Friday 9 December 2016

Amazon Go!

Amazon has revealed plans for a grocery shop without a checkout process, where customers will instead pay for the goods they have selected via an app. The Just Walk Out shopping experience uses the same types of technologies found in self-driving cars. The system detects when items are taken or returned to shelves and tracks them in a virtual shopping trolley. Once the shopper leaves the store, their Amazon account will be charged and receipt sent to them. The first shop is expected to open to the public in Seattle in the US in early 2017. "Grocery retail is a crowded sector, and customers have incredibly high expectations of the Amazon brand," said Natalie Berg, an analyst at Planet Retail. "If they're going to differentiate, they'll need to translate the fantastic customer experience that they have created online in a physical store setting. This is no easy feat. Removing the traditional checkout process does exactly that."

Growing Money From Trees

A schoolboy entrepreneur fed up with his mother searching for the perfect Christmas tree has grown 1,500 of his own and is selling them to fund his university fees. When he was nine years old his father Andy gave him his first sapling to plant and his passion grew from there. In seven years one sapling has turned into about 1,500 and Ryan is now selling the trees for £20 each. This year he hopes to make several thousand pounds, beating last year's figure when he made about £2,000 selling 100 trees to friends and family. The business is a year-round endeavour and Ryan devotes his weekends to planting and maintaining the trees in his father's field in Dean, Somerset.


Best Place To Work

Travel company Expedia, has been named as the best company to work for in the UK, beating tech giants such as Google and Apple, for the second year running. Jobs website Glassdoor’s UK best places to work in 2017, which ranks businesses with more than 1,000 employees according to feedback from employees, features winning employers across diverse industries, spanning technology, banking, retail and engineering. Expedia was praised for its strong friendly work culture, as well as a good work life balance and a very supportive management team. To determine the best places to work, Glassdoor looks at company reviews made by employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback, by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year.

Sunday 4 December 2016

Can You Catch A Hatchimal?

Cyber criminals are targeting British parents desperate to get their hands on Hatchimal toys ahead of  Christmas, experts have warned. Hatchimals have become the 'must have'  toy for children across the country, with frantic parents going to great lengths to get their hands on one in time for Christmas. Hatchimals, are like a sophisticated hybrid of a Ferbie and Tamagotchi.The toy gives children the chance to hatch out their very own creature from an egg. Many retailers are already out-of-stock because of high demand, with parents on the lookout for the best deals. John Shier, senior security adviser at Sophos, warned against “too good to be true” deals that have started appearing online and on social media sites such Facebook. Hatchimals are £59.99 at Toys ‘R’ Us, Argos, The Entertainer and Smyths. However, demand is so high that parents everywhere are  turning toward online sites to buy the toy and pushing up prices.

Sugar Free

NestlĂ©, the company behind Kitkat and Aero, claims it can make your favourite chocolate bar taste just as good, but with much less sugar. The Swiss food giant said it had made a scientific breakthrough that has the potential to reduce sugar in its treats by up to 40 per cent, without affecting the taste. NestlĂ© said it was securing a patent for its innovation, and it would start using the new sugar across its range from 2018. Using only natural ingredients, Nestle said its researchers had found a way to structure sugar differently, so that less sugar can be used in its chocolate. If the new sugar lives up to its billing, it would represent a milestone in the food business’s never-ending quest for more healthly ways to sweeten products. The World Health Organisation previously said increasing the price of sugary drinks by 20 per cent would reduce sugar consumption by a fifth.

McFresh

McDonald’s has begun using fresh beef in its popular burgers, in one of the biggest changes to its infrastructure since the chain opened. The 76-year-old fast food giant has previously always used frozen beef to make its meals, but is currently trialling the use of fresh produce in its restaurants in the US.The fresh beef strategy is being tested at nearly 100 restaurants across the states of Texas and Oklahoma, and will initially only apply to the chain’s Quarter Pounder and Clubhouse burgers. McDonald’s franchisees have expressed “major concerns” regarding food safety and fears the chain will no longer be able to serve a large amount of customers quickly if fresh beef is served. McDonalds has also just launched a Nutella burger - but you'll have to travel to Italy to get your hands on one.

