Tesco’s plan to close a call centre in Cardiff, with up to 1,000 jobs at risk, gets plenty of coverage. threatens 1,000 jobs. The Financial Times says the grocer is aiming to ‘simplify’ its customer services but also pointed to ‘unprecedented challenges’ in the sector. The supermarket announced that it would be shutting its customer call centre in Cardiff in favour of a single, larger one in Dundee (The Telegraph). About 250 jobs will be created in Dundee, but shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw said workers in Cardiff were “understandably shocked” by the announcement (The Guardian).

Diageo’s latest eye-catching acquisition grabs the attention of all the papers. Diageo has agreed to pay up to $1bn for George Clooney’s upmarket tequila brand, The Financial Times reports. Casamigos was launched four years ago by Hollywood actor George Clooney, Cindy Crawford’s husband Rande Gerber and “flamboyant” real estate developer Mike Meldman as a side project. Diageo will pay the A-list trio $700m on completion of the deal later this year and a further $300m over the next ten years depending on the performance of the brand (The Telegraph).

The Guardian quotes Clooney, who says the friends will celebrate with a shot, or two. “If you asked us four years ago if we had a $1bn company, I don’t think we would have said yes,” the actor adds. The Lex column in The Financial Times writes that justifying a $1bn valuation for his tequila brand will require all Clooney’s talents. “George Clooney commands a hefty price for his charisma. Thus Nestlé pays him an estimated $40m to flog coffee capsules. And now Diageo is paying him much more: $1bn for tequila. This looks quite inflationary.” The Times looks at the formation of the company as described by Gerber, who says the three men would often sip tequila of mixed quality and one day Clooney suggested that they come up with their own tequila that “didn’t burn going down, that was super smooth and … that we could drink all day long and not be hungover in the morning”.

The Hong Kong-based retail giant that owns Superdrug is plotting a £1bn-plus takeover of Holland & Barrett, according to Sky News. The broadcaster says AS Watson Group, which is part of the vast Asian conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings, has tabled an indicative offer for Holland & Barrett, whose owner has kicked off an auction of the business. But talks between the two sides are at a relatively early stage, and people close to the situation said that AS Watson may not proceed to a formal takeover bid for the UK-based retailer.

Whitbread reports a “good start” to the year, with rising revenues at its Premier Inn chain offsetting stalling growth at its Costa Coffee stores, which have been hit by falling consumer confidence (The Financial Times). The Telegraph writes that trading at Costa continued to be challenging, with like-for-like sales rising 1.1% compared to 2.6% growth last year. Costa’s total sales were up 8.7%. The Times adds that Whitbread reassured the market that both its Premier Inns and Costa divisions continued to grow, with hotel occupancy and customers still queuing up for its coffees despite strong competition. The Mailsays that Whitbread hopes to lure customers to Costa with a new selection of cold drinks over the summer. Whitbread investors can afford to sleep easy, Lombard says in The Financial Times, with the current share price valuing a Costa Coffee turnround on just a few times earnings. The Tempus share column in The Times warns that the consumer squeeze could put pressure on Whitbread.

British farmers have warned that a loss of EU workers will see strawberry prices soar (The Guardian). The UK soft fruit production could be forced to relocate to other countries to ensure access to labour, trade industry body British Summer Fruits says.

The Express reports a Press Association story that Whole Foods UK staff are afraid of losing their jobs after the Amazon takeover. The paper writes that UK employees have been kept in the dark about job security and wages, despite concerns that Amazon’s takeover could result in a major shake-up at the supermarket chain.

A special wealth report in The Financial Times examines the rise of Santo Domingo family, best known for its immense wealth and stake in AB InBev, the world’s largest beer company.

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