News and Trends

 Namnews,  28th February 2023 Grocery inflation hit 17.1% in the four weeks to 19 February, another record high for the figure measured by Kantar. This drove take-home grocery sales up by 8.8% during the four weeks and by 8.1% over the 12-week period, but volumes continued to decline, and shoppers headed to Aldi and Lidl to save money. “Shoppers have been facing sustained price rises for some time now, and this February marks a full year since monthly grocery inflation climbed above 4%. This is having a big impact on people’s lives,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar. “Our latest research shows that grocery price inflation is the second most important financial issue for the public behind energy costs, with two-thirds of people concerned by food and drink prices, above public sector strikes and climate change. One quarter say they’re struggling financially, versus one in five this time last year. The numbers speak for themselves. If people don...

Taste Tomorrow, 22 Nov 2022 It is becoming ever more apparent that plant-based eating is not just hype. More and more people see it as the diet of the future. So if you don’t have any dairy- and meat-free products to highlight yet, these 5 insights by Taste Tomorrow on plant-based consumption might tempt you to start working on plant-based offerings. 1 in 3 consumers buys plant-based food on a weekly basis Plant-based food is taking over supermarket shelves. Looking at the consumer demand, that is no surprise. One in three people purchases vegan options every week according to our consumer research among 40.000 consumers worldwide. We see this trend is the biggest in South America, where 37% of consumers buy plant-based on a weekly basis. Europe and the Asia-Pacific region come in second and third, where 35% and 32% of the shoppers go for vegan choices. In North America, interest in plant-based consumption is still considerably lower: there it was just 22% buying weekly. The plant-base...

Taste Tomorrow, 27 Dec 2022 In our online world, trends come and go in such a fast pace that you can miss a pastry hype or baking craze in the blink of an eye. Have you been able to keep track of every microtrend and hype that popped up in the last year? Test yourself and see how many you can tick off in the list below.   These are the 2022 hypes you might have missed: 1. Freak cakes Hip Instagram bakers are opting for a less polished look by creating cakes that are artsy, maximalist and slightly weird. Think: asymmetrical designs in unusual colors such as black and blue and decorated with fresh flowers, spray paint and jelly.  The freak cake is challenging the strict traditions of the patisserie world .  2. Sourdough croissants ‘Go sourdough’ was our tip for growing your business earlier this year. Creating sourdough versions of popular products is a surefire way to create a new bestseller. The  sourdough croissant  was the most famous sourdough application of ...

 Namnews,  27th February 2023 Latest results from MealTrak, the food-to-go and out-of-home tracking programme developed in partnership with TWC Group, highlight the impact on the market from the cost of living crisis and consumers seeking better value. The total number of out-of-home eating occasions were up 5% over the 52 weeks to 23 January. However, in the latest 12 weeks, the number of occasions fell by 12% vs. the equivalent period year. In the quarter, total food-to-go occasions declined by 13%. This was driven by sandwich shops (-14%), coffee shops & cafes (-8%), fast food & takeaway (-23%), high street (-64%), transportation (-62%), workplace (-13%), forecourts (-9%) and independent convenience stores (-19%). The multiples (+5%) and the discounters (+19%), with their more affordable food-to-go offer, were the clear winners, although the growth rate in the mults slowed in the period. Meanwhile, occasions in the ‘eating out’ channel (comprising pubs, restaurants ...

 Namnews,  27th February 2023 Latest figures from Asda’s Income Tracker reveal that the youngest in society are suffering the most during the cost of living crisis, with their discretionary income down by 17.5% year-on-year in January. All age groups saw their disposable income after paying taxes and essential bills reduce last month to an average of £215 per week. However, it was the under-30s who were worst off, with just an average discretionary income of just £153 per week. Whilst the average annual gross income grew 5.4% to £954 per week in January, the impact on discretionary income for under-30s can be explained by the increased cost of essentials. Younger people spend a greater proportion of their income on housing and utilities, which continue to have the highest rates of inflation. And with the news that the typical annual household bill for gas and electric is to rise in April, this trend looks set to continue. This is in contrast to those between the age of 50 and ...

