Mars £80 Factory Investment

 

Mars is investing £80m into its factory in the home of its confectionery business in the UK. Up to five million chocolate bars a day can now be made in Slough, Berkshire, after a major upgrade in production lines and facilities – double what the business did in 2025. Mars Wrigley UK & Ireland General Manager, Adam Grant, said: "That's enough to stretch all the way from Slough to Edinburgh." The firm said it is the single biggest investment ever made at its site and is paying for new technology - including robots - to move large boxes of chocolate around the factory floor. It is the second largest Mars factory in Europe, behind Belgium. The first ever Mars bar was created in Slough in 1932 when Forrest Mars Sr set up a small kitchen on the Slough Trading Estate. Before entering the production area, there are reminders of the history of the past 94 years with photos of memorable moments on the walls. The multi-million pound investment at the factory will pay for advanced manufacturing processes, digital innovation and workforce development. It includes major upgrades to production lines, infrastructure improvements and the introduction of new digital systems designed to improve efficiency, quality and sustainability. The firm says it will help it to deliver the "perfect" Mars bar every time. Alongside factory renovation, new training and development programmes are being introduced to upskill the workforce in automation, digital and AI-enabled roles.

BBQ - How important is investment to improve quality?

Mars Factory

Honda Makes First Loss in 70 Years

 

Japanese car giant Honda made its first annual loss in 70 years as its investments in the electric vehicle (EV) market failed to pay off. Demand for EVs has not been as strong as the company forecast, with Honda reporting a total operating loss for the year ending March 2026 of ¥423bn ($2.68bn: £1.99bn.). The firm said it was scrapping some of its EV production targets and would source parts from China, where prices are lower, to keep costs down. It cited changes in US policy as adding to its losses, including tax incentives having been taken away for US consumers purchasing EVs, and the imposition of tariffs. US consumers could previously receive up to $7,500 (£5,500) in tax credits if they purchased a new EV, but this was scrapped by President Donald Trump in September 2025. His tariffs on imported cars and auto parts in 2025 also bruised profits at several major auto manufacturers, despite a reduction in the tariffs from 25% to 15%. Honda, which was first listed on the stock market in 1957, has grown over the years to become Japan's second largest car firm. Analysts said its huge size and legacy nature make it difficult to adapt quickly to fast dips and rises in EV demand. Honda said it was now going to focus on growing its successful motorcycle business, its financial services and its hybrid vehicle manufacturing.

BBQ - What is the biggest factor influencing car purchases?

Honda Loss

Back To Black & White

 

Japanese snack giant Calbee says it will temporarily switch to black and white packaging for some of its best-known products as supplies of an ingredient used in ink have been disrupted by the Iran war. The firm says new-style packets for 14 of its products, including crisps and prawn crackers, will start to appear in shops in Japan from 25 May. In recent weeks, companies around the world have warned that supply disruptions to things like fuel, plastics and helium are pushing up costs for their businesses. Calbee said in a statement that the design change is a response to "supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East." "This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products," said Calbee. Oil and gas prices have surged since the conflict started on 28 February as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz halted. Supplies of naphtha, a byproduct of oil refining used in ink and plastics, have also been hit hard. Naphtha prices in Asia have almost doubled since the conflict started, pushing up costs for businesses in the region. Before the war, around 40% of Japan's naphtha was imported from the Middle East, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary Kei Sato told reporters on Tuesday. Asian countries have been hit particularly hard by disruptions to shipping through the Gulf as they are heavily reliant on the Middle East for energy and other oil-related products.

, external that the design change is a response to "supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East."

BBQ - Why does this show why it is so important to carefully manage your supply chains?