Thursday 24 November 2016

3D Sweets

A sweet retailer is coming to intu Metrocentre which will launch the world’s first 3D printer for gummy sweets. Katjes Magic Candy Factory will create several new jobs when it opens in the Blue Mall within the shopping and leisure complex on November 29, bringing to the high street the first ever food certified 3D printer for gelatine-free sweets. The 3D printer can produce customers’ selfies in sweet form within minutes, and can also 3D print an edible shape, message, or hand drawn design in one of eight flavours as customers watch in less than five minutes. The company is opening units in seven shopping centres across the UK in the next few weeks, where managers are expecting a rush on Christmas orders for their unique, vegan sweets.

Work Starts at 9:06am

There aren't many companies that insist staff start work every day at such an oddly specific time as Pivotal Software. Employees at the US firm's 20 global offices all have to be at work and ready to go at exactly 9.06am. At that precise time a cowbell is rung, or a gong is hit, and all workers gather for a brief stand-up meeting that lasts for between five and 10 minutes. Then the firm's programmers hit their computers, with no other meetings or distractions for the rest of the day. Pivotal's founder and chief executive Rob Mee says it is all about making the working day as efficient as possible. But why 9.06am? "We thought that if we made it 9am, developers psyching themselves up for the day would think, 'well if it is 9am I'll be late,'" says Mr Mee. "So then we thought, 'why don't we make it 9.05am,' but that is too precise, as programmers don't like over-optimising, so we went with 9.06am. Then it became something fun." And at the end of the day everyone has to leave the office at 6pm sharp because staff aren't allowed to work into the evening.

Heinz Advert Canned

Beans may be good for the heart, but empty tin cans are not so good for hands or fingers - so says the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which on Wednesday banned a Heinz TV ad for encouraging people to beat out a song using empty cans - but Heinz is not alone.The Heinz TV ad, using the catchline "Learn the #CanSong", shows a group of people tapping and twirling empty cans to drum out rhythms.Three people complained that the TV advert encouraged unsafe behaviour, while six more said it could be dangerous if children tried to copy the music. Heinz denied the ad posed a safety risk, but the ASA upheld both complaints, saying it might result in "hands or fingers being inserted into an open tin". TV is the most complained-about advertising medium, with 11,611 complaints about 3,920 different commercials made to the watchdog in 2015.

Sunday 20 November 2016

Business Live!

Business Live returns again this Thursday in the library where you will get the opportunity to hear from Julie who is the owner of Olives at the Station and also head of the Whitley Bay Chamber of Trade. There will be juice and biscuits available plus you will also get a chance to ask Julie some questions. Come and pick up your free tickets and we hope to see lots of you there.   

Don't Rush for Black Friday!

Half of Black Friday deals were actually cheaper before and after the event, a watchdog has found. The consumer group, Which? warned shoppers to “do your research” after it found just 8 per cent of offers were exclusive to the day, while four in 10 could be picked up cheaper after the event and one in 10 items cost less in the months before. Which? tracked 178 deals on 20 popular gadgets and appliances at Amazon, AO, Argos, Currys and John Lewis every day for three months before and two months after Black Friday last year. t found that only 90 out of the 178 deals were cheapest on Black Friday. AO and Currys may also have broken advertising rules after Which? found “numerous” examples of offers that appeared to exaggerate the apparent discount by using an artificially high “was” price. Rules say the “was” price should be the most recent price the item was sold at, for at least 28 consecutive days.

Shrinkflation

Maltesers, billed as the “lighter way to enjoy chocolate”, have become another treat to shrink in size.In another chocolate tragedy it appears that Mars, which owns the Maltesers brand, reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. “Like all chocolate manufacturers, we have seen the cost of raw materials rise and, while we try to absorb these pressures as much as possible, sometimes we have to make the difficult decision to reduce the size of some of our products so our consumers can continue to enjoy an affordable treat,” the company said in a statement. Price of cocoa butter and other milk chocolate ingredients has jumped almost 40 per cent this year causing difficult decisions for chocolate manufacturers. 

World's Most Expensive Crisp

A Swedish microbrewery has created exclusive crisps that are made from some of the fanciest ingredients around. But, would you be willing to fork out £46 for just five?St Erik’s have joined the posh crisp battleground with an offering of a premium snack to match their premium beer. A la M&S, these aren’t just any ordinary crisps though, oh no, these ones are prepared by the talented chefs of the Swedish National Culinary Team and use some of the most exclusive ingredients available in the Nordics. They’re made from fine Ammarnas potatoes, Matsutake mushroom, truffle seaweed, dill, leksand onion and India pale ale but of course, for the best taste experience, they should be enjoyed with a pint of St Eriks’ artisanal standard beer. The five crisps are served in a classy black box and cost a steep £46.

