Evri Delivers Poor Service

Evri has admitted that it has "earned" its poor reputation for customer service, but claims it is turning things around. The parcel delivery firm was forced to apologise last Christmas after people complained of delays or not receiving their packages at all. Evri is also consistently ranked near or at the bottom of customer satisfaction league tables. The company expects to deliver around 90 million parcels over this year's festive period, up from 84 million last year when it was beset by problems. Since then, he said that Evri had taken on 6,500 extra staff with the majority concentrating on the final mile of delivering parcels. Mr Ashworth also said the company had doubled its UK-based customer service representatives and invested in phone lines and chatbots which he said run "24/7". Last week, Ofcom, the communications regulator, published its latest Post Monitoring Report which found that Evri was ranked the lowest in terms of customer satisfaction.

Evri

Tesla Recall 2 Million Vehicles

Tesla is recalling more than two million cars after the US regulator found its driver assistance system, Autopilot, was partly defective. It follows a two-year investigation into crashes which occurred when the tech was in use. The recall applies to almost every Tesla sold in the US since the Autopilot feature was launched in 2015. Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said it would send a software update "over the air" to fix the issue. The update happens automatically and does not require a visit to a dealership or garage, but is still referred to by the US regulator as a recall. The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it was not aware of any safety issues involving Teslas in the UK, noting that cars sold in the UK are not equipped with all of the same features as cars in the US. Autopilot is meant to help with steering, acceleration and braking - but, despite the name, the car still requires driver input. Tesla's software is supposed to make sure that drivers are paying attention and that the feature is only in use in appropriate conditions, such as driving on highways. The recall comes a week after a former Tesla employee told the BBC he believed the technology was not safe.

Tesla

Tesco Stuffing Recall

Tesco has recalled a batch of Christmas stuffing mix due to the possible presence of moths in the product. The batch of Tesco Finest Apple & Cranberry Stuffing Mix may be "unfit for human consumption", the retailer warned via the Food Standards Agency. Customers can return the 130g packets without a receipt for a full refund, said Tesco, which apologised for the inconvenience. The Food Standards Agency said that people who have bought the product should not eat it, and return it for a refund. It is understood the moths may have got into the stuffing mix through one of the raw ingredients. The particular batch that was affected has been pulled from sale, but later batches of the mix are still available in store and online.

Stuffing Recall

CosMcs

McDonald's has announced the details of its new retro-style restaurant idea, CosMc's, which would operate in the same market segment as Starbucks. Its pilot, focusing on hot and cold speciality drinks, will open this month near Chicago, and it aims to be in 10 locations by the end of 2024. Meanwhile, the fast food giant plans to open about 10,000 McDonald's sites globally by 2027, with many in China. The expansion would boost the number of its stores to about 50,000. The first CosMc's is due to open in Bolingbrook, Illinois, near the fast food giant's headquarters, later this week, with about 10 more to open in Texas next year. The concept is the fast food chain's latest effort to crack the lucrative coffee market, especially in the US, where more than 60% of the country drinks at least one cup a day. The name for the new brand comes from a McDonaldland mascot, an alien from outer space that craves its food, which appeared in adverts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The menu appears aimed at people with a very sweet tooth, offering items such as Churro Frappe - a kind of Spanish doughnut - and S'Mores Cold Brew - s'mores are biscuits, chocolate and marshmallows. The company also promises customers the chance to make "otherworldly" drinks creations, customising their beverages with popping boba bubbles, or flavoured syrups. There will also be a small number of McDonald's staple food items on the menu such as Egg McMuffins.

