Luke Johnson, one of Britain’s best-known hospitality entrepreneurs, is baking a fresh attempt to sell Gail’s, the upmarket café chain which has seen a sharp sales rebound despite the pandemic’s impact on the restaurant sector (Sky News). Luke Johnson, the hospitality entrepreneur and former chair of collapsed Patisserie Valerie, has revived his attempt to sell the upmarket bakery chain Gail’s after a strong performance during the pandemic (The Financial Times £). Luke Johnson is hoping it will be third time lucky after launching a fresh attempt to find a buyer for Gail’s, the artisan bakery group (The Times £). One of Britain’s best-known hospitality entrepreneurs is preparing to sell Gail’s after strong sales in the pandemic (The Daily Mail).

The UK’s largest sandwich maker Greencore sank to a loss in the six months to March and issued a cautious outlook for the full year as Covid-19 restrictions continued to eat into sales of sandwiches, salads and sushi (The Financial Times £). Sales at Britain’s largest maker of sandwiches have started to rebound as people feel more confident about taking lunch breaks when working from home (The Times £). Sandwich maker Greencore has said it is hiring thousands of UK workers as demand for its products rebounds with the reopening of the economy (Sky News). A firm desperately in need of offices to reopen is sandwich maker Greencore. The FTSE 250 company, which makes sandwiches for Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Asda, has had a rotten time since coronavirus struck (The Daily Mail).

Shoppers have flocked back to supermarkets in the past three months, buying more often and moving away from ordering groceries online as fears of the Covid-19 pandemic eased (The Guardian). Shoppers made 58 million more trips to the supermarket in the last three months than they did a year earlier as COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, industry figures show (Sky News). The return of socialising has prompted people to make more of an effort with their appearance, leading to rises in sales of mouthwash, shoe polish and hairstyling products (The Times £).

The 146-year-old bakery brand Warburtons is expanding from bread into cakes. The company is launching a new venture called Ellie Warburton, which is named after the great, great auntie of Jonathan Warburton, the chairman. (The Times £)

The owner of the Wagamama and Frankie & Benny’s restaurant chains has reported a “very encouraging” recovery in sales after trading resumed (The Times £). Wagamama has seen sales rise back close to pre-pandemic levels since reopening its restaurants for outdoor dining on 12 April as it invested in tents and marquees to keep diners dry (The Daily Mail). The Restaurant Group - owner of chains including Wagamama and Frankie & Benny’s - said sales had seen a “very encouraging recovery” as restrictions began to ease (Sky News).

Trade between the UK and the EU fell by almost a quarter in the first three months of the year as Brexit and the Covid-19 crisis disrupted businesses, official figures have revealed. (The Times £)

Washington DC has sued Amazon for allegedly violating the district’s competition laws by illegally tying merchants to restrictive selling rules (The Financial Times £). Amazon is being sued by Washington DC over allegations it abuses its position as a retail giant (The BBC).

Amazon is under pressure to reduce its plastic footprint, as shareholders prepare to vote on Wednesday on a resolution calling for it to disclose how much of its plastic packaging ends up in the environment. (The Guardian)

Farmers’ fury over Aussie trade deal: But are fears of cheap beef imports overdone, asks The Mail? Australia’s High Commissioner George Brandis has attacked ‘wild claims’ made by the NFU and accused British farmers of mounting a ‘scare campaign’ to scuttle an agreement. (The Daily Mail)

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