Ashley Bid to Takeover Boss

Businessman Mike Ashley's Frasers Group has made a takeover offer for German fashion brand Hugo Boss. The retail group already owns just over a quarter of Hugo Boss, having steadily built up the stake since 2020, but said on Wednesday it wanted to buy the rest of it for €1.98bn (£1.73bn). Hugo Boss said it would "thoroughly examine the offer and issue a reasoned statement". Frasers, formerly known as Sports Direct, owns House of Fraser, Game, Jack Wills, Evans Cycles and many other brands. It is also the largest shareholder in Boohoo but has had a frosty relationship with the firm. Because it has grown its shareholding so much, Frasers is now close to the 30% ownership level that German law requires it to make an offer for the whole company. The deal would value Hugo Boss at €38 a share, higher than the €36.5 it closed at on Wednesday.

BBQ - Why do you think Mike Ashley wants to complete this takeover?

Hugo Boss Takeover

SpaceX Goes Public

 

Last Friday for the first time investors will be able to buy and sell shares in Elon Musk's Texas-based SpaceX, a company that is planning to colonise Mars and put artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in space. It is set to be the biggest ever public sale of shares and will make SpaceX one of the US's top 10 largest listed firms. A higher-than-usual proportion of those shares is being made available to individual investors, but its sheer size means many investment funds will end up with a stake in SpaceX too. SpaceX is currently owned by Musk and other private investors, but they are launching what is known as an initial public offering, or IPO. On Friday, millions of new shares in the company will start trading on the stock market. The IPO has raised at least $75bn and gives investors the chance to buy into a business whose activities range from space exploration and satellite communication to the social media site X and the controversial AI platform Grok. SpaceX is separate from Musk's most well-known company, the electric car maker Tesla, although it is thought the two may end up merging next year. There are more than 550 million shares available, which will start trading at $135 (£100) each. Investors must decide if they think the shares are worth that much. And once they start trading their value could quickly rise or fall depending on whether the wider market thinks that initial price was too low or too high.

BBQ - Would you buy a share in SpaceX?

SpaceX Shares

Metrocentre for Sale

 

One of the country's biggest shopping centres has been put up for sale, ahead of a major redevelopment. The owners of the Metrocentre in Gateshead have confirmed the centre has been put on the market to "support the next phase of its development", which includes plans to build thousands of homes around the site. Reports suggest Frasers Group - owned by former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley - is in talks to buy the shopping centre, but the company has declined to comment on any potential interest. The company said it had invested £60m in the centre since 2020, which had helped increase footfall to 16 million for the first time since the pandemic. A target sale price has not been made public, but the centre is expected to fetch upwards of £500m. The Metrocentre and its surrounding brownfield land has been earmarked to become a major new neighbourhood known as Metro Riverside. The plans are a collaboration between the Metrocentre Partnership and Gateshead Council and would see thousands of homes built on land near the River Tyne. It is not known how the sale of the Metrocentre will affect the MetroRiverside development. However, the development is still at an early stage and no plans have yet to be formally approved.

BBQ - What is the future of shopping centres?

Metrocentre

Cod Prices Increase

 

Fishing quotas in the Atlantic and conflicts around the world have pushed the price of cod higher than ever before, meaning chippies are having to diversify. More and more takeaways are now offering alternative fish species, such as hake, pollock, and monkfish, as lower-priced options. But even with changing menus, there has still been a deluge of chippies closing. At its peak around a century ago, there were approximately 35,000 fish and chip shops across the UK. There are now about 10,000, and industry leaders are concerned more could disappear as prices rise.Margins are tight, and businesses are having to think of new ways to balance the books. It is also difficult to convince the paying public to change their habits, even when a portion of hake is priced at £6.50 compared to £8.20 for cod. As well as diversifying by adding different species of fish to menus, some restaurants believe concentrating on customer service and retaining loyal diners is the key.

