Tesco is to kick off a review of its presence in the UK banking sector - a move that could lead to a sale of the business. Sky News says the grocery giant is lining up Goldman Sachs to advise on the future of Tesco Bank, which launched in 1997. (Sky News)
Scottish craft beer group BrewDog will begin brewing Punk IPA and other beers in China and will open more bars in the country after forming a joint venture with Budweiser China, the largest international brewer in the market (Financial Times £). The joint venture with Budweiser China will see the Scottish firm’s Punk IPA and other beers brewed in China (BBC).
Morrisons struggled to cover the costs of interest payments from its earnings last year as it raced to fund a bill that is set to total more than £1bn by the end of 2024. (The Times £)
Morrisons hiked prices by almost a fifth in the past year – more than any other major grocer and double the rise at Sainsbury’s. A shopping basket at the Bradford-based supermarket cost £75 this month, an 18 per cent increase from a year earlier, the Mail writes citing data from The Grocer. (Daily Mail)
Planet Organic, the organic supermarket chain, has drafted in City advisers to explore a possible sale. The retail chain, founded in 1995 by Renee Elliot, is working with Interpath on a review of its strategic options. (Sky News)
The retail crisis sweeping through Britain’s high streets has claimed almost 15,000 jobs this year in what one leading retail expert called “a brutal start to the year” (The Times £). Nearly 15,000 British retail jobs have already been cut since January in a “brutal start to the year” for the high street (The Guardian).
The Co-op is to remove best before dates from many fruit and vegetables in a bid to reduce food waste. The company said taking the dates off its fresh produce would help shoppers save money and help the environment. (BBC)
Retail sales in Great Britain picked up slightly in January, driven by cheaper fuel prices for motorists and shoppers snapping up bargains at jewellers, and carpet and furniture stores in the new year sales. (The Guardian)
Billionaire restaurateur Richard Caring has said all-day-dining chain Bill’s has “turned a corner” and after ploughing another £750,000 into the business in the past year. (The Times £)
Sexual exploitation has been uncovered on tea farms that supply some of the UK’s most popular brands, including PG Tips, Lipton and Sainsbury’s Red Label. (BBC)
The Guardian looks at how the world got hopped up on energy drinks. They are a multibillion-dollar global industry, a vital pick-me-up for gig-economy workers and – thanks to KSI and Logan Paul’s Prime – a cult among teens. But what are these sugary, often hyper-masculine brands doing to those who drink them? (The Guardian)
War, drought, staff shortages: why the price of milk has soared in the UK. Wholesale milk price hit all-time record in December, after months of farmers absorbing higher costs. (The Guardian)
The Telegraph looks at how Britain lost its appetite for posh burgers after upmarket chains have collapsed as they struggle in an overcrowded market. (Telegraph £)
Macron versus McDonald’s: how France ditched disposable food packaging. The US-based multinational introduced the reusable packaging to comply with a new French law that bans fast food and casual dining outlets from using disposable packaging and cutlery for customers who eat in their restaurants. (Financial Times £)
A major food sanitation company in the US has agreed to pay $1.5m (£1.25m), after investigators found it had employed dozens of children to clean meatpacking plants on overnight shifts. (BBC)
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