CosMcs

Spotify Axe Jobs

Swedish music-streaming giant Spotify has announced it is cutting 17% of its workforce, about 1,500 jobs, as the company seeks to clamp down on costs. Chief executive Daniel Ek said he had made the "difficult" decision with economic growth slowing "dramatically". Spotify employs about 9,000 people, and Mr Ek said "substantial action to rightsize our costs" was needed for the company to meet its objectives. He added he understood the cuts would be "incredibly painful for our team". "I recognize this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions", Mr Ek said. "To be blunt, many smart, talented and hard-working people will be departing us." Spotify cut staff earlier this year but these plans dwarf those previous announcements. In its latest results, Spotify had reported a profit of €65m (£55.7m) for the three months to September - its first quarterly profit for more than a year - helped by price rises and higher subscriber numbers. The tech company has been expanding worldwide as it seeks to reach a billion users by 2030. It currently has 601 million of them, up from 345 million at the end of 2020. The company will start informing affected employees on Monday. Employees will get about five months of severance pay, holiday pay, and healthcare coverage for the severance period. Spotify will also offer immigration support to employees whose immigration status is connected with their employment.

Spotify

PS5 Access Controller

 

Sony has teamed up with accessibility experts to release a PlayStation 5 controller for disabled gamers. The Access Controller is a "highly customisable kit" of different buttons, triggers and sticks that lets players create a set-up that suits their needs. Microsoft's Adaptive Controller, which can be used on Xbox and PC, has been on the market since 2018. But this is the first device of its type to be specifically designed by Sony for the PS5. But designing accessibility products is a massive task, as every disabled person's impairment is unique to them, and gaming technology is always evolving. Sony's plan to tackle this problem is through customisation - making it possible for each person to tailor the solution to their own individual requirements. The gaming industry has been under pressure to make improvements for disabled players. In the last few years, racing sim Forza Horizon 5 introduced a sign language feature, the Last of Us Part II has a mode for blind and deaf players, and Just Dance has a routine suitable for players in wheelchairs. But the hardware options have been slim for those with disabilities, and Mr Daniel said Sony's new controller was about addressing that.

PS5 Access Controller

Dr Martens Share Price Plunges

Dr Martens has warned its earnings will fall below expectations after the bootmaker's business was hit by warmer autumn weather and weak US sales. The famous brand, which first became popular in the 1960s, said its trade in the US had become more challenging in recent months and that two of its major wholesalers had reduced orders. Global profits for the firm fell by 55% to £25.8m in its half-year results. The profit warning saw shares plunge by almost 25% early on Thursday. Chief executive Kenny Wilson said trading in the second half of the year had been "mixed", with sales across the world impacted by warmer weather at the start of autumn. "In the USA, where there is an increasingly difficult consumer environment, our results have been more challenged, led by weakness in wholesale," he added. The company said in its results that widespread caution among Dr Martens wholesale customers had resulted in a "weaker order book than in prior years", but added that trade in recent weeks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific had improved. Dr Martens makes more than half of its revenues from its most recognisable products, the eight-holed 1460 boot and sister product the 1461 shoe. But it has struggled with weakening demand in the US for some time, especially as the cost of living has increased around the world, with less cash for discretionary spending. In 2021, Dr Martens raised the prices of its footwear by £10 due to rising production and material costs, taking the price of its classic 1460 boots in the UK to £159 a pair. It has continued to rise and currently costs £169, according to the retailer's website.

Dr Martens

France Warns Customers of Black Friday

The French government has launched a campaign encouraging people not to buy new clothes in Black Friday sales. The advert shows a man asking for advice in a shop before an assistant tells him not to buy anything, to help the planet and his finances. The minister for ecological transition - responsible for promoting sustainability - Christophe Béchu, is behind the campaign. But the message has been criticised by other government departments. Finance minister Bruno Le Maire called it "ill-conceived" and said it would harm "honest businesses". Le Maire's department been trying to tackle the rise in unemployment and the cost of living crisis - and seasonal sales are thought to put more money back into the economy. Black Friday, when retailers offer significant discounts and promotions, is one of the biggest shopping days of the year in many European countries. The campaign is one of a number of initiatives from Mr Béchu, who previously launched a "repair bonus" to encourage people to repair their existing clothes instead of buying new ones. From October the government has subsidised clothing and shoe repairs by giving people between €6 (£5) and €25 (£21) off the cost. The government has committed to contributing €154m to the repair bonus fund over the next five years.

France Black Friday