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

Huel bought by Danone for €1bn

 

The British meal supplement maker Huel is being bought by Danone for €1bn (£864m). Founded in Buckinghamshire in 2014, Huel is best known for its shake powder, which it says is a nutritionally complete replacement for a regular meal. Its investors include actor Idris Elba and broadcaster Jonathan Ross. It has since expanded its range to include ready meals, nutrition bars, and health drinks, all of which are plant based. The company has previously got into hot water with the UK advertising watchdog, which has banned some of its adverts for making "misleading" claims. One such advert made misleading claims about the cost savings associated with replacing a normal diet with meal replacement shakes, the watchdog said. Huel (a portmanteau of "human" and "fuel") products are mostly sold direct to consumer, with some sales from shops and supermarkets, but it said the Danone deal would allow it to expand into new markets. The market for so-called complete nutrition products, aimed at time-poor, health-conscious consumers, is thought to be worth $5.9bn (£4.4bn). The deal is subject to closing conditions including regulatory approval. Danone is best known for its yoghurt drinks – in addition to its Danone-branded drinks, it also owns Actimel, Activia and Alpro.

BBQ - Is this a good deal for Danone?

Danone

Minecraft World

 
A Minecraft world is set to open at Chessington World of Adventures in 2027. The attraction, which is officially called "Minecraft World", will be the first of its kind in the world, based entirely on the game. For anyone who hasn't played, Minecraft is a video game where players explore block-shaped worlds, build structures and go on adventures. As of last year it has sold more than 350 million copies and is the best‑selling video game of all time.The new Minecraft World will aim to bring parts of the game into real life, including its environments, known as "biomes", and its creatures, called "mobs". Visitors to the theme park, based in south-west London, will be able to try several new attractions. These include a rollercoaster described as a "world-first Minecraft coaster", as well as interactive activities and play areas built to look like the game. There will also be themed shops and places to eat. But all of that isn't cheap, the project is expected to cost £50 million to create. Theme park operator, Merlin entertainments described it as one of their "most ambitious theme park developments in recent years".

BBQ - How do you think they made this decision to go for Minecraft?

Minecraft World

Joybuy Launches in UK

A Chinese online retailer that is seeking to challenge the likes of Amazon is launching in the UK. JD.com announced its new Joybuy platform will run from distribution sites in Milton Keynes and Luton. The company sells technology, home appliances, beauty products, homewares and groceries. The move comes after the £30bn e-commerce firm pulled out of talks to buy Currys in 2024 and Argos last year. US and Hong-Kong listed JD.com is China's largest retailer by revenue. It said it would offer next-day delivery to about 17 million UK households from its launch. Bosses said the business planned to establish itself in the UK for "a long time" and they believed a combination of its product range, value and convenience would entice new customers. Matthew Nobbs, managing director of Joybuy UK, said the firm was confident about its growth prospects in the country. The company is simultaneously launching in six new European markets, with the others being Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

BBQ - Is it possible for Joybuy to rival Amazon?

JoyBuy

Bentley Workers 'shocked and angry' at Job Cuts

Workers at luxury car maker Bentley have been left shocked and angry after the firm announced up to 275 job losses, a union has said. The manufacturer, based in Crewe, Cheshire, confirmed the cuts after it saw its operating profits fall to £187m in 2025 - a 42% drop when compared to 2024. Bentley said it was part of "overall efficiency activities", which would affect management, agency and non-manufacturing employees, but investment would continue at its Pyms Lane site. Karen Lewis, regional officer at the GMB union, told BBC Radio Stoke: "[The workers] are very shocked but also quite angry as well." She said the company was one of the biggest employers in the area, with people commuting from Liverpool and further afield to work there. "People are obviously upset and angry because they see the bonuses that have been paid to managers over the years," she said. Lewis said the industry had "taken a beating" since the Covid pandemic and it had also been affected by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. "But the rich are still buying cars," she added, "and it's our members, the workforce, who are still working day-in, day-out to create these luxury cars. So this has come as a big shock." Bentley chief executive and chairman Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser said the company was investing in its factory "at unprecedented levels", but needed to make "some difficult decisions" to ensure its long-term competitiveness. "I want to express my sincere appreciation to those affected - we are committed to supporting each individual with care, guidance and assistance throughout this transition," he added.

BBQ - How will these job cuts impact motivation for the remaining workforce?

Bentley

KFC Pickle Menu

The nation has gone pickle-mad, and KFC is officially giving them their moment to shine. From 23rd March, KFC is launching a full-on Pickle takeover across restaurants nationwide – dialling up the tang, the crunch and the briny goodness for four weeks only. This is not a polite little gherkin on the side.It’s pickles in their main-character era, paired with KFC’s iconic fried chicken – a match made in heaven. Straight from your For You Page to your cup, the Pickle Pepsi Max taps into the viral pickle-drink obsession. Served with a side of pickle juice, you can mix in as much as you like for a fizzy, customisable mash-up. Big on crunch, tang and full-on flavour, the takeover is all about giving pickle fans exactly what they’ve been craving. And the timing couldn’t be better. The UK is currently in the grip of full-size pickle-mania. On TikTok, #pickles has racked up billions of views, fuelling viral taste tests, fried-pickle hacks, pickle juice shots and chaotic kitchen experiments. 