BBQ - What price would be too much for fish and chips or is it already too high?

Cod Prices

Hot Sauce Shortages

 

Hot pepper sauce in Caribbean cuisine is as pervasive as ketchup in the US. The fiery flavouring is a staple of dining tables regionwide, the obligatory accompaniment for everything from rice and peas, to curries and stews. And as international palates continue to heat up to the potent taste, a growing number of brands are exported to North America, Europe and Australia, appearing on the shelves of major supermarket chains, from the US's Walmart, to the UK's Tesco, and Woolworths in Australia. But a shortage of the particular chilli pepper used to create the quintessential Caribbean condiment is threatening to stifle supply, while sending costs for the region's producers soaring.A confluence of extreme weather, disease and pests is making core ingredient Scotch bonnet peppers particularly hard to source. The temperamental little, yellow fruit with its susceptibility to heavy rain and viruses can be tough to grow, while devastating hurricanes in Jamaica, a prime producer of Scotch bonnets, delivered a further blow. The Jamaican government has been working to help farmers get back on their feet. That included supplying Scotch bonnet seeds to 650 growers. As the warmer months are now arriving - peak season for both Scotch bonnets and storms - hot sauce manufacturers are keeping their eyes on the weather as well as their profit margins.

BBQ - What would you do if there was a shortage of chili peppers?

Hot Sauce Shortage

World Cup Crisps

 

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Walkers, Doritos and Wotsits are set to launch a major on-pack promotion, alongside football legend-themed Walkers packaging and new flavours. Selected promotional packs of Walkers, Doritos and Wotsits will feature a QR code giving shoppers the chance to win instant prizes. These include FIFA World Cup 2026 merchandise, home viewing bundles and food delivery vouchers, as well as entry into a high-value grand prize draw of 2 x £10,000 (or € equivalent). To further celebrate the partnership, a line-up of new, globally inspired flavours is launching across Walkers, Doritos and Wotsits. The range includes three new, limited-edition Walkers flavours: Walkers English Bangers & Mash, Walkers Wavy Spanish Queso and Walkers Max Portuguese Chorizo & Onion. A new Doritos flavour – Mexican Beef Taco – will also be unveiled, which will remain as a permanent addition to the Doritos range following the tournament. Also, Wotsits Golden Balls will launch a limited-edition, Smokin’ Cheese flavour snack.

BBQ - Do these promotions help drive your interest in trying and buying more products?

World Cup Crisps

Playstation Plus Price Rise

 

PlayStation Plus subscribers will be hit with price rises in some regions, the gaming company has said, citing "market conditions". A basic monthly subscription to the gaming service will rise by £1, $1 (75p), and €1 (87p) to £7.99, $10.99, and €9.99 respectively. Meanwhile, a basic three-month subscription will go up by £3, $3, and €3 to £21.99, $27.99, and €27.99 respectively. PlayStation did not specify where the rises would apply, but said they do not apply to current subscribers, except in Turkey or India, unless the existing subscription changes or lapses. The video game industry has been hit with supply problems due to the US-Israel war with Iran and the price of memory chips has skyrocketed because of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. In March, PlayStation, which is owned by Sony, the PlayStation 5's price would rise by £90 in the UK and by $100 in the US due to "continued pressures in the global economic landscape" PlayStation's rival Nintendo also announced this month that it will hike the price of its Switch 2 console $449.99 to $499.99 in the US, and €469.99 to €499.99 in most European countries. For the year to March 2027, the game division is expected to enjoy higher profits despite falling sales, Sony said in its results.

BBQ - Will a price rise cause Playstation to lose any customers?