Sunday 13 November 2016

Stop Funding Hate

Lego has announced its promotional giveaways with the Daily Mail have ended - amid a campaign to stop firms advertising with some newspapers over "divisive" coverage of migrants. The firm regularly gives away free toys via the paper, but said there would be no more "in the foreseeable future".Lego did not say why the tie-up had ended - but said it had listened carefully to parents and grandparents. Stop Funding Hate has lobbied firms to stop advertising with some newspapers. The group, formed in the summer, has criticised several national newspapers for "portraying migrants in overwhelmingly negative terms" and whipping up hatred before and after the EU referendum. It has urged companies including John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer to stop advertising with the Daily Mail, the Sun and Daily Express.

Saturday 12 November 2016

Buster The Boxer

John Lewis unveiled its much-anticipated 2016 Christmas advert and it features a bouncing boxer called Buster. Still preparations for the advert  have started as early as February and the latest campaign was created by Adam&EveDBB and directed by Dougal Wilson, who also worked on the three previous editions. John Lewis estimates that since 2012 its sales have increased more than 35 per cent thanks to the success of its Christmas advertising. The retailer is also said to bring psychologists into the process to help them emotionally engage with viewers.The advert cost £1 million to make, with a further £6 million being spent on buying TV advertising time to show it. Considering John Lewis makes 40% of its profits over the Christmas period you can see why its trying to persuade you to engage with them rather than the competition. The advert had racked up over 1.2 million views only 8 hours after it was launched but had also caused anger from some parents who thought the advert destroyed the magic of Christmas.

Toblerone Trim

The makers of Toblerone have widened the gaps between the chocolate bar’s distinctive triangular chunks in an effort to avoid putting its prices up, in a move fans have described as “stupid”, “ridiculous” and “just plain dumb”. A statement on the brand’s Facebook page said that higher costs for ingredients had meant it had decided to cut the weight of two bars from Toblerone’s UK range. It has reduced 400g bars to 360g and 170g bars to 150g in order to maintain retail prices. The change means that the gaps between chunks are now wider than the chunks themselves. One customer described the new bar as looking “like a weird knock-off of itself”. Explaining the change, the statement on Toblerone’s Facebook page said: “Like many other companies, we are experiencing higher costs for numerous ingredients.
Toblerone

Lost In Translation

Would you help yourself to a beverage labelled Free Tea? That was the choice one shopper made recently at a Japanese convenience store. The non-Japanese man was seen openly drinking from a bottle of lemon iced tea which he had taken from the shelf, resulting in an argument with store staff. "What did I do that was wrong? It's written right there on the label," he apparently questioned angrily. After an explanation by the cashier, it became evident that it was all lost in translation. Free Tea was the brand name, not an offer of a complimentary drink. The confusingly named tea is a product of Japanese beverage giant Pokka Sapporo. The drink "encourages people to be free from a stress-filled society".

Saturday 5 November 2016

Ginger Coca Cola

Coca-Cola Ginger is the latest limited edition flavour to hit the shelves but it appears to have divided both Coke and ginger fans alike. Launched on Monday, the fizzy drink joins a long list of exclusive tastes including Black Cherry (USA), Vanilla (UK, Canada and USA), Orange (UK, Latvia, Russia) and even Green Tea (Japan). Currently, the ‘world first’ is only available in Australia and New Zealand and is being released just in time for their Summer with the line, ““Great Coke taste with a refreshing ginger twist.” The cans and bottles come in classic Coca-Cola red with the addition of some fancy fold strips.  In a statement released by the company, Coca-Cola said that the launch came as a result of a rise in the number of ginger-flavoured drinks being bought Down Under. Opinions seem divided so far and while some think it’s completely genius while others are left disappointed. 
                                                     Ginger Coca Cola

Kelloggs Sales Not Grrrreeat!

Kellogg's has suffered its seventh successive drop in quarterly sales in the third quarter of 2016. The cereal manufacturer blamed the figures on poor demand for its products in the US and a challenging UK market. The company also cited "portfolio transformations that have taken longer than anticipated to execute".Dr Dimitrios Tsivrikos, a consumer and business psychologist at University College London, told BBC World TV that sales could be down because people's breakfast habits were changing. "The younger population will replace cereal with smoothies, fresh fruit and yogurt," he said. "An older generation will have their cereals during the day as a snack and have a box on their desk in their office. "A lot of individuals only spend five or six minutes on breakfast and are looking for quicker solutions. They will have something out of a packet for breakfast so nothing needs to be cleaned afterwards."

