Legend of Zelda Breaks Records

 

Nintendo has announced its latest game in the Zelda series has sold more than 10 million copies in just three days. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had become the fastest-selling Zelda game so far, it said. For comparison, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - the highest-rated game on gaming-aggregator Metacritic - sold 7.4 million copies over its entire run. Tears of the Kingdom was released as a Nintendo Switch exclusive on Friday. And it has already sold more copies than any other Zelda game except Breath of the Wild, to which it is a sequel. Breath of the Wild, released on both Switch and Wii U in 2017, sold almost 30 million units, according to Statista. Meanwhile, 2022 Game Awards prize-winner Elden Ring had sold an estimated 20.5 million units as of March 2023. But the fantasy game, was released on many consoles, spanning the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and even PC. Piers Harding-Rolls, of Ampere Analysis, told BBC News: "The huge opening sales of the latest Zelda places it amongst the biggest paid-for games ever released. "With estimated gross sales of well over $600m [£480m], this title is comparable to some of the best-ever launches but falls a little short of the very biggest. "For example, Grand Theft Auto V delivered over $1bn in sales in its three-day launch window.

Zelda

Greggs Sales Up

Greggs says sales have gone up nearly a fifth compared to this time in 2022, saying its food remains "compelling" to customers in the cost-of-living crisis. The bakery chain, which opened its first shop in Newcastle in 1951, opened 63 new shops this year and extended some opening hours. The company said hot food like chicken goujons, wedges and pizza were popular, adding total sales were up 17% on 2022. But it said inflation and pressures on incomes remained challenging. It said though it was confident its "outstanding value proposition continues to be compelling". In the past year Greggs has opened the new shops but closed 25 franchises, leaving it now with more than 2,360 outlets. Greggs' chief executive Roisin Currie said customers were "loving the versatility" of hot and cold options. The company said sales growth was likely to "normalise" throughout 2023 if inflation started to ease. But it said it was still expecting cost inflation to reach about 9% to 10% this year, driven by staff pay pressures and higher energy costs. The national average price of its takeaway sausage roll is currently £1.20, up from £1 at the start of 2022.

Greggs

China Overtakes Japan Exporting Cars

 

China says it has become the world's biggest exporter of cars after overtaking Japan in the first three months of the year. Officials figures released in the last week show China exported 1.07 million vehicles in the period, up 58% compared to the first quarter of 2022. At the same time Japan's vehicle exports stood at 954,185, after edging up 6% from a year earlier. China's exports were boosted by demand for electric cars and sales to Russia. Last year, China overtook Germany to become the world's second largest car exporter. According to China's General Administration of Customs, China exported 3.2 million vehicles in 2022, compared to Germany's 2.6 million vehicle exports. The shift away from fossil fuels has helped fuel the rise of China's motor industry. Elon Musk's electric carmaker has a huge manufacturing plant in Shanghai which exports to regions including Japan and Europe. Tesla's 'Gigafactory' is currently capable of producing 1.25 million vehicles a year, and the company is planning to further increase capacity. Last month, it started making Model Y sport utility vehicles for export to Canada. China has also seen exports to Russia surge since the start of the Ukraine war, as Western countries imposed trade sanctions on Moscow.

Cars

ASOS Out of Fashion

 

Asos, the online fashion retailer, has reported large losses after shoppers cut back on spending and the cost of living squeezes household budgets. The firm, which owns Topshop, posted a loss of £87.4m in the six months to the end of February, compared to a profit of £14.8m in the same period last year. It said trading had been "very challenging" with sales down 10% in the UK and 7% in the US. But Asos said it was confident it would return a profit in the next six months. Asos and some of its rivals have been seen as the poster children for the shift to online shopping. The company benefited during the pandemic as locked-down shoppers, mostly younger adults, splashed the cash online. But with the reopening of High Street shops followed closely by the rising cost of living, spending power of customers has been hit, with households having to deal with higher energy and food bills. Outside of the UK and US, the retailer's sales in Europe remained flat and its sales around the rest of the world dropped by 12% in the six months to the end of February. Adam Vettese, an analyst at social investing network eToro, said Asos was unfortunate that the cost of living was hitting his target demographic of "fashion conscious twentysomethings".

ASOS

Ferrari Resisting Electric Change

 

Ferrari will continue to build cars with internal combustion engines into the late 2030s, despite efforts by governments around the world to phase out the technology. The boss of the Italian manufacturer said it would be "arrogant" to dictate to customers what they can buy. For Ferrari, as for many other premium brands, the move towards electric cars presents a steep marketing challenge. But the company is due to introduce its first electric supercar in 2025. Traditionally, the raucous sound of an eight or 12-cylinder internal combustion engine has been a key part of its appeal. But battery-powered cars are much quieter. Nevertheless, Ferrari is planning to launch its first fully electric model in two years' time - a design the company insists will offer a "unique driving experience".

Ferrari

Percy Pig Ice Cream Renamed

 

An ice cream parlour has changed the name of one its products after a "polite" request from Marks & Spencer. Fabio's Gelato, based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, only began making its Percy Pig ice cream last week. But the retailing giant sent the owner Fabio Vincenti a letter which said he could continue to use the sweets, but not the name of the product. "It is what it is, they've got to protect Percy Pig," he said. Marks & Spencer said the name of Percy Pig, which started life as a bag of sweets in 1992 but has since evolved to other ranges, could only be used on "official M&S products". The letter said: "Percy Pig is one of our 'hero' brands and we own trade marks to protect it. "We risk losing those trade marks (and more importantly to us, consumers will no longer be confident Percy Pig-branded products originate from M&S) if we do not take steps to stop others from using them without our permission." Mr Vincenti said the ice cream had already proved popular online and would, for now, be renamed "Fabio's Pig".