Playstation Plus

Robo Top

 

They assemble cars, perform surgery and even handle cargo at airports. But give most robots a needle and thread, and they would probably come undone. That's why practically all the clothes sold in the world today are still made by hand, often by very low-paid workers in Asia. Those workers may use tools such as sewing machines, but fully automating such labour is difficult. "You have a problem if it's sewing," says Cam Myers, founder and chief executive of California-based CreateMe, a robotics company. "You have to keep [two pieces of fabric] in alignment under motion." His company takes another approach. Forget sewing – glue the pieces of fabric together instead. "Once the adhesive is laid down, you simply line something over it and stamp." CreateMe has designed robots that do this and the firm is already making women's underwear this way. It will begin producing t-shirts, too, in the coming months. Mass production could follow next year. Roboticists have eyed the garment manufacturing industry for decades. If machines could ever take over such work, clothes-making could come back to countries in the West, and the environmental footprint of garments might be slashed in the process. But millions of textile workers could also be out of a job.

BBQ - Would the impact of these machines be overall positive on the planet?

CreateMe - Robot T-Shirt

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The Royal Pop Frenzy

The launch of an exclusive pocket watch has sparked a frenzy that forced stores worldwide to close and in some cases saw police officers and security deal with huge unruly crowds. The Royal Pop watch collection, a highly anticipated collaboration between Swatch and luxury brand Audemars Piguet (AP), went on sale on Saturday in selected stores around the world. Similar to past sales of its kind, some people queued for days to get their hands on one of the eight models. But the ferocity of interest in the product, both online and on the high street, has split opinions about responsible marketing and whether the watches are even worth it. Better known for its colourful watches from the 1980s, AP Swatch has described the Royal Pop collection as "a disruptive collaboration between two icons of Swiss watchmaking". While original sales of the collection were exclusively in selected stores - with people only able to buy one £335 (€385; $448) watch per person - they have been driven by an online campaign that has lasted months. The company has been criticised by some people, who say the watches should be available on its website and police resources had been unnecessarily diverted. While there have been reports of Royal Pop watches being resold for huge sums online, the UK watch business magazine WatchPro cautioned that some of these were fake.

BBQ - Is this unethical marketing from Swatch to drive so much hype?

Royal Pop

Mars £80 Factory Investment

 

Mars is investing £80m into its factory in the home of its confectionery business in the UK. Up to five million chocolate bars a day can now be made in Slough, Berkshire, after a major upgrade in production lines and facilities – double what the business did in 2025. Mars Wrigley UK & Ireland General Manager, Adam Grant, said: "That's enough to stretch all the way from Slough to Edinburgh." The firm said it is the single biggest investment ever made at its site and is paying for new technology - including robots - to move large boxes of chocolate around the factory floor. It is the second largest Mars factory in Europe, behind Belgium. The first ever Mars bar was created in Slough in 1932 when Forrest Mars Sr set up a small kitchen on the Slough Trading Estate. Before entering the production area, there are reminders of the history of the past 94 years with photos of memorable moments on the walls. The multi-million pound investment at the factory will pay for advanced manufacturing processes, digital innovation and workforce development. It includes major upgrades to production lines, infrastructure improvements and the introduction of new digital systems designed to improve efficiency, quality and sustainability. The firm says it will help it to deliver the "perfect" Mars bar every time. Alongside factory renovation, new training and development programmes are being introduced to upskill the workforce in automation, digital and AI-enabled roles.

BBQ - How important is investment to improve quality?

Mars Factory

Honda Makes First Loss in 70 Years

 

Japanese car giant Honda made its first annual loss in 70 years as its investments in the electric vehicle (EV) market failed to pay off. Demand for EVs has not been as strong as the company forecast, with Honda reporting a total operating loss for the year ending March 2026 of ¥423bn ($2.68bn: £1.99bn.). The firm said it was scrapping some of its EV production targets and would source parts from China, where prices are lower, to keep costs down. It cited changes in US policy as adding to its losses, including tax incentives having been taken away for US consumers purchasing EVs, and the imposition of tariffs. US consumers could previously receive up to $7,500 (£5,500) in tax credits if they purchased a new EV, but this was scrapped by President Donald Trump in September 2025. His tariffs on imported cars and auto parts in 2025 also bruised profits at several major auto manufacturers, despite a reduction in the tariffs from 25% to 15%. Honda, which was first listed on the stock market in 1957, has grown over the years to become Japan's second largest car firm. Analysts said its huge size and legacy nature make it difficult to adapt quickly to fast dips and rises in EV demand. Honda said it was now going to focus on growing its successful motorcycle business, its financial services and its hybrid vehicle manufacturing.