Rubbish Kits!

Adidas has released environmentally friendly football kits for two of its biggest teams in Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as part of its ongoing partnership with ocean conservation group Parley to help addresses the major threats which the world's oceans are facing. The new home jerseys have been made from up-cycled marine plastic debris and feature water-based environmental-friendly prints for the crests and sponsors branding. Printed on the back neck tape of each top is “For the oceans”. Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans, said: “At this point, it’s no longer just about raising awareness. It’s about taking action and implementing strategies that can end the cycle of plastic pollution for good. The new collaboration is part of an ongoing partnership with Parley for the Oceans, which has also yielded a new line of Adidas Ultra Boost footwear created from recycled plastic found in oceans from around the world.

Thursday 27 October 2016

Scone, but not forgotten!

Greggs, the popular bakery chain has decided to stop selling scones across all of its 1,700 shops across the country and its customers aren't impressed. Greggs, which has sold scones for several decades has made the decision to remove them completely as it looks to reposition its product offer and move away from from baked goods to more trendy food-on-the go items as well as its rising emphasis on more healthy food options. The bakery is also moving towards more wraps and burrito's as it switches it emphasis away from sausage rolls and pasties. Greggs even announced that they may stop selling freshly baked loaves. Bosses at Greggs, which employs more than 20,000 people, said the popularity of scones had dropped off recently and a decision was taken to stop making them. However, it has left scone fans around the UK fuming after going to their local stores and finding the shelves bereft of the afternoon tea favourite.

Coke Revenues Loose Fizz

Coca-Cola's global revenues slid 7% in the three months to September as consumers kept the lid on fizzy drinks. The fall to $10.6bn (£8.67bn) was the sixth consecutive quarterly decline in revenue for the world's biggest soft drinks company.  The Latin America and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions both posted a 4% slide in revenues, although North America had 3% growth and Asia rose 4%. Water and sports drinks helped drive a 3% rise in still beverage sales. Net profit also fell 28% to $1.05bn (£859m) in the quarter. The launch of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in the UK, which replaced Coca-Cola Zero, enjoyed "strong double-digit unit case volume growth". The company's new "One Brand" strategy, which gives Coca Cola, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, and Coca Cola Life a common visual identity, has now been introduced to 12 of its top markets.

Chocolate Pizza

Chicago Town has moved into puddings with the launch of the chocolate dessert pizza. Targeted at the family meal and 'big night in' sharing occassions the limited edition sweet pizza includes a mix of milk, dark and white chocolate toppings on a chocolate dough base - which Chicago Town claims is a market first. The pizza will be rolling out into the frozen aisle and be backed by PR, social and in-store activity. This shows a good example of consumer-led innovation and brand manager Richard Cooper said "It's a natural extension to our range". They have not commented on the calories. 

Friday 14 October 2016

Rainbow Laces

This year, Aon, Adidas and Aviva are supporting the campaign  by joining a newly formed coalition called TeamPride. TeamPride will bring together organisations from different sectors to work together and with Stonewall to create inclusive and equal environments in sports of all levels for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.   The return of "Rainbow laces" follows new ICM research for Stonewall which says that 18- to 24-year-olds are twice as likely to agree that it is acceptable to make homophobic remarks (21%), compared to 11% overall.Ruth Hunt, the chief executive of Stonewall, said: "We’re pleased that such powerful organisations have stepped up and given their support to our 'Rainbow laces' campaign, and now we urge more organisations to become part of our team. You can buy a pair of laces to support TeamPride for only £2.99.

Apple Stand Up For Values

Apple has fired a number of employees at a store in Brisbane, Australia, amid allegations they shared photos of female customers and colleagues and ranked their bodies out of 10. Brisbane's Courier-Mail, said dozens of photos were taken without knowledge or consent and that other images were stolen from customer phones. Apple confirmed an inquiry and said "several" jobs had been terminated. "Apple believe in treating everyone equally and with respect, and we do not ­tolerate behaviour that goes against our values," it said in a statement. The Australian Privacy Commissioner is also looking into the alleged privacy breach. "We are aware of the reports and will be making enquiries with Apple to seek further information," said commissioner Timothy Pilgrim. "This is an important reminder that all organisations that collect and manage personal information need to embed a culture of privacy and ensure employees understand their responsibilities."

