Gender Stereotype Ad Ban

A ban on adverts featuring "harmful gender stereotypes" or those which are likely to cause "serious or widespread offence" has come into force. The ban covers scenarios such as a man with his feet up while a woman cleans, or a woman failing to park a car. The UK's advertising watchdog introduced the ban because it found some portrayals could play a part in "limiting people's potential". The ASA said the review had found evidence suggesting that harmful stereotypes could "restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults and these stereotypes can be reinforced by some advertising, which plays a part in unequal gender outcomes". As part of its review, the ASA brought together members of the public and showed them various adverts to gauge how they felt about how men and women were depicted. One of them was a 2017 television advert for Aptamil baby milk formula, which showed a baby girl growing up to be a ballerina and baby boys engineers and mountain climbers. Should advertisers be more considerate about how they stereotype roles in their adverts?

Gender Stereotype

KFC Vegan

Despite its global reputation as a fast food chain renowned for its proclivity for chicken, KFC has finally entered the vegan food market. Kentucky Fried Chicken, as it’s been named since its conception in 1952, announced the launch of a vegan chicken burger in the UK on Thursday. “The Imposter” burger replaces KFC’s typical chicken breast fillet with a fillet made from Quorn, which has been coated in the Colonel’s Original Recipe herbs and spices. The burger is served with vegan mayonnaise, fresh iceberg lettuce and a soft-glazed bun. KFC is due to trial “The Imposter” burger in selected restaurants in London, Bristol and the Midlands from 17 June for a four-week period. "The Imposter" burger will cost £2.99 on its own, and £3.49 with a drink. KFC is also due to trial a vegetarian dish, "The Southern Fritter Stacker", in the form of a burger, wrap and ricebox from 15 July from the same locations. Victoria Robertson, chief vegetable enthusiast at KFC UK and Ireland, says its “unfair” vegans have been “denied the incredible taste of KFC up to now”.

KFC Vegan

Wrapperless Solero

Solero ice lollies are to be sold without wrappers in a trial by consumer goods giant Unilever to help householders cut down on single-use plastic. Its Solero multipack organic peach ice lollies will be sold in a recyclable cardboard box with compartments, eliminating the need for individual plastic wrappers.The box is made from a specially designed polyethylene-coated cardboard. It is similar to single-use coffee cups but with a lower plastic content at 5% and has been approved to be widely recycled in the UK. Unilever is selling the lollies through online supermarket Ocado to test the response from consumers. Unilever launched its #GetPlasticWise campaign earlier this year with the aim of making all of its plastic packaging fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and to using more recycled plastic content in its packaging.

Solero Packaging

Nutella Workers Nut Happy

Crisis averted – Nutella production has resumed once again at the French factory that produces a quarter of the world’s supply. Staff at the world’s biggest Nutella factory have removed picket lines and are back at work today after production was brought to a near standstill for more than a week in a dispute over salaries. The Villers-Ecalles plant, run by confectionery giant Ferrero, normally sends out 600,000 jars per day of the hazelnut and chocolate spread. But strikes meant ingredients were running low, with no deliveries entering the plant for a week.Activists from Workers’ Force at the factory in Normandy had barred trucks from entering or leaving the factory in protest over working conditions and pay. The strikers have called for a 4.5 per cent pay rise, as well as a 900 euro (£800) bonus, but so far they have only been offered a 0.4 per cent increase. Spokeswoman Prescillia Bourguignon said management had made ‘positive progress’ with staff, adding that more negotiations would take place. According to the union, 160 of the factory’s 350 workers took part in the walkout. It is unclear whether their demands have yet been granted.

Nutella Strikes

Plastic Free Pilot

 

Waitrose is starting a trial aimed at reducing packaging by removing plastic from flowers and plants and offering more loose fruit and vegetables. Customers will be able to use their own containers to buy and refill produce such as pasta, rice and cereals. It says it wants to find out how people might shop in the future. The trial is taking place at a store in Oxford where Waitrose says hundreds of products have been taken out of their packaging and there will be about double the usual amount of fruit and vegetables package-free. In what it describes as a first in the UK, customers will be able to "borrow a box' to take their produce home for a £5 deposit which is refundable when the box is returned.Wine and beer refills will also be offered as will Ecover detergent and washing up liquid. The trial is the latest among the major supermarkets to try to cut down on packaging.