BBQ - What is the biggest factor influencing car purchases?

Honda Loss

Back To Black & White

 

Japanese snack giant Calbee says it will temporarily switch to black and white packaging for some of its best-known products as supplies of an ingredient used in ink have been disrupted by the Iran war. The firm says new-style packets for 14 of its products, including crisps and prawn crackers, will start to appear in shops in Japan from 25 May. In recent weeks, companies around the world have warned that supply disruptions to things like fuel, plastics and helium are pushing up costs for their businesses. Calbee said in a statement that the design change is a response to "supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East." "This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products," said Calbee. Oil and gas prices have surged since the conflict started on 28 February as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz halted. Supplies of naphtha, a byproduct of oil refining used in ink and plastics, have also been hit hard. Naphtha prices in Asia have almost doubled since the conflict started, pushing up costs for businesses in the region. Before the war, around 40% of Japan's naphtha was imported from the Middle East, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary Kei Sato told reporters on Tuesday. Asian countries have been hit particularly hard by disruptions to shipping through the Gulf as they are heavily reliant on the Middle East for energy and other oil-related products.

, external that the design change is a response to "supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East."

BBQ - Why does this show why it is so important to carefully manage your supply chains?

Black & White Packaging

First Amazon Drone Delivery in UK

 

Amazon has become the first retailer in the UK to start a drone delivery service with a limited launch in Darlington, County Durham. Packages weighing less than 5lb (2.2kg) and containing everyday items such as beauty products, batteries and cables are now being delivered within a 7.5 mile (12km) radius of Amazon's fulfilment centre. The tech giant is convinced there is demand for ultra-fast deliveries and hopes to slowly expand the service. In the UK, Amazon's drones currently deliver within two hours, but Carbon says the current average delivery time in the US is 36 minutes. Amazon will carry out a maximum ten flights an hour, or up to a hundred deliveries a day on weekdays. In Darlington, eligible customers will need a garden or yard for a drone delivery. Drones are already being trialled by the NHS to deliver blood supplies in London, and Royal Mail is using them to send packages to remote communities in Orkney. Amazon is using its most modern drone, the MK30, in Darlington. It has sensors to avoid any obstacles in its path - from trampolines and washing lines to people and other aircraft.

BBQ - Do you think the drone delivery will catch-up?

Amazon Drone

Robot Rubbish Pickers

The dust at this busy recycling plant is pervasive and the steady noise of hoppers and conveyor belts makes this a challenging environment to work in. The facility in Rainham, east London is owned by Sharp Group, a family-run skip and waste management firm. Along the conveyor belts runs everything you could imagine, from shoes, to old VHS cassettes and blocks of concrete. The team here processes up to 280,000 tonnes of mixed recycling every year with 24 agency workers on its rapid conveyor belts. This is a hazardous industry. While Sharp Group is proud of its safety record, work-related injury and ill-health in the sector is 45% higher than other industries. And the fatality rate is a sizeable multiple of the national average. These factors, along with the unpleasant nature of the work, mean keeping workers is difficult. Annual staff turnover runs at 40%. The firm rotates pickers through different materials every 20 minutes, and I could see the belt is stopped periodically for respite. A potential answer to that high-staff turnover, was also on the line when I visited. A robot, known as Alpha (Automated Litter Processing Humanoid Assistant) was being trained to pick through the rubbish. Built by RealMan Robotics in China, it's being adapted for real-world recycling operations by the British firm TeknTrash Robotics. Alpha is not up to speed yet, instead, it's on a training agenda and being guided through arm movements. Next to it, a plant worker wears a VR headset to record his own endeavours to demonstrate what successful picking and sorting looks like. The training might take time, but if it works, it could make life much easier for the firm.