 Namnews,  27th February 2023 With cash-strapped consumers looking to save money on their grocery shopping, Waitrose has been forced to cut prices whilst maintaining quality, to stop its customers from switching to cheaper rivals. Speaking to the Financial Mail on Sunday, James Bailey, Executive Director for the upmarket supermarket, said: “It’s really hard to make money at the moment.” He admitted that the chain had been “behind the market” for the past nine months, with its market share sliding alongside the fall in consumer confidence. Waitrose, regarded to be a cut above on quality but also on price, is especially feeling the pinch as consumers face high energy and mortgage bills. Bailey told the newspaper that the supermarket has to tough it out and wait for a lift that can only come from a more buoyant economy. However, he noted that its recent price-cutting initiative on everyday items was proving popular with its regulars and that customers who defected to cheaper chai...

www.rpbi-openings.co.uk, 22 February 2023 28th February 2023 will see the opening of Perks & White in St James’s Market, the brand's first central London shop. Located in the heart of London, just steps away from Piccadilly Circus. Offering specialist coffee, sweet pastries and a range of breakfast and lunch options prepared daily on-site. Jason Perks, co-founder of Perks & White says: “We are thrilled to be expanding Perks & White into Central London; we strive to be authentic and honest in what we do, which we believe shines through in the coffee we serve and the fast and friendly service. Our South London customers tell us how much they love the quality of the coffee and atmosphere we have built; we are excited to create a new coffee community in the heart of Central London.”    As long-standing partners, Perks & White and Volcano Coffee Works based in Brixton, have collaborated to create a bespoke house espresso exclusively for all of Perks & White...

www.rpbi-openings.co.uk,  24 February 2023 Michelin-star restaurant, Bybrook, located within the historic hotel of The Manor House and Cotswold village of Castle Combe, is now open following a complete.  The restaurant reopened on Valentine’s Day, 14 th  February and features a new interior design aesthetic, led by interior experts, Trevillion; known for their previous work for Foxhill Manor, Dormy House, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and many more across the UK. Along with the refresh, comes some new dishes from Executive Chef Rob Potter and his team to the well-loved award-winning tasting menu.  Continuing to be influenced by the seasons, inspired by the best of British produce, local farms and what’s harvested from within the grounds of The Manor House. New menu highlights include  Salcombe crab with blood orange & grapefruit, Salt aged duck with liver, morel & beetroot, and Apple with almond, Neston Park honey and Madagascan vani...

Namnews, 23rd February 2023 Sainsbury’s has become the latest company to allow its staff to work a four-day week as part of experiments to assess the impact on productivity and people’s well-being. According to The Times, staff at the supermarket’s offices in Holborn, Coventry and Milton Keynes, as well as its warehouse employees and store managers, are all taking part in the trial, which is due to last three months. Under the scheme, which aims to improve flexibility, employees have the option to work their 37.5-hour contracts in a seven-day week. It means some head-office workers could work on a Saturday and take a day off in the week, or could work longer weekday hours, should they choose. However, they are not allowed to take a string of Fridays off. The future of the scheme will be subject to employee feedback. A head office worker told The Times that the changes are likely to be kept in place as the results so far had been “pretty good, in terms of the financials”. There have bee...

Namnews, 21st February 2023 Asda has reached the 100-store milestone for its ‘On the Move’ forecourt convenience format developed with the EG Group. It also confirmed plans to open a further 100 sites across the UK this year. The Asda On the Move concept was launched in October 2020 as part of the supermarket’s push to grow its presence in the convenience channel. The 100th store, which is located on Cargo Fleet Lane in Middlesbrough, is one of 35 that have opened so far this year on EG’s existing forecourt estate. Asda supplies the 2,500 products stocked in the stores on a wholesale basis to EG Group, which owns and operates each site. James Laws, Senior Director Wholesale & Convenience at Asda, said: “The opening of the 100th Asda on the Move store is a milestone in our convenience journey to bring Asda’s great products to more customers through our partnership with EG Group. “The popularity of these stores shows us that customers want to be able to pick up essential products or ...

Cumbria sourdough specialist Lovingly Artisan has been named as the best artisan bakery in Britain. Run by husband-and-wife team Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor, the bakery claimed the top spot of the 2023 Bakers’ Dozen – which lists the top 13 artisan bakeries in Britain as voted for by industry experts. More than 100 specialists, including artisan bakers, consultants, suppliers and lecturers, were asked to vote for their favourite artisan bakeries. Each voter was hand-selected by  British Baker  with the voters broken down by region to ensure bakeries across Britain had an equal opportunity to shine. An artisan bakery is where baked goods – such as bread, buns, pastries, and cakes – are made by skilled bakers by hand, often utilising longer and more traditional processes. Quality of ingredients and the end products are high on the agenda, and as a result, artisan bakeries typically only have a handful of sites. The Bakers’ Dozen was revealed on Tuesday 31 January at the fir...