Rachel Reeves is rumoured to be considering the introduction of an ‘Amazon tax’ to level the playing field between the online retail giant and smaller high street retailers, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Chancellor’s new system would scrap the current rates based on where the property is located, with ‘prime high street’ stores spending six times more than businesses located in out-of-town warehouses.
Across the pond, one person has died and 10 have been hospitalised after an E.coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s in the United States, reported Sky News. Though the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is yet to identify the ingredient making people sick, most people affected said they consumed the chain’s Quarter Pounder.
As a result, shares for the fast-food chain have dropped as much as 10% according to the Financial Times.
In another Financial Times report, Starbucks has scrapped its financial guidance for next year following the appointment of CEO Brian Niccol. Niccol, who is credited with resurrecting the performance of another QSR chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, said the way to counter Starbucks’ current sales slump is to go back to being “a welcoming coffee house” serving “the finest coffee”.
The company is pledging to “fundamentally change” its basic strategy from menus to staffing, reported the Times, which added the giant will now focusing on its US market, after tough competition and weakening economy affected sales in China.
Interviewing Starbucks staff in the US, Reuters has found baristas say understaffing and the “inability to ban aggressive customers” have dampened the workforce’s spirits, and contributed to the bottlenecks and productivity issues the new boss has identified, and should be a priority for Niccol.
With Nigella Lawson as the new face of Greggs, “has the queen of the kitchen gone downmarket, or is Greggs on the up?” asks The Standard. A Greggs in central London may not be the celebrity chef’s dining outlet of choice, yet the new Christmas ad she’s rumoured to have shot with the Northern baker has sparked debate. According to the Standard, though, this is not a case of Nigella stooping down to Greggs, but of Greggs becoming “the new John Lewis”.
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