End of Road for Datsun

Car maker Nissan is to stop producing vehicles under the Datsun name, which has a more than century-long history. It was one of the brands that helped Japan's carmakers become established globally after the Second World War. Despite selling millions of cars around the world, the Datsun name was phased out in the 1980s. The company revived the brand three decades later, describing the new range of vehicles as "an important part of Nissan's DNA". Before the Datsun brand name came into being, a car named the DAT was built in 1914 by the Kaishinsha Motorcar Works in Tokyo. The word DAT was an acronym of the family names of three early investors in the business: Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi. It also literally means 'lightning fast' in Japanese. At the same time, it was promoted as Durable, Attractive and Trustworthy, or DAT for short. Datsun was one of the brands that helped Japanese carmakers establish themselves in Europe, the US and Asia after World War II. It was one of the main brands Nissan marketed globally, besides the mainstream Nissan and the luxury Infiniti. Nissan said on Monday that it will now focus on "core models and segments that bring the most benefit to customers, dealer partners and the business" as part of a global transformation strategy.

Datsun

Netflix Slump

Shares in Netflix have slumped by 35% after it revealed a sharp drop in subscribers and warned millions more are set to quit the streaming service. It wiped more than $50bn off the firm's market value as experts warned it faced a struggle to get back on track. Netflix faces intense competition from streaming rivals, but was also hit after it raised prices and left Russia. Yet some cast doubt on its plans to boost growth, which include bringing in a free ad-supported service.  It also plans to crack down on password sharing, estimating that more than 100 million non-paying households watch the service this way. In a sign of the unease, one of America's best known investors, William Ackman, ditched his $1.1bn investment in Netflix on Wednesday, taking a loss of more than $400m. It also said some two million more were likely to quit the service in the three months to July. Squeezed consumers are cutting back on streaming services to save money, while some feel there is too much content to choose from amid an avalanche of competition from rivals such as Disney and Amazon. Netflix's shares plunged 35% on Wednesday, and fell a further 3.5% on Thursday.

Netflix Slump

Kinder Salmonella Surprise

A Kinder chocolate factory in Belgium has been ordered to close after it was linked to dozens of salmonella cases. Belgium's food safety authority has also ordered the recall of all Kinder products made at the factory in Arlon, which is owned by Ferrero. Suspected salmonella cases linked to Kinder chocolate have been reported in countries including the UK, Germany, France and Belgium. Ferrero has apologised and acknowledged "internal failures". The recall includes all Kinder Surprise, Kinder Surprise Maxi, Kinder Mini Eggs and Kinder Schokobons products. The AFSCA has also asked companies to remove the products from their shelves and advised people not to eat them. Customers can contact Ferrero directly for a full refund and the products will be taken off the shelves and notices put up in shops to warn consumers. It came after more than 60 people in the UK, mostly young children, became infected with salmonella in an outbreak linked to Kinder Surprise eggs.

Kinder Salmonella

The Dyson Zone

 

Dyson has taken its first step into wearable technology, with an eye-catching pair of over-ear headphones that come with an air-purifying mouth visor. Best known for vacuum cleaners, Dyson has diversified in recent years with products such as fans and a hairdryer. The headphones - dubbed Dyson Zone - are designed to tackle the growing issue of air pollution. One reviewer said they would definitely "turn heads in the street". The headphones go on sale in the autumn. The noise-cancelling headphones come with a motor, fan and air filters in each ear cup. Air is sucked through the filters, capturing allergens and pollutants such as nitrogen and sulphur dioxide and brake dust. The product has four hours' battery life in low-filtration mode, according to Pocket-lint, or 1.5 hours in high filtration. Chief engineer Jake Dyson said: "Air pollution is a global problem - it affects us everywhere we go." The Dyson Zone has been six years - and 500 prototypes - in the making.

Dyson Zone

Cadburys Shrinkflation

Cadbury has shrunk the size of its Dairy Milk sharing bars by 10%, but will not reduce the price for customers. Parent company Mondelez blamed costs associated with the production of its chocolate spiking, as it reduced the bars' size from 200g to 180g. They are still typically being sold at £2 despite the downsize. US firm Mondelez said the move was the first for that size of Dairy Milk bar in a decade. In 2020, the company was accused of "shrinkflation" - reducing the size of a product while keeping the price the same to boost profits. A Mondelez spokesperson said: "We're facing the same challenges that so many other food companies have already reported when it comes to significantly increased production costs - whether it's ingredients, energy or packaging - and rising inflation. "This means that our products are much more expensive to make. "We understand that consumers are faced with rising costs too, which is why we look to absorb costs wherever we can, but, in this difficult environment, we've had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our medium Cadbury Dairy Milk bars for the first time since 2012, so that we can keep them competitive and ensure the great taste and quality our fans enjoy."

Cadburys Shrinkflation

Sunflower Oil Shortage

The biggest cooking oil bottler for UK shops has said it only has a few weeks' supply of sunflower oil left. Ukraine and Russia produce most of the world's sunflower oil and the war is disrupting exports, said Edible Oils. The company, which packages oil for 75% of the UK retail market, is ramping up supplies of other oils for shoppers. Meanwhile, manufacturers of foods that contain sunflower oil, like crisps, oven chips and cereal bars, are reworking their recipes. The Food Standards Agency has advised people with allergies to look out for extra information from shops and food makers. Edible Oils Ltd has upped production to 24/7 to try to make sure it has plenty of rapeseed and other oils to put on the shelves when the sunflower oil goes. Sunflower oil can also be found in many hundreds of products, like ready meals, biscuits and mayonnaise. Food manufacturers are now racing to find alternative ingredients.

Sunflower Oil Shortage