iPhone Production Fear

Apple's shares dropped on Tuesday following reports it could slash its iPhone 13 production targets due to the ongoing global computer chip shortage. The electronic giant had expected to make 90 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2021. However, Apple was now having to tell its partners that the total will be lower by as many as 10 million units, sources told the business magazine. Apple shares fell 1.2% in after-hours trading on the news. Millions of products across multiple industries today rely on computer chips to run and semiconductor makers' plants are currently working flat-out to meet demand. Smartphone makers like Apple - some of the biggest chip purchasers in the world - have been severely impacted, but also other sectors like the car industry and the makers of video game consoles. In September, Apple launched four new iPhone 13 models: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Pre-orders started on 17 September and started shipping on 24 September. Semiconductor manufacturers Broadcom and Texas Instruments were also down 1%, as sources said they were struggling to deliver enough chips to Apple in time.

Apple Chip Fear

Domino's Drivers

 

Domino's Pizza says it intends to hire more than 8,000 drivers in the UK and Ireland in the run-up to Christmas. The fast-food chain has already recruited thousands of workers in the past year or so to keep up with demand. Domino's said it offered good long-term prospects, as more than 90% of store managers had started in the kitchen or as delivery drivers. It also stressed that most of the jobs on offer were permanent and not just for Christmas. Domino's operations director Nicola Frampton said 2021 had been a busy year for the firm so far, but the busiest period was "just around the corner". At the same time, Domino's said sales in the 13 weeks to 26 September were up 8.8% on a like-for-like basis to £375.8m. Orders collected from stores rose 40.3% and are now at 82% of pre-pandemic levels. The chain said it was still on target to open 30 new stores this year, having opened five in the latest trading period. The company said it sold seven pizzas each second over the 13 weeks, with online orders peaking at 13 a second on 3 July during England's match against Ukraine in the Euro 2020 football tournament. But it also warned that supply chain problems and rising staff wages were starting to have an effect.

Domino’s Drivers

OHMG

Drinks brand OHMG has unveiled a range of still and sparkling waters that aim to reduce anxiety and aid relaxation by providing consumers with magnesium-enriched drinks. The range is made with pure water that has been naturally infused with a bioavailable magnesium, natural fruit flavours and extracts; along with functional botanicals, that help reduce anxiety, tiredness and fatigue and contribute to normal psychological function. A single can has an rrp of £1.99, a trial pack has an rrp of £5.85 and a pack of 12 has an rrp of £23.40. The brand has secured £250,000 of investment for the launch stage. Stuart Walsh, co-founder of OHMG Brands said: “The relaxing drinks category is growing fast, predominantly led by CBD Drinks. We’re going in a completely different direction by using a high quality, bioavailable magnesium as it’s an incredibly important nutrient that plays a role in more than 300+ functions in our body. It regulates the nervous system, improves cognitive/psychological balance as well as contributing to energy-yielding metabolism. Magnesium is known as the anti-stress mineral that helps reduce tiredness and fatigue, I think we could all do with some of that right now!”

OHMG

Black British Enterprise

October is Black History Month in the UK. It's a time to reflect on the amazing but often over-looked or ignored achievements and contributions of British people and communities of African and Caribbean descent to this country and the world, today and over many generations. So, meet some incredible forgotten pioneers of British industry, as well as some great leaders of today’s businesses, as we celebrate Black British enterprise!
 Black British Enterprise

Amazon Opens UK Store

 

Amazon is expanding its presence on the High Street by opening its first non-food store in the UK. The shop, in the Bluewater shopping mall near Dartford, will sell around 2,000 of its most popular and best-rated products. It's called Amazon 4-star, because every item has been given more than four stars by customers. However, one retail expert said the shop could be "muddled and uninspiring". This will be the first Amazon 4-star store outside the US, where there are already more than 30 outlets. The range of products, which takes in books, consumer electronics, toys, games and homeware, reflects what Amazon customers are buying online. Digital price tags are used to ensure the prices are the same in-store and online. Shoppers don't need to have an Amazon account to use it. And customers will also be able to collect items ordered online as well as return items without the need for packaging and labels. Andy Jones, director of Amazon 4-star UK, declined to say how many more stores he plans to open in the UK.

Amazon UK Store

Nestle Supply Problems

The maker of Quality Street and Lion bars has said it is experiencing some supply chain problems ahead of the Christmas period. A number of sectors have had problems with their supply chains due to a chronic shortage of HGV drivers. Factors including global bottlenecks with shipping have also played a part. Nestle, which also makes Aero and KitKat, is the world's largest producer of dairy products - and works with hundreds of thousands of farmers around the world with millions of cows. Ahead of a major climate summit in Glasgow next month, chief executive Mark Schneider was in the UK to launch a range of non-dairy, plant-based alternatives to its milk and chocolate in an attempt to further reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions. He said that these alternative products would cost more than their dairy equivalents at first but that the cost would come down over time.

Nestle

Amazon Astro

 

Amazon is launching Astro, its first household robot, powered by its Alexa smart home technology. The company said it can be remote-controlled when not at home, to check on pets, people, or home security. It can also patrol a home automatically and send owners a notification if it detects something unusual. The small robot also comes equipped with an extendable "periscope" camera that pops up from its head. The technology and retail giant suggested that the $999.99 (£740) robot could be a help to the elderly. Unlike some rivals, Amazon "is willing to bring highly experimental products to market" and see how customers react, he said. Amazon wants a slice of the robotics market, boldly stating that it believes all homes will have one in five to 10 years.. And while Amazon was keen to convince us that for that you get more than "Alexa on wheels", it was hard to see a compelling use case for this other than to curb that ever-present paranoia that you left the oven on.

Astro

112 Year Old Business Closes

 

A family-run ironmongers shop which has traded in a Hampshire town for 112 years is set to close. WC Baker and Son Limited in Fleet, was started by Wyndham Baker in 1908 and has been run by three generations of the Baker family. Current owner, Geoffrey Baker who has run the store since the 70s, said: "We have judged that now is the right time to bow out." The family said saying goodbye to the customers was the hardest part. One customer, who has shopped at the store for over 50 years, said: "It's almost become a bit of a game, can you stump them - can you ask them for something they haven't got?" Visiting the shop for the last time another said: "They stock most things and the advice they give you is second to none - it's the saddest day for me that it's closing." The store in Fleet Road, has won many local awards including the Business of the Year three years running from 1987-89. It also held the Fleet in Bloom shop frontage award for six successive years.

Family Business

 

Doritos Diner

 

Are you the ultimate Doritos fan? Whether it’s Tangy Cheese or Cool Original, you just have to have one of those tortilla chips? Well, you’re in luck because there is now a restaurant dedicated to the snack. The Doritos Diner is the brand’s first-ever virtual restaurant in the UK and features a menu full of dishes featuring the iconic Doritos experience. Doritos have partnered with Lean Kitchen Network to open in three locations across London including Clapham Junction, Bethnal Green and Kings Cross. The menu they have created covers a wide range of dishes such as loaded nacho plates, Doritos crumb-coated friend chicken burgers and Texas BBQ wings with Chilli Heatwave Crunch. There are also plenty of veggie options including BBQ pulled jackfruit nachos, veggie Double Dip Quesadillas and spicy Cheese and Jalapeño Bites. As well as this, you can build your own nachos dish in the Doritos Diner’s ‘Make Your Play’ where you can freestyle on your curated selection of dips and crunches to mix and match flavours.

Doritos Diner