Profits at UK pharmacy chain Boots soared last year, driven by beauty sales and more shoppers visiting its stores (Financial Times £).
New supermarket “challenges” that reward shoppers with extra loyalty points for buying more could lead to overspending, consumer groups have warned (BBC News).
Marks & Spencer appointed a new finance chief last night in another fillip for the high street chain (Mail).
The election may not yet be in the bag for Labour, but research suggests it is in the shopping basket, The Guardian writes. The party’s voters now make up the majority of customers at all leading supermarkets apart from Waitrose, according to the latest polling from retail research firm GlobalData.
Leon has launched a coffee subscription service to rival Pret a Manger – and its monthly membership is £5 cheaper (Telegraph £).
The boss of Pets at Home has warned that all veterinary businesses will be affected by the competition watchdog’s review into the sector (The Times £).
WATCH MORE: How grocery can use data to win shoppers’ loyalty.
The group told shareholders on Wednesday that the CMA probe should not be a concern because Pets at Homes’ ‘key building blocks for growth support competition and deliver better outcomes for consumers’ (Mail).
The Lex column in the Financial Times (£) says time may be up for consumer conglomerates. “Calls for more radical break-ups are likely to intensify,” the paper reckons.
Orange juice makers are considering turning to alternative fruits such as mandarins as wholesale prices have “gone bananas” amid fears of poor harvests in Brazil (The Guardian).
The head of India’s biggest brewer - United Breweries, which is Heineken’s Indian arm and the producer of Kingfisher lager - has said raids by regulators and other “excessive actions” are curbing growth and complicating investment plans in the country (Financial Times £).
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