Asda could risk going to court over new contracts which left thousands of employees facing the sack on Saturday (The Telegraph).
However as Saturday’s deadline loomed, Asda said it would give workers who had failed to sign the new terms - including unpaid breaks - a “little longer” with a second deadline set for 10 November (Sky News, The Guardian). Meanwhile, workers have said to be “terrified” at the prospect of losing their job after the supermarket pressured them to sign the new contracts (The BBC).
Lavazza is to start selling compostable coffee pods this week aiming to stop the 20bn a year ending up in landfill. The Italian coffee giant plans to replace its full capsules range by the end of 2019, maintaining the same retail price for the new ecofriendly alternatives (The Guardian).
McDonald’s has fired CEO Steve Easterbrook after he was found to have engaged in a relationship with a colleague. The fast food chain said Easterbrook, who had been at the helm since 2015, demonstrated “poor lack of judgement” and violated “company policy” after engaging in a consensual relationship with a colleague. McDonald’s US president, Chris Kempczinski was appointed as new CEO (The Financial Times £, The Times).
In an email to staff, Easterbrook acknowledged the relationship and called it a “mistake” (The BBC, Sky News). The relationship was deemed as consensual, but under McDonald’s company policy even those are banned as the company forbids any romantic relationship between management and employees (The Guardian).
Unilever and Kraft Heinz have come under fire for pushing advertisements of their male grooming products and frozen food on Pornhub, a site flooded with illegal content. Unilever advertised its Dollar Shave Club products on the site, with one ad reading “If you use our bathroom products you won’t have to visit this site as much” (The Sunday Times).
Unilever however, has now vowed to stop advertising on porn sites after saying it had been “unaware” of Dollar Shave Club’s campaign since the brand had “operational independence” over its own marketing (The BBC).
Chickpeas risk to be the latest casualty of climate change writes the FT, putting hummus at risk of disappearing. Rising temperatures in some part parts of India, which produces over 60% of the world’s chickpeas, have effectively made some plants sterile (The Financial Times £).
Takeaway giant Just Eat has been accused of deliberately keeping profits at its French division low, to buy out the remaining 20% stake in the business from partner AlloResto for cheaper (The Daily Mail £).
Meanwhile, Just Eat has warned that a digital services tax, proposed by the government to ensure online businesses pay the right amount in tax, would cost it £7m a year with the figure to rise in case of a Labour government (The Telegraph).
Business confidence picked up in October as the prospect of leaving the EU faded but investment outlook remained poor, according to a range of company surveys (The Times).
As more and more food delivery apps pop up, the BBC looks into the danger drivers face to deliver takeaway to customers. Though there are no statistics on the number of drivers facing assault from customers, cases are easy to find from all over the world. In London, drivers have said to fear the most gangs targeting them for their transport, with some saying that “violence or the threat of it is an almost daily occurrence” (The BBC).
Alibaba’s sales rose 40% in its latest quarter, with profits at the Chinese online retailer more than tripling as customers flocked to spend despite signs of economic slowdown (The Financial Times £).
Burger chain Honest Burger is reportedly looking for new investors to fund its next stage of expansion as the casual dining chain dodges the challenges in the sector with sales rising 38% to £31m in the year to January (The Sunday Times).
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