BBQ - What will happen to the workers the robots replace?

Robot Rubbish

Morrisons Fined for Dirty Bakery

 

A dirty Morrisons bakery has left the supermarket with a £750,000 bill to pay. The chain was fined £737,000 - cut from £1.1 million because of an early plea - and costs of £11,221.38, as well as a £2,000 victim surcharge. It came after a routine inspection at its Cwmbran branch in August 2024 by Torfaen council environmental health officers uncovered multiple violations. Among these were poor cleanliness, dirty equipment, inadequate staff supervision and food safety management failures. They found 51 flaws in the store's food safety management, which bosses had known about for more than a month. The bakery was shut immediately for deep cleaning. Judge Sophie Toms told Newport Magistrates' Court on Thursday the case was not about a few rogue employees but that there were serious and systemic failures. She said Morrisons had risked customers' health and safety and perhaps put lives at risk.

BBQ - Other than the fine what cost will Morrisons face?

Morrisons Dirty Bakery

Life Loop Lands in the UK

Functional chewing gum brand life loop has a nationwide listing in 1,600 Tesco stores. The start-up brand only debuted in early 2026 but already has secured distribution of its blister packs which retail at £2.50 and come in four different variants. Chewing gum is something many of us reach for without thinking — on the way to work, between meetings, before the gym. Life loop saw an opportunity to make that habit work harder. Their patented gum technology protects the ingredients inside each piece till you chew and this also allows the functional benefit to be absorbed into the body and begin working in just 5-10 minutes compared to a typical functional drink such as coffee or energy drinks which takes 35-40 minutes. To support the launch they are going to give away 10,000 samples at London Victoria station as part of a promotional event on 7th May.

BBQ - Is there a gap in the market for this product?

Life Loop

Amsterdam Advert Ban

 

Amsterdam has become the world's first capital city to ban public advertisements for both meat and fossil fuel products. Since 1 May, adverts for burgers, petrol cars and airlines have been stripped from billboards, tram shelters, and metro stations. Politicians in the city say the move is about bringing Amsterdam's streetscape into line with the local government's own environmental targets. These aim for the Dutch capital to become carbon neutral by 2050, and for local people to halve their meat consumption over the same period. Removing that constant visual nudge, she says, both reduces impulse buying, and signals that cheap meat and fossil heavy travel are no longer aspirational lifestyle choices. "The climate crisis is very urgent," says Anneke Veenhoff from the GreenLeft Party. "I mean, if you want to be leading in climate policies and you rent out your walls to exactly the opposite, then what are you doing?

BBC - How would you feel as a meat producer following this ban? Will other cities follow?

Amsterdam Advert Ban

Claire's Closes All Stores

All Claire's standalone stores in the UK and Ireland have stopped trading after the accessories chain's financial woes saw it fall into administration twice in a year. Administrators Kroll said 154 stores have shut and more than 1,300 staff have been "notified of redundancy", though its 350 concessions will remain open. Known for its colourful shop fronts and racks of jewellery, bracelets and its ear piercing services, the brand's bright purple branding was a familiar sight for millions of teens during a Saturday shop. But it suffered in the face of competition from cheaper, online brands such as Shein and Temu. Changing consumer tastes also spelled the death knell for the retailer, which has struggled like many High Street firms. It also blamed the climate on the High Street, which it said "remains extremely challenging", adding that government policy had caused a tough trading environment by raising staffing costs such as National Insurance Contributions.Claire's was not only facing competition from online - other bricks-and-mortar competitors ate into its space too. Primark and Superdrug compete heavily with Claire's value offering, says retail analyst Catherine Shuttleworth. Plus, she added, young people had more places to spend their money, including spending on desserts, coffee, matcha and bubble tea.