Percy Pig

Shoes Fit for a King

The man who measured the King's feet for the shoes he will wear at his Coronation said it had been "an amazing experience". The bespoke bow pumps were made by Gaziano and Girling based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, a year ago and have been adapted for the ceremony. Company co-founder Tony Gaziano has measured the King's feet several times and described them as "delicate". The King made an official visit to the firm's factory in 2019. He has since made several purchases. The shoes to be worn for the Coronation cost about £3,500. The bow has been replaced by a family buckle for the occasion. Mr Gaziano said the shoes were designed to look formal but "have the comfort of a trainer or a sneaker" for when the King spends long periods standing. Shoemaking has been taking place in Northamptonshire for hundreds of years, but Gaziano and Girling was founded in a garage in 2006. It specialises in bespoke shoes which can cost up to £20,000 a pair and are mainly sold in the United States and Asia. Each pair involves 96 hours of labour.

Kings Shoes

Colin v Cuthbert II

Aldi has taken aim at M&S’s Colin the Caterpillar Cake again, this time with a TV ad comparing its price with that of its own Cuthbert the Caterpillar. The discounter’s latest ‘Like Brands, Only Cheaper’ ad also parodies M&S’s Colin as an aggressive guest at a caterpillar cake party, who gets into a scuffle with Cuthbert. The 30-second ad features Cuthbert and fellow party guests Wiggles and Morris – the names of Sainsbury’s and Morrisons’ caterpillar cakes – agreeing they like both Aldi and M&S’s caterpillar cakes. The prices are shown on screen – putting M&S’s at £8.50 and Aldi’s at £4.99 – before Colin appears and a fracas ensues.

Watch TV Ad

Sainsburys Cut Own-Brand Prices

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has cut the price of its own brand butter and bread. The supermarket is reducing its own branded salted butter from £1.99 to £1.89 for 250g packets from Tuesday. Wholesale food prices have been falling globally, but supermarkets have been criticised for not passing on price falls quickly enough. Inflation was expected to fall below 10% last month but soaring food prices meant it fell by less than expected. Sainsbury's said it was able to lower some of its bread and butter prices due to wholesale prices beginning to fall. "Whenever we are paying less for the products we buy from our suppliers, we will pass those savings on to customers," the UK's second largest supermarket chain said. Its also cutting the price of its own-brand bread to 75p from 85p. Food price inflation in was at its fastest pace for 45 years in March.

 Sainsburys Price Cut

Shein Investigated

A group of US lawmakers has called for Chinese fast fashion brand Shein to be investigated over claims that Uyghur forced labour is used to make some of the clothes it sells. In response to the letter, Shein told the BBC: "We are committed to respecting human rights and adhering to local laws and regulations in each market we operate in." "Our suppliers must adhere to a strict code of conduct that is aligned to the International Labour Organization's core conventions," it added. Human rights groups and Western governments, including the US and UK, have accused China of forced labour and internment of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority. Shein- which was founded in Nanjing, China in 2008 - is now headquartered in Singapore. It has been winning over young shoppers in the US, UK and Europe by producing fast fashion even faster, and often at cheaper prices, than many of its rivals such as Boohoo or Asos. Shein reportedly relies on thousands of third-party suppliers in China to produce batches of clothes, which it orders again if they perform well with customers. In the past, the firm has faced allegations of poor working conditions where workers allegedly worked 75-hour weeks.

Shein

Microsoft Takeover Blocked

Microsoft's $68.7bn (£55bn) deal to buy US video game company Activision Blizzard has been blocked in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority. The proposed takeover would see Microsoft acquire such hit titles as Call of Duty and Candy Crush. But the regulator said it was concerned the deal would offer reduced innovation and less choice for gamers in the fast-growing cloud gaming business. Microsoft and Activision hit out at the decision and said they would appeal. "The CMA's report contradicts the ambitions of the UK to become an attractive country to build technology businesses," a spokesperson for Activision said. Microsoft has already signed contracts to make Activision Blizzard's games available on 150 million more devices, he added. To go through, the deal has to be approved by regulatory bodies in the UK, United States and European Union. As well as a big financial investment, this deal is important for Microsoft because it wants to strengthen its position in the future gaming market.

Microsoft Takeover

Brewery Buys Vitamins

Japanese brewer Kirin has agreed to buy Australian vitamins maker Blackmores for A$1.88bn ($1.24bn; £999.4m). The move comes as Kirin expands into healthcare in the face of shrinking beer sales in its home country and increasing regulation of alcohol. "The acquisition of Blackmores is highly complementary to our existing Health Science business," it said. The deal also gives Blackmores an exit as it has been struggling to recover sales since the pandemic. For Kirin, the deal is the latest in its efforts to diversify away from the alcohol business. Beer sales in Japan have been falling for many years because of lifestyle changes among young people. Last year, the Japanese government launched a nationwide competition calling for ideas to encourage people to drink more alcohol. Kirin, which is known around the world for its beers, has a wider product range in its home country, including non-alcoholic, sugar-free drinks.

Kirin