Sweet Potato Success

The new-found enthusiasm for sweet potatoes has triggered record supermarket sales but a new variety means they are now not so exotic. British-grown sweet potatoes will go on sale in supermarkets for the first time next week, the first successful results of a crop innovation in the south of England which has taken three years to develop.  The move has been hailed as a breakthrough for British farming, as the sweet potato typically relies on warm and dry growing conditions and has until now only been sourced overseas, typically from southern US states such as North and South Carolina, Egypt, Senegal and Israel. Sales at Asda are up 50% in the last year. Marks & Spencer said sales were currently “going through the roof”, up 112% year on year, while Waitrose reports a 30% year-on-year uplift. In March the ONS added them to their basket of goods to help measure inflation.

Sweet Potato Success

No Nectar Left

Sainsbury’s has announced they will be halving the number of nectar reward points it offers. On the 11^th of April 2015, Nectar users will only receive one point for every pound they spend in-store or online. They will also stop rewarding customers with a point for every bag that that they reuse, but will get a point for every litre of fuel they purchase. With 19 million users of the nectar rewards system, it was sure to cause some anger with their customers, but what is surprising is that they introduced this at a time where sales are falling, and their share price has dropped by 7%.

By Ollie Spencer Year 13

Inflation Hits Target

Inflation is down to the target of 2% for the first time in four years. Alongside this growth in the economy is up, unemployment is slowly falling and business confidence and investment is back on the agenda. The UK recovery is snowballing. The challenge is to ensure it continues without storing up big problems for the future.

2% Inflation

Shops Dreaming of A Better Christmas

A dire day for UK high streets as retailers reveal poor Christmas trading figures with Morrison's, Tesco & Morrisons all experiencing a fall in expected profit and sales figures. Shoppers seem to be buying more online and making more trips to convenience stores rather than big out-of-town stores. With shoppers incomes being squeezed by rising prices & stagnant wages it is seeing a rise in sales for the likes of Aldi & Lidl.

Poor Christmas for High Street

App of the Month: Quiz Up

This months free app is a great quiz game which can test your knowledge of a number of different subjects with people and friends from across the globe. It has a great section of business and economics quizzes including logos and slogans and is free to download from the app store.

A Coin Fit For A Prince

Commemorative coins marking the christening of Prince George will be priced at between £13 and £50,000, the Royal Mint has announced. Twenty-two of the most expensive coins will be struck containing a kilogramme of fine gold each. A rage of coins at different prices is being struck.

Coin For The Prince

How Much For An iPhone 5C?

Apple's multi-coloured iPhones retail for over £500 on contract, but they cost a lot less to make thanks in part to the plastic shell. How much do you think it costs? To find out follow the clip to a video. 

Apple Cost

Fewer Children With Mobiles?

It has been reported by Ofcom the number of children owning a mobile phone has fallen for the first ever time. In 2012, 49% of children between 5 and 15 owned a mobile, however this year the figure has fallen to 43%. Tablet computers, such as iPads, have instead become a substitute with 26% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 owning one which is an increase of 7%. Statistics also suggest that 28% of young children between the ages of three and four own use a tablet computer at home.

Article written by Victoria Clayton

New iPhone Unveiled

Apple has revamped the iPhone by launching two new handsets at is California headquarters - one colourful budget version called the iPhone 5C and a state of the art handset which includes a fingerprint reader called the iPhone 5S. Will this help them win over the Chinese market and be a global success?

New iPhone Launch

22nd November 2013

The battle of the consoles is well & truly hotting up as Xbox Vice President Yusuf Mehdi confirmed the Xbox One will be released in 13 countries on the 22nd November 2013 which is exactly 8 years since the Xbox 360 launch date. There is clearly demand for the new console as Xbox confirmed they have sold out of their pre-order supply & are having to increase production in order to meet the demand. With the PS4 release not scheduled till a week later which console will come out on top?

Bale Business Breakdown

An interesting look at the breakdown of the world's most expensive player. Read why it is so much by following the link and seeing the viewpoints. Dr Peter Dawson sums it up perfectly in terms of Economics.

Bale Business

The Undercover Economist

Tim Harford's first book was a global bestseller and has gone on to sell well over a million copies worldwide. Now, in a world utterly transformed by the global downturn The Undercover Economist Strikes Back to help you unpick and understand the complexities of major economies. An excellent read for A-Level Economists!

Undercover Economist

McDonald's To Open In Vietnam

McDonald's is to open its first restaurant in communist Vietnam next year - after granting a franchise to the relative of its prime minister. McDonald's is served in over 34,500 locations, across more than 100 countries. Vietnam will be the 38th Asia Pacific nation to have McDonald's outlets.

McDonalds In Vietnam

How much for a sea view?

Number 305 Mudeford Spit, near Christchurch in Dorset, is on the market for £200,000 just a touch over the average house price in Britain. However this property is no bigger than a garden shed & is likely to be snapped up quickly. So what makes a sea view so expensive?

200K Beach Hut

Film Star Banker Takes Role

Not a rock star on tour not the actor of the moment, but the incoming Bank of England governor Mark Carney. He has today taken over from Sir Mervyn King on a salary of £480,000 a year to try and get the economy going again. What do you think his chances are?

Carney Takes The Role

Universities In Trouble

A political and financial change in the education sector has left many are fearing the closing of some universities due to declining government grants, limits on undergraduate numbers, increasing student fees and cuts in public funding. 58% of the university leaders asked expressed their worry for the falling demand for undergraduate courses whilst 90% were concerned about the declining postgraduate students. Some respondents even went as far to say that 20 to 30 universities (or equivalent) could become unviable within the next few years.

Written by Victoria Clayton

Underground Hotel

Building begins on 'Quarry Hotel' where 17 storeys will be built into side of a cave. The 21-storey hotel in China's Sheshan national resort will have 370 rooms - many of which will be underground.

Quarry Hotel

Caption Competition

The Economist have a caption competition running. All you need to do is add speech to the Economist cartoon above and share your creation in their gallery. They will shortlist the best and ask readers to vote for the winner, which will be announced on 5th July. Follow the link to enter.

Cartoon Competition

Power Of Information

Information is king & the ability to know where to look for it is essential for building up your knowledge and ability to show resilience when finding out about a problem. This is just one of the many great posters about the sources that are out there. All well worth a look!

Forces Sauces

Armed forces charities are set to benefit from a new sauce brand rolling out to 700 Tesco stores next week. The brand will have both a tomato sauce and brown sauce variety which will both retail at £2.19 with at least 6p of each sale going towards the Royal British Legion Charity which supports ex-servicemen and women. How will Heinz react to a new ketchup on the market?

Forces Sauces