BBQ - What did you think was the main reason for Claire's closing down?

Claire's

Chinese Sports Brands on the Rise

Anta may not be a household name in the West yet, but it has more than 10,000 shops in China and sponsors top athletes like freestyle skier Eileen Gu. In February, it opened its first US outlet - a flagship store in Los Angeles' upscale Beverly Hills area. The company's global push, which comes as Donald Trump aims to bring factory jobs back to the US with tariffs, highlights just how essential and competitive Chinese supply chains have become for manufacturing. The rise of Anta - which means "safe steps" - is not exactly unique. Decades of being the world's factory have given several ambitious Chinese companies the opportunity to take on the very firms they once counted as customers. Founded in 1991, Anta began far from the glitz and the glamour of Beverly Hills as a small manufacturer in Jinjiang city in the south-eastern province of Fujian. Jinjiang grew rapidly from a quiet agricultural county into the "shoe capital" of the world as part of the government's plan to create specific industries in different provinces. Anta is now eyeing markets in the West. It runs more than 12,000 shops in China. The company also has more than 460 outlets outside of the country, with plans to have 1,000 shops operating in South East Asia alone in the next three years. But Nike, which still has the biggest market share in sports footwear, only has 1,000 shops across the world. 

BBQ - Have you heard of Anta?

Anta

Jenny Lemons

For the San Francisco-based artist and entrepreneur that niche underpins a thriving retail business. The 39-year-old runs a small Californian accessories brand called Jenny Lemons. It is best known for its quirky, colourful hair claw clips, made from a plant-based alternative to conventional, petroleum plastic. She designs the products, selling them directly on her website, and wholesale to around 1,500 independent retail stores in the US and internationally. And all the hair clips are themed around food. If you want to wear rainbow chard, a sardine tin, or a TV dinner in your hair, Lennick has a clip for that, though the company's bestseller is a strawberry. "They are small, affordable luxuries that add a little bit of flair and fun," says Lennick. The company didn't begin as an accessories brand. Originally from Minnesota, and with more than six years at art school, Lennick launched the business in 2015 as a food-themed, hand-printed clothing line, based in San Francisco's trendy Mission district. She expanded the venture, opening a physical shop in the neighborhood in 2018, selling her clothes along with products made by other artists. But the store proved punishing - staffing costs were high, rent kept rising, and foot traffic never recovered after the pandemic. She closed it at the end of 2023, $90,000 (£66,000) in debt. The pivot to hair accessories began the year before when, selling her clothes at a craft fair, Lennick met a hair claw vendor who shared a contact for a factory in China. Lennick started to produce her own - food-themed, naturally - and sales online quickly outpaced that of her clothing.

BBQ - How important is it for a business to be able to adapt its strategy?

Jenny Lemons

Lufthansa Cutting Flights

 

German airline Lufthansa will cut 20,000 European short-haul flights over the summer, saying soaring fuel prices have made many journeys "unprofitable" for the firm. Jet fuel has doubled in price since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran as the conflict has slowed its production and transportation across the Middle East. Several airlines, including KLM-France and Delta, have also temporarily cut some flights while others have raised ticket prices as they pass on expenses to customers. Analysts have warned that travellers should expect further ticket price rises and more cancelled flights as the conflict continues. The Gulf is a major source of aviation fuel, accounting for about 50% of Europe's imports. The bulk of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed in response to US and Israeli attacks. It said this means it will temporarily stop flying to and from Heringsdorf, Cork, Gdańsk, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Sibiu, Stuttgart, Trondheim, Tivat, and Wrocław. The firm will either refund affected passengers or book them on to alternative flights with one of its other airlines – SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and ITA Airways – where possible. Some of the flight cuts could become permanent.

BBQ - Should airlines raise prices of tickets?

