Lidl is giving its UK staff a pay rise worth £10m with a higher hourly rate likely to propel it to the top of the supermarket pay league table. The retailer said 19,000 employees would get a pay rise in March when its hourly rate would move from £9 to £9.30 outside London and from £10.55 to £10.75 in the capital. (The Guardian)

Britain’s biggest food and drink producers are warning that consumers face having to pay more for popular brands because of the soaring cost of a government-led recycling scheme. The FDF has sent a letter to the government alerting ministers to the consequences of a hike in the cost of Packaging Recovery Notes. (Sky News)

Infarm, the Berlin-based vertical farming start-up, is entering the US market by partnering with US grocery giant Kroger. (The Financial Times £)

The hospitality industry has joined calls for a root and branch reform of business rates to halt an avalanche of closures. There are 16 pubs, bars and restaurants closing every day as the High Street crisis bites, according to UK Hospitality, which represents 90% of the industry. (The Daily Mail)

Large landlords would be the biggest winners from reductions in business rates, writes The FT. “The main cause of the high street’s woes is that the UK has far too many shops. Business rates are a red herring. Cutting them leads to higher rents and vice versa in markets where the supply is fixed.” (The Financial Times £)

Contractors and other flexible workers should enjoy a higher minimum wage than those with secure employment, the Demos think tank has urged. A higher rate would insulate workers from some of the risk they face as a result of unsecure earnings. (The BBC)

America’s biggest e-cigarette maker Juul Labs continues to face unrelenting regulatory pressure after being sued by New York state on Tuesday, for allegedly marketing its products to under-aged consumers. (Sky News)

US meat substitute companies Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have set their sights on China, the world’s biggest consumer of meat, where urbanisation, population growth and higher incomes are accelerating demand for proteins. (The Financial Times £)

A man is suing Burger King for cooking vegan burger and meat on same grill – he argues he wouldn’t have bought the burger if he’d known it was ‘covered in meat by-products’. (The Guardian)

Britons will spend an average of £567 each this Christmas, more than any other European country, figures suggest. (The Daily Mail)

Scottish distillers look to teetotallers with no-alcohol tipples. With growing demand forecast companies are trying to tap into the premium market. (The Financial Times £)

Gloucester city council has bought a local retail park for £54m, almost four times its net annual budget. (The Times £)

The Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas peak shopping periods provide a welcome boost to retailers’ turnover, but the jump in transactions also offers more opportunities for cyber criminals with retailers brace for cyber attacks during peak shopping season. (The Financial Times £)

US retail stocks came under selling pressure after disappointing results from three of the sector’s best known names, Kohl’s, Home Depot and Urban Outfitters, raised concerns about how stores are faring as they head into the holiday shopping season. (The Financial Times £)

Short sellers increased their bets against some of the biggest names in US retail ahead of the holiday season — and their bearish bets already appeared to be paying off after some early earnings figures triggered a market sell-off. (The Financial Times £)

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