Black & White Packaging

First Amazon Drone Delivery in UK

 

Amazon has become the first retailer in the UK to start a drone delivery service with a limited launch in Darlington, County Durham. Packages weighing less than 5lb (2.2kg) and containing everyday items such as beauty products, batteries and cables are now being delivered within a 7.5 mile (12km) radius of Amazon's fulfilment centre. The tech giant is convinced there is demand for ultra-fast deliveries and hopes to slowly expand the service. In the UK, Amazon's drones currently deliver within two hours, but Carbon says the current average delivery time in the US is 36 minutes. Amazon will carry out a maximum ten flights an hour, or up to a hundred deliveries a day on weekdays. In Darlington, eligible customers will need a garden or yard for a drone delivery. Drones are already being trialled by the NHS to deliver blood supplies in London, and Royal Mail is using them to send packages to remote communities in Orkney. Amazon is using its most modern drone, the MK30, in Darlington. It has sensors to avoid any obstacles in its path - from trampolines and washing lines to people and other aircraft.

BBQ - Do you think the drone delivery will catch-up?

Amazon Drone

Robot Rubbish Pickers

The dust at this busy recycling plant is pervasive and the steady noise of hoppers and conveyor belts makes this a challenging environment to work in. The facility in Rainham, east London is owned by Sharp Group, a family-run skip and waste management firm. Along the conveyor belts runs everything you could imagine, from shoes, to old VHS cassettes and blocks of concrete. The team here processes up to 280,000 tonnes of mixed recycling every year with 24 agency workers on its rapid conveyor belts. This is a hazardous industry. While Sharp Group is proud of its safety record, work-related injury and ill-health in the sector is 45% higher than other industries. And the fatality rate is a sizeable multiple of the national average. These factors, along with the unpleasant nature of the work, mean keeping workers is difficult. Annual staff turnover runs at 40%. The firm rotates pickers through different materials every 20 minutes, and I could see the belt is stopped periodically for respite. A potential answer to that high-staff turnover, was also on the line when I visited. A robot, known as Alpha (Automated Litter Processing Humanoid Assistant) was being trained to pick through the rubbish. Built by RealMan Robotics in China, it's being adapted for real-world recycling operations by the British firm TeknTrash Robotics. Alpha is not up to speed yet, instead, it's on a training agenda and being guided through arm movements. Next to it, a plant worker wears a VR headset to record his own endeavours to demonstrate what successful picking and sorting looks like. The training might take time, but if it works, it could make life much easier for the firm.

BBQ - What will happen to the workers the robots replace?

Robot Rubbish

Morrisons Fined for Dirty Bakery

 

A dirty Morrisons bakery has left the supermarket with a £750,000 bill to pay. The chain was fined £737,000 - cut from £1.1 million because of an early plea - and costs of £11,221.38, as well as a £2,000 victim surcharge. It came after a routine inspection at its Cwmbran branch in August 2024 by Torfaen council environmental health officers uncovered multiple violations. Among these were poor cleanliness, dirty equipment, inadequate staff supervision and food safety management failures. They found 51 flaws in the store's food safety management, which bosses had known about for more than a month. The bakery was shut immediately for deep cleaning. Judge Sophie Toms told Newport Magistrates' Court on Thursday the case was not about a few rogue employees but that there were serious and systemic failures. She said Morrisons had risked customers' health and safety and perhaps put lives at risk.

BBQ - Other than the fine what cost will Morrisons face?

Morrisons Dirty Bakery

Life Loop Lands in the UK

Functional chewing gum brand life loop has a nationwide listing in 1,600 Tesco stores. The start-up brand only debuted in early 2026 but already has secured distribution of its blister packs which retail at £2.50 and come in four different variants. Chewing gum is something many of us reach for without thinking — on the way to work, between meetings, before the gym. Life loop saw an opportunity to make that habit work harder. Their patented gum technology protects the ingredients inside each piece till you chew and this also allows the functional benefit to be absorbed into the body and begin working in just 5-10 minutes compared to a typical functional drink such as coffee or energy drinks which takes 35-40 minutes. To support the launch they are going to give away 10,000 samples at London Victoria station as part of a promotional event on 7th May.

BBQ - Is there a gap in the market for this product?

Life Loop