The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has begun an investigation into the proposed joint venture agreed in May between brewers Marston’s and Carlsberg UK (The Mail).
The Campaign for Real Ale has urged the competition watchdog to ensure that a proposed £780m joint venture between Carlsberg and Marston’s does not limit consumer choice in pubs (The Times £).
A comment piece in The Times (£) argues that the CMA needs new powers “but must learn to use them wisely”.
Shoppers will be able to do their full Morrisons grocery shop on Amazon just weeks after the tech giant said it would offer free delivery to millions of customers if they buy food on its website (The Telegraph).
Morrisons uses Amazon to steal a march on Asda in battle of British grocers, says the Lombard column in The Financial Times (£). ”Asda’s past, present and future look less than legendary.”
The number of consumers in the UK who do a weekly grocery shop online has doubled since the coronavirus lockdown, in a trend that is now “irreversible”, according to a supermarket report by Waitrose (The Guardian).
Only two days after forking out up to $610m to acquire Aviation American gin from a group of owners including Ryan Reynolds, the Hollywood actor, Diageo has made a small investment in a more modest German gin (The Times £).
The consumer prices index rose 1% year on year from a 0.6% rise in June, the Office for National Statistics reported on Wednesday. (The Financial Times £).
A surge in global energy prices caused inflation to rise closer to the Bank of England’s 2% target last month (The Times £).
A shock jump in inflation last month has sparked fears that Britain could face a cost of living crisis as the impact of the recession hits people hard in their pockets (The Mail).
The pound erased its losses against the dollar for the year on Wednesday as the US currency continues to weaken (The Telegraph).
Real-time data from sources such as energy usage and measures of traffic congestion suggests that Britain’s economy is recovering strongly and is close to pre-Covid-19 levels in some areas (The Times £).
An increase in working from home and a drop in socialising because of lockdown and social distancing has hit cosmetic sales as people have not felt the need to maintain beauty standards (The Times £).
Pub group Greene King has urged the government to extend its discount eating out scheme in city centres and cut rail costs to encourage consumers to return to urban areas where trading remains at all-time lows (The Financial Times £).
The government needs to extend its Eat Out to Help Out scheme to help London and other struggling cities recover from the pandemic, according to the boss of pub chain Greene King (The Telegraph).
London’s suburbs are leading the capital’s economic recovery from the pandemic, as consumers shop and dine out locally, while the absence of office workers and tourists has kept city centre spending muted (The Guardian).
Sales of recipe boxes complete with pre-measured ingredients have surged during lockdown (The Guardian).
Big-box US retailer Target has reported the biggest quarterly sales surge in its 58-year history, sending one of the clearest signals yet that shifts in consumer behaviour in the pandemic are widening the gap between the strongest chains and their weaker rivals (The Financial Times £).
Record sales surge makes Target a pandemic winner, says The Telegraph. The US retailer says online sales tripled during the second quarter and stores stayed open during lockdowns
Target opened its first store in Minnesota in 1962 and now has 1,900 outlets across the United States (The Times £).
The Lex column in The Financial Times (£) examines how the Target CEO Brian Cornell, who took over in 2017, unveiled a make-or-break plan to turn round the struggling big box general retailer.
The outgoing head of the World Trade Organization is joining PepsiCo with a brief to help the food and drinks company deliver on a series of targets it has set from increasing workforce diversity to reducing plastic waste. Roberto Azevêdo, the WTO’s sixth director-general, will become a full-time executive at the company behind Pepsi, Doritos crisps and Tropicana juice from next month (The Financial Times £).
JAB Holdings has parted ways with an executive who was hired only last year to help represent the interests of its main backer, Germany’s billionaire Reimann family, in the latest bust-up at the acquisitive investment company (The Financial Times £).
As research suggests honey should be taken to ease symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, The Times (£) examines its health benefits and asks ”is it really a miracle food?”
Sainsbury’s has bowed to pressure from domestic abuse campaigners by removing a “triggering” Roald Dahl-inspired mug they said promoted violence against women (The Times £).
Warren Buffett has long been considered one of the world’s best investors. Yet despite his enviable reputation, the Sage of Omaha’s more recent track record suggests he may be starting to lose his way, says the Tempus shares column in The Times (£).
KPMG is due to earn £16m for its handling of the administration of Intu Properties, the shopping centre landlord that owned Lakeside in Essex and the Trafford Centre in Manchester (The Times £).
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