Ben & Jerry’s is suing its parent company Unilever, accusing the behemoth of blocking it from making public statements of support for Palestinian refugees. The nationals have gone big on the story, with The Telegraph, the Financial Times and the Independent leading on Ben & Jerry’s’ claim its independent board had been repeatedly “silenced” by Unilever in their efforts to speak out.
The Guardian, meanwhile, drew attention to Ben & Jerry’s’ claim that Unilever has threatened to dismantle its board and sue directors over the issue.
The nationals continued to highlight the potential impact of Rachel Reeve’s Budget on UK pubs. Young’s warned staff hours will be cut and the price of a pint will increase. The pub operator said it would face a £11m hit as a result of the Chancellor’s decision to hike employer National Insurance Contributions and lift the minimum wage (Mail Online).
The Financial Times, meanwhile, spoke to small UK pub owners who planned to close sites, cancel expansion investments or divert spending internationally because of the Budget.
The Standard highlighted the impact of the budget on WH Smith. It will cost the group £7m, according to CEO Carl Cowling. Even so, he didn’t intend to pass on costs to consumers.
It certainly doesn’t appear to have dampened Cowling’s plans to open over 90 more WH Smith travel hubs as the group continues to pivots away from its traditional high street presence (Mail Online).
MPs have expressed concern at the loss of a “vital lifeline” in their constituencies with the potential closure of more than 100 Post Office branches (The Standard).
Consumers are buying into brands again, or so says Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods. Its revenues from branded products rose by 6.8% in the six months to 28 September. The manufacturer attributed the performance to easing cost-of-living pressures (The Standard).
Meanwhile, B&M claims it is benefiting from shoppers’ squeezed budgets. The budget supermarket generated revenues in the UK of £2.1bn over the six months to 28 September (The Standard).
Bobby Arora will step down as B&M’s trading director after 20 years in the role. As reported by The Times, he is the last member of the Arora family to exit the discount chain.
Earlier this week, Just Eat Takeaway’s shares rallied on news it was offloading US delivery service Grubhub for $650m. However, in an exclusive interview with The Financial Times, Grubhub founder Matt Maloney revealed he has twice tried to buy back the company for more than $1bn.
Typhoo Tea is exploring rescue options after losses balloon to £38m following a costly break-in to its Wirral factory, as reported by The Telegraph.
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