Waitrose Plastic

Fashion Enterprise

Entrepreneur Gerald Manu explains the hardships of starting a fashion label while still at school. His fashion company Devacci now employs five people and is growing.Gerald Devacci started selling sweets and drinks while at St Mary’s Catholic High School, on Woburn Road, five years ago. The now 20-year-old then began taking an interest in fashion and designed a logo which he would eventually print on a t-shirt. After positive feedback on his first design, Gerald, along with two friends, launched luxury fashion brand Devacci. He plans on opening a store of his own in the next five years and promises it will be in Croydon – potentially the new Westfield shopping centre. Here more about his journey in business by following the link below:

Devacci

WHSmith Worst Shop on High Street

WHSmith has once again been voted the UK’s worst high street shop, with customers criticising the chain for its poor value for money and “cramped and messy” stores. The chain came bottom of an annual survey by consumer group Which? with a customer score of just 50 per cent, behind Homebase on 53 per cent and Sports Direct on 54 per cent. WHSmith kept up its record of consistently being voted the worst chain on UK high streets, but it hit back at the poll, pointing out that it had maintained its presence while others were closing down stores. WHSmith said: “This survey accounts for the views of only 586 Which? subscribers and is neither statistically relevant nor meaningful relative to our loyal customer base. “Every week we serve 3 million customers in our 600 UK high street stores and have maintained our presence on the high street where many other retailers are closing stores. We work hard to improve customer experiences and continue to invest in new and existing stores.” Richer Sounds, which recently announced it would hand over control of the business to employees, was voted the best retailer with a customer score of 89 per cent. Customers praised Richer Sounds for carrying purchases to their cars and paying for parking. Five of the top six retailers were specialists with customers commending the expert advice provided.

Worst Shop

Clicks & Mortar

Amazon's UK boss has defended the online retailer's role in the UK economy while launching the first in a series of pop-up shops for firms using its marketplace. Doug Gurr told Sky's Ian King Live the year-long "clicks and mortar" pilot programme to help small online retailers reach high street shoppers was part of its commitment to UK firms and the wider economy. He spoke at the first test store - in Manchester - launched with support from Amazon that will see 10 of its small online retailers secure physical selling space for the first time. Ten pop-up shops are planned as the retail giant moves to counter complaints from major chains that it has contributed to the crisis facing the high street. Physical retailers accuse the government of presiding over a tax system that has failed to keep pace with the shift to online shopping - their main gripe being over a business rates formula that is weighted against high street premises.

Clicks & Mortar

Henry's

A young entrepreneur from Tyneside is taking on the might of supermarket giants with an online grocery delivery service. Henry Malton, 19 , of Whitley Bay , had been due to start a degree at Durham University last year but cancelled those plans to follow his dream of becoming his own boss. Keen to set up a hyper-local alternative to supermarkets and delivery service Ocado, he launched Henry’s Local, an online service which delivers local, high quality produce around the coast. The young innovator wanted his firm to tap into the growing demand from consumers for local produce, so his business also aims to boost awareness of the rising number of local producers. To that end, he has already teamed up with a number of North East firms selling high quality meat, fruit and veg, bread, eggs, dairy products and other pantry delights, including the likes of Geordie Banger Company, Collingwood Seafood and Acorn Dairy. Henry’s Local offers free delivery on orders above £10, which is the minimum spend, and he makes the deliveries himself Tuesday to Saturday during two time slots to addresses in Whitley Bay, Cullercoats and Tynemouth. Just a few months in, Henry has already seen the number of orders almost treble, purely through word-of-mouth, glowing reviews on Facebook and TrustPilot and his growing social media presence.
Henry's