Note 7 Costs Samsung Some Notes

The total cost of pulling Galaxy Note 7 smartphones off the market will be at least £4.4bn ($5.4bn), Samsung said. The South Korean tech giant had already lowered its third-quarter profit guidance by £1.9bn ($2.3bn). On Friday, it said it expected an additional hit of about 3.5 trillion won ($3bn, £2.5bn). The Note 7 was recalled last month after battery fires, but when replacement phones experienced the same problem, Samsung scrapped the deviceThe premium phone, launched in August, was meant to compete with Apple's new iPhone 7 at the top of the smartphone market. Despite the setback, Samsung Electronics still expects to make 5.2 trillion won (£3.7bn) in operating profit during the third quarter after the recall cost. In September, the company recalled about 2.5 million Note 7 devices after complaints of overheating and exploding batteries. It later insisted that all replaced devices were safe. However, that was followed by reports that those phones were catching fire too. On Tuesday, the company said it would permanently cease production of the device and urged owners to turn it off.

Sunday 9 October 2016

Black Lives Matter

"All lives will not matter until black lives matter" Ben & Jerry’s, the popular Vermont-based ice cream company, is making an effort to take a stand against institutionalized racism. The company announced their support for the Black Lives Matter movement on Thursday and released an accompanying seven-point list that spells out the realities of systemic racism. They also said that people who choose to be silent on the issues affecting the black community are also complicit in those problems. “It’s been hard to watch the list of unarmed Black Americans killed by law enforcement officers grow longer and longer,” the company wrote in a statement. “We understand that numerous Black Americans and white Americans have profoundly different experiences and outcomes with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. That’s why it’s become clear to us at Ben & Jerry’s that we have a moral obligation to take a stand now for justice and for Black lives."

Recruitment Agency Criticised for Sexist Ad

A recruitment agency has been criticised for advertising jobs only for "attractive women", as well as specifying bra size.  Matching Models in London describes itself as "an international temp agency for beautiful and talented people". It advertised for a personal assistant with "a classic look, brown long hair with b-c cup". The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) called it "appalling, unlawful and demeaning to women". Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the EHRC, said it would be writing to Matching Models "asking for them to clarify their hiring practices immediately".  Meanwhile, women's equality campaigners said its ads were "straight out of the 1970s". Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: "It is extraordinary that they are taking this approach and almost certainly falls foul of equality legislation. "If we ever wonder why the battle for gender equality hasn't been won, this is a timely reminder."

Business Live!

The first of our Business Live events is scheduled for Thursday 20th October in the Library at 12:45pm where we will be pleased to welcome Tony who is the owner of the new micro brewery 'The Dog & Rabbit' in Whitley Bay. The business is a recently set-up small, family-run Ltd and you will get to hear about the many risks and rewards that have gone into setting up the business so far and also get to ask some of your own questions. The event will be a tickets only and they will be available  from the Business office by the end of this week. 

Real Business Challenge

The Real Business Challenge (RBC) is an exciting enterprise competition for students who will be in Year 9, Year 10 over the 2016/2017 academic year. The RBC challenges students to tackle a business task set by Coca-Cola Enterprises. If you are interested in finding out more and taking part in this years challenge then come along to A77 this Friday at break-time or come and speak with Mr.Cox.

Saturday 1 October 2016

The Apprentice is Back!

The Apprentice is back with a new batch of ambitious entrepreneurs seeking to demonstrate their commercial insight and business sense to stay out of the firing line. There’s a £250,000 investment at stake and the chance to go into a business partnership with Lord Sugar. Over the course of 12 tough tasks, the 18 candidates will be whittled down until just one victor remains. And plenty of sparks are set to fly in the boardroom along the way! Check out this years candidates before the first episode starts this Thursday on BBC1 at 9pm with a car boot style task.

Pudding Crackdown

The times of decadent puddings you love to eat in full knowledge they are bad for you could soon be over. Restaurants, cafĂ©s and pubs have reportedly been ordered to make their food and drink healthier or face being named and shamed for contributing to the obesity crisis. Major chains including Pizza Express, Starbucks, McDonald’s and Gourmet Burger Kitchen, must cut sugar from their dishes or reduce the size of their cakes and pastries. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said restaurants should join supermarkets and food manufacturers to tackle UK massive obesity crisis which Action on Sugar said could “bankrupt the NHS”. Consumers will be able to check the companies' efforts on a website, although exactly how they will be compared has not been decided.

