One of the UK’s biggest pork producers has spent £4m hiring butchers from the Philippines, after a staffing crisis threatened to hamper production. Cranswick is paying for 400 butchers to travel from the Asian islands to work in Britain after staff from continental Europe flocked home following Brexit. (Bloomberg £)

Retailers face a “Bleak Friday” this year, economists say, as the cost of living crisis means consumers will resist discounts on new electronics kit, homeware, clothing and the like (The Guardian). The cost of living crisis may dampen this year’s Black Friday sales rush, retail experts have predicted (The BBC).

Hospitality bosses are pleading for swift resolution of the rail workers’ dispute to prevent a fresh round of strikes from condemning the industry to its third bleak Christmas in a row (The Times £).

UK Hospitality have said that offering shorter menus is one of a number of ways restaurants and cafes are trying to get through the winter. Other measures many businesses are considering include reducing trading hours, or even closing for days at a time. (The BBC)

Supermarket sunflower oil prices are set to remain sky high well into next year, despite a sharp fall in wholesale costs when a deal was struck to keep shipments flowing from Ukraine. (The Telegraph £)

Jeremy Clarkson has said people in the UK “do not pay enough for their food” and that prices should be double what they are (The Guardian). Appearing on The News Agents podcast, Clarkson told the hosts Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel that he believed food prices should be double what they are. “People simply don’t pay enough for their food. The one thing a government will never say, ‘Oh you’ve got to pay more for food, you don’t pay enough’ (The Times £).

The focus was squarely on China yesterday as the maker of Rémy Martin cognac and Cointreau liqueur unveiled first-half profits that beat market forecasts by 27%. (The Times £)

Just Eat Takeaway is to reorganise its customer service operations, which could lead to 180 job losses globally. (The Times £)

From concert tickets to gasoline, inflation has made almost every aspect of daily life more expensive in the US this year. Unfortunately, that also includes producing the much-savored Thanksgiving Day meal and gathering to eat it. (The Guardian)

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