Flight Fuel

Car Loo

Chinese carmaker Seres has been granted a patent for what it calls an "in-vehicle toilet" that slides under a passenger's seat for visits to the loo while on the road. The feature is meant to "satisfy users' toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car", engineers wrote in Seres' patent filing in China on 10 April. Seres, based in the south-west city of Chongqing, has not announced any cars that have toilets and it is uncertain if any will be made. Chinese electric vehicles have become increasingly packed with unconventional features, like built-in massage seats, karaoke systems and a fridge, to stand out in a highly competitive market. The patent filing shows Seres' plans for an onboard toilet that slides out from the bottom of a passenger's seat with a push or through voice-activated commands. The loo will come with a fan and exhaust pipe to channel odours out of the car. In-vehicle toilets are rare - mostly found in long-distance coaches - but are not unheard of in cars. Most of the company's cars are sold in mainland China, though Seres has also expanded to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

BBQ - What innovation would you suggest for a car?

Car Loo

Pokémon Cards Rising Value

A series of smash-and-grab robberies have hit Pokémon card shops across the UK as the increasingly popular collectible cards soar in value. Celestial Collectables in Warrington, Cheshire is one of the latest stores to be targeted after robberies in Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough and Nottingham among others in recent weeks. Pokémon cards have been collected and traded for 30 years but since Covid, they have attracted more attention online, with some of the rarest selling for huge sums. A recent auction by specialist auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins saw over £1.5m in "Pokémon assets" change hands. While most cards are not worth thousands of pounds, high-profile sales of the rarest items have driven both collector and investor interest. However, as the value grows so does the cards' appeal to criminals. Earlier this year, the YouTuber, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul auctioned an ultra-rare, high-quality Pikachu card for a record-shattering $16.5m (£12m).

BBQ - Why do Pokemon cards have such high values?

Pokemon Cards

Cheaper Doritos Boosts Sales

Cutting the cost of Doritos and Lays crisps helped PepsiCo win back snackers after a backlash over rising prices. The food and drinks giant said on Thursday sales had jumped 8.5% in the first three months of the year to $19.4bn (£14.4bn). It followed a series of price cuts ahead of the Super Bowl, some worth as much as 15%, on products including Doritos, Lays (known as Walkers in the UK), Tostitos and Cheetos. PepsiCo chief executive and chairman Ramon Laguarta said the "affordability initiatives" had helped improve the firm's performance. The company had been struggling after angering customers with a series of price hikes in response to its own soaring costs in 2022. To win back snackers, it launched its latest wave of price cuts to coincide with the Super Bowl on 8 February, one of the most lucrative days of the year for snack makers. As well as a jump in sales, the company on Thursday said operating profit rose by a quarter to $3.2bn. PepsiCo's shares jumped by 2% in early trading on the results. The boost also comes as PepsiCo grapples with the rising use of appetite-suppressing weight-loss jabs, which are driving changes in eating habits and portion sizes.

BBQ.- How could you apply PED to this story?

Cheap Doritos

Just Eat & Autotrader Fake Reviews

 

Food delivery giant Just Eat and motoring site Autotrader are among five firms being investigated as part of a probe into fake and misleading online reviews by the UK's competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is also investigating reviews site Feefo, funeral firm Dignity and Pasta Evangelists, is looking at whether they have broken consumer law. The investigation will focus on how reviews are obtained, moderated and presented to customers. Online reviews influence billions of pounds of spending each year, yet many consumers worry about misleading content online. Under new powers announced in 2024 the CMA can fine firms for violating consumer law, without needing to go through the courts. While the CMA is investigating the five businesses, it said it had "not reached any conclusions about whether consumer law has been broken". With household budgets under pressure, people need to know they're getting genuine information – not reviews or star-ratings that have been manipulated to push them towards the wrong choice.

BBQ - How much do other customer reviews influence your purchase?

Fake Reviews