Garlic Doritos

Introducing a new version of Dorito which is as dark as a moonless night and laden with garlic flavor. All you have to do is eat a bunch and then breathe in the direction of an attacking vampire to scare it off.  The chips are out in time for Halloween celebrations and feature a snarling vampire on the bag along with images of tombstones and bats.The garlic Doritos are available in Japan. If you live elsewhere and desperately want them for your Van Helsing lifestyle, then you'll have to order them through a retailer specializing in global delivery of Japanese treats.

Sunday 25 September 2016

Snap Inc!


Snapchat has rebranded as Snap Inc after they unveiled their wider strategy beyond its messaging app services. Snap 'Spectacles' are their first product and look to be focused only capturing moments, a mantra the company has been built upon. Footage captured on the specs is sent to the Snapchat app, transferred via Bluetooth of Wi-Fi, to memories where the footage can now be viewed in all orientations via a new format. The $130 spectacles feature one of the smallest wireless cameras in the world. The Spectacles are available in three colours and can reportedly operate for a full day on a single charge. “When we were just getting started it made sense to name our company Snapchat Inc., because Snapchat was our only product! Now that we are developing other products, like Spectacles, we need a name that goes beyond just one product – but doesn’t lose the familiarity and fun of our team and brand. We decided to drop the “chat” and go with Snap Inc!


iBag

 
Apple have submitted an application for a patent for a paper bag. Recycled paper bags are not an innovation, of course. The innovation, in this case, is how Apple intends to hold the bag together with such a high proportion of recycled material. White paper bags made of recycled material tend to be fairly flimsy due to the amount of bleach used, so Apple has come up with a bundle of alterations that should help its bags remain both pearly white and environmentally friendly.
iBag

Currency Collectors

New issues of bank notes, uncirculated and with low serial numbers in the first printing run are attractive to collectors. Extra value comes when there is something unusual about them, as is the case with the first plastic notes to be issued by the Bank of England. A total of 440 million new £5 notes have been printed. About one million have AA01 serial numbers, but some are not in general circulation. The very lowest serial number notes are handed to the Queen. The polymer note - which is much more durable than the old fiver - was delivered to banks over the course of a week. After arriving at the bank just at the right time, Mr Scrase decided to put a set of three fivers with consecutive serial numbers on internet auction site Ebay. After 31 bids were made, the set was sold for £456.

HamDog

A man in Australia has successfully patented, and started selling, the Hamdog - a combination of a hotdog and a burger in one bun. Mark Murray first appeared on Shark Tank - the Australian equivalent to the UK show Dragons' Den - where he pitched the idea to potential investors. The judges turned him down for funding. But one year later, he is selling the Hamdogs at fairs and markets in Western Australia and looking for people interested in taking on a franchise. The burger is split in half, to allow the hotdog to be placed in between. The bun is then also filled with lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, mustard, tomato sauce and mayonnaise.
HamDog

Saturday 17 September 2016

Healthy Greggs

Greggs, the baker famous for its butter-laden steak bakes and creamy chicken slices is introducing a range of low-fat "healthy" pasties as it tries to keep up with increasingly calorie-conscious customers. The new healthy snacks, which shun the indulgent greasiness of flaky pastry for a more heart-friendly sourdough will hit the shelves tomorrow and come with a choice of chicken katsu or bombay potato filling. The pasties contain 9g of fat and less than 300 calories, compared to 33g of fat and over 500 calories in their traditional beef and vegetable counterpart. It was also revealed that Newcastle is the Greggs capital of the UK with more than three times as many stores as the national average. This is the equivalent of 9.9 stores for every 100,000 people in the city - the highest rate for any local authority area in the country.

McCafe

McDonald’s has opened a restaurant that doesn’t serve any burgers or fries. The new McCafĂ© in Paris sells soup, club sandwiches, tiramisu and macaroons, but none of the fatty fare customers are used to. The branch is more Cafe Nero than McDonalds, featuring a glass case with smoked salmon or pastrami bagels in place of the traditional counter doling out Big Macs at breakneck speed. The walls are covered with phrases like “Coffee time” and “Great club sandwiches”, and there's no sign of the famous golden arches. The company has made several attempts to ditch its fast and cheap image as the developed world battles with an obesity epidemic. But as fast food struggles, coffee shops are booming. The sector grew by 10 per cent in Europe last year and McDonald’s wants a slice of a growing pie.

Pocket Money Pitch

Budding young entrepreneurs from across the UK pitch their ideas to some of the UK's most famous entrepreneurs in a bid to get a year's worth of pocket money to turn their business dreams into a reality. This shows that age is just a number when it comes to being an entrepreneur. Take a look at some of the clips of the winning pitches from the latest episodes from CBBC.