Unilever’s plans to separate its ice cream division were covered widely by the major news outlets, with most describing its intention to have a primary listing in Amsterdam as a “blow” to London (FT, The Standard, The Guardian, Sky News).
As reported by The Grocer yesterday, the consumer goods group said that the new company would also have listings in London and New York, but that the primary location would be in the Netherlands, where the unit was based.
The Treasury had tried to put a positive spin on the decision, insisting this was a “vote of confidence” in the UK, The Mail reported.
It comes after Rachel Reeves was said by The Times to have met Unilever’s chief executive Hein Schumacher for talks as part of government efforts to revive the City’s fortunes following its post-Brexit difficulties in attracting new business in areas such as flotations.
It’s Valentine’s Day today, and the British Retail Consortium has polled the public on how they are planning to celebrate. More than half of the public intend to spend money on a spouse or partner this Valentine’s Day, with men marginally more likely than women to mark the occasion, according to the poll’s results. Just over a quarter of people (27%) intend to take their partner out for a Valentine’s Day meal, 19% will send a card, 10% will buy flowers or drinks out and 4% are planning a trip away (The Standard).
Shoppers should be wary of illegally imported sweets, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has warned. Sweets containing banned additives linked to cancer and behavioural problems are “flooding UK high streets”, councils have said after CTSI warned demand for American confectionery was being driven by influencers on social media platforms (The Guardian).
Ministers have declined to restate their election pledge to ban the importation of foie gras in response to claims that a proposed “reset” with the EU will make it impossible. Negotiations with Brussels over a veterinary agreement to reduce the need for border checks on agricultural products are due to start in May, with the aim of boosting economic growth (The Guardian).
Businesses with young teams might struggle to enforce a full-time return to the office. Only 10% of young people want to work in the office full-time and a majority admit they are lazier than their parents, the Times’s Generation Z project reveals. The research found a dramatic change in working practices since the Covid-19 pandemic: more than one in five (21%) said they spent all or most of their working hours at home.
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