Starbucks is exploring a potential sale of its UK operations as it faces rising costs and competition from newer operators (The Times £). Starbucks is examining a possible sale of its UK business as the world’s largest coffee chain faces changing consumer habits after the pandemic and increased competition (The Financial Times £). The world’s biggest coffee chain has been hit hard by lockdown measures around the world (The BBC).

A torrent of logistics problems and cost increases have prompted a fresh profits warning at Fever-Tree after the mixers group was unable to keep up with demand in the United States (The Times £). Premium mixers maker Fever-Tree has slashed its annual profit forecast by a third as a result of labour shortages and rising costs, sending its shares down by more than a quarter on Friday (The Financial Times £). The soft drinks company Fever-Tree has warned that the soaring cost of glass for its bottles amid shortages, plus higher transport fees, mean its profits will be almost a third lower than hoped (The Guardian). Because it has struggled to hire new workers in the United States, the group said that production has had to be scaled up in Britain to meet demand, thereby leaving it more exposed to higher sea freight rates (The Daily Mail).

Tim Warrillow, the chief executive of Fever-Tree, has spent more than £1m on shares after a stinging profit warning sent the premium drink maker’s stock sliding more than 26 per cent. (The Times £)

When the stock market opens this morning, bosses of Haleon are due to be on the balcony of the exchange at Paternoster Square in the City for what is expected to be the biggest demerger in Europe in 20 years (The Times £). It is expected to list with a market cap of £35billion, making it the largest float on the London Stock Exchange for ten years (The Daily Mail).

Brian McNamara on GSK spinout Haleon: “We were right to spurn £50bn Unilver bid”. Haleon’s collection of brands has always played second fiddle to Glaxo’s pharmaceuticals and vaccines business. By demerging, the hope is that McNamara and his team will be able to invest aggressively in marketing and new products, free of the demands of expensive pharmaceuticals research and development. (The Times £)

Amazon’s grocery arm is to take on Tesco with a new price match promise as it becomes the latest retail giant to pledge it will keep prices low for customers amid the cost of living crisis (The Guardian). Amazon is taking on Tesco by matching the British supermarket chain’s prices on hundreds of groceries as the cost of living crisis bites (The Times £). Amazon Fresh is starting its Tesco Clubcard Price Match on items such as fruit, vegetables, meat and fish (The BBC). Amazon battles to bag reputation for cheapest groceries – the retail behemoth is beating the Big Four on prices as inflation soars (The Telegraph).

The UK National Lottery operator Camelot has won the right to appeal against a High Court ruling that ordered it to begin handing over the licence to rival Allwyn, extending the hotly contested battle for one of the most lucrative government contracts. (The Financial Times £)

Sales of rosé, burgers, fans and even dog ice-cream are soaring as the UK prepares for a sweltering weekend and record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday. (The Guardian)

Inflation is expected to have remained at its highest level since 1982 for another month when the Office for National Statistics publishes its latest figures for June on Wednesday (The Times £). Official figures are this week expected to lay bare a cost-of-living squeeze facing UK households as inflation hits a four-decade high (The Daily Mail).

Marks & Spencer is planning to remove “best before” labels from 300 varieties of fruit and vegetables in its stores to cut food waste (The Guardian). They will be replaced by a code that M&S staff can use to check freshness and quality (The BBC).

A lawsuit filed Thursday in northern California federal court alleges that Skittles candies, which boast the slogan “taste the rainbow” on account of their many colors, contain a “known toxin” called titanium dioxide, rendering them “unfit for human consumption”. (The Guardian)

The sell-off of Associated British Foods looks overblown, writes The Times. Primark is an obvious beneficiary of shoppers beset by the cost-of-living crisis and priced out of the high street stalwarts. The demise of weaker rivals will also lead to it picking up more customers. (The Times £)

The dramatic spikes in oil and mineral prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have distracted investors from the long-lasting and more dangerous impact of food inflation, BlackRock founder Larry Fink has warned. (The Financial Times £)

Land grabs: governments seeking food security sow the seeds of discontent. There will be plenty more scuffles between local populations and new global landlords. Nearly 500 such deals took place in the decade to 2016 according to Grain, an NGO tracking farmland leases. (The Financial Times £)

The ousted British chief executive of McDonald’s has resurfaced in the catering industry and has been linked with a small, London-based start-up positioning itself as a plant-based version of the world’s largest burger chain. (The Times £)

Alcohol is a particularly crisis-proof consumer good. Glasses are raised in commiseration just as readily as celebration. Lockdowns may have shuttered pubs but home drinkers made up the difference. In 2020, year on year alcohol sales jumped by up to 5 per cent in Germany, the UK and US, according to the OECD. (The Financial Times £)

Staffing shortages and cost pressures are hitting the UK’s almost 40,000 independent pubs hard, forcing them to cut trading hours and putting their future in peril, according to a major industry survey. (The Financial Times £)

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