food supply chain more broadly, with bakers, dairy farmers and other producers, including of sugar beet and olives, also struggling to pay bills. (The Financial Times £)

With US inflation still hovering at around 40-year highs, consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending to focus on essentials. Many are eating out less and cooking more at home. This is helping to boost sales at US grocers. (The Financial Times £)

The Guardian looks at how Riverford Organic is embracing regenerative farming. A third of the land is suitable for vegetable production, of which 60 hectares are used for growing vegetables in any one year. The land is managed as a mixed organic farm, with rotations between two years of growing vegetables to three years for the soil to rest, when the grass is cut for silage or grazed by a herd of dairy cows. (The Guardian)

How Asian delivery service HungryPanda became a hot ticket. To date, HungryPanda has secured $220 million (£193 million) in funding, most recently from Felix Capital. (The Times £)

Shareholders in David Beckham-backed Cellular Goods still waiting for release of cannabidiol sports treatments. The firm attracted the former footballer, who has a 5% stake, because of plans for CBD sports treatments, such as creams athletes and gym bunnies could use to speed up healing. This was originally due for release in spring 2022, but is now expected next year. (The Daily Mail)

It’s a Wednesday morning in London and John Lewis boss Pippa Wicks is evidently pleased with what she sees. Despite dire warnings of economic gloom as energy bills and food prices rise, her shop on Sloane Square, which trades under the name Peter Jones, is buzzing. (The Daily Mail)

Shortages caused by the war in Ukraine have pushed global wheat prices to all-time highs and the energy crisis has further increased the cost of making flour, with a direct knock-on effect on the prices paid by consumers. Add Covid into the mix and Matthews Cotswold Flour is in the midst of one of the most tumultuous periods in its more than 200-year history. (The Times £)

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