BBQ - Will this viral pickle menu be a success for KFC or a gimmick?

KFC Pickle

Environmental Nappy

Globally, its estimated that 300,000 disposable nappies are sent to landfill or incinerated every minute, leading to environmental issues as many contain plastics and synthetic materials and can take hundreds of years to decompose. While there's sustainable alternatives such as washable nappies, the effort and cost limits how widely they're used. Over the years many start-ups have marketed greener alternatives to disposable nappies. Can the latest make an impression? Texas-based company Hiro Technologies has created unbleached disposable diapers that comes with a packet of fungi which is added to the used diaper when it's ready to be thrown away. The fungi are able to break down and digest the diaper over time, says co-founder Miki Agrawa, who started the brand after being shocked by how many nappies her son was going through. The diapers cost $136 (£100) for a month's supply, though there is a subscription price of $199. That's significantly more than regular disposables, which are estimated to cost cost around $70 a month.Is the price out of range for most parents? Price tags aside, Sonali Jagadev, senior research analyst at Euromonitor, says progress in creating a more innovative and sustainable nappy remains slow and uneven due to several factors including high production costs and supply chain constraints. And, of course, there are consumer priorities. "Parents continue to prioritise performance, hygiene and convenience over sustainability, meaning brands take a risk if greener solutions compromise any of these core expectations."

BBQ - Do you think there will ever be enough demand for a sustainable nappy?

Hiro Nappies

, externalto cost around $70 a m

Denby Appoint Adiministrators

 

Derbyshire’s historic pottery firm Denby, which has been producing ceramics for more than two centuries, has announced plans to appoint administrators, describing the move as a precautionary step taken in response to mounting financial pressures. The company explained that rapidly rising energy costs and increasing employment expenses have placed significant strain on its operations, prompting it to seek short‑term protection while options for securing the business’s future are explored. Despite its long heritage and established reputation, Denby stated that these escalating costs have “squeezed the business financially,” making the decision necessary to stabilise the company as it evaluates potential funding or restructuring solutions. Union representatives have described the situation as a “worrying time” for workers, while local political figures have urged for urgent support — particularly in tackling high industrial energy costs — to help safeguard the future of this iconic British ceramics brand

BBQ - What would the impact be on different stakeholders if Denby closed?

Denby Administrators

John Lewis Bring Back Bonus

 

John Lewis is awarding its staff a bonus for the first time in four years as the retailer continues its turnaround. The partnership, which operates the eponymous department store chain and Waitrose supermarkets, said underlying profits had grown during its last financial year. The 2% bonus, equivalent to an extra week's pay, will be the first its staff have received since 2022. It was scrapped during the Covid pandemic when the business underwent a major revamp which included shutting shops and cutting jobs. Looking ahead, John Lewis said it remained "cautious" for the current year but was in a stronger position financially "to navigate the challenging macroeconomic environment". The latest results show the business reported a pre-tax loss of £21m, due to £120m worth of one-off costs which mainly related to write-downs in the value of old tech systems. But underlying profits rose 6% to £134m. Sales across the business rose by 5% to £13.4bn. Sales growth was higher at Waitrose compared to John Lewis. Supermarket sales grew by 7% to £8.5bn in the year to the end of January compared to a 3% increase to £4.9bn at its department stores.

BBQ - Is a bonus the best way of motivating staff?

John Lewis Bonus

Poppeggs!

Valeo Foods UK has announced the launch of Poppeggs, a new seasonal chocolate product under its Poppets brand, arriving in stores for Easter 2026. Poppeggs were designed to meet growing shopper demand for affordable, smaller-format seasonal treats, suitable for multiple occasions including snacking, sharing and gifting. The product’s straightforward format and familiar taste profile make it an easy, low-risk addition to the Easter aisle. Available in an 80g bag (£1.50 RRP), Poppeggs sit firmly within the mainstream Easter chocolate price bracket, offering strong value compared with similar solid chocolate products. The format supports impulse purchase as well as family sharing, helping retailers maximise basket spend across the seasonal period. The launch reflects continued growth in shareable and value-led seasonal confectionery, particularly as shoppers remain price-conscious. Marketing support will focus on in-store visibility, seasonal aisle activation and retailer digital channels, supported by light social activity to drive awareness and footfall. 

BBQ - With a price almost one third cheaper than Cadburys will people switch brand?

Poppets