News and Trends

 

 

Namnews,  6th November 2023 Marks & Spencer is accelerating the overhaul of its estate with its biggest-ever store opening month. The retailer, which has seen a marked improvement in performance under its current turnaround strategy, will open nine new and refreshed stores this month from an investment of £80m in its bricks & mortar operation. The openings begin tomorrow with a new 65,000 sq. ft. store in Birmingham’s Bullring. M&S will then open two further new store openings this month, alongside three new Foodhalls and three store renewals. The openings are part of M&S’ aim to become a leading omnichannel retailer, with its store rotation programme aimed at ensuring it has the “right stores, in the right place, with the right space”. M&S is planning to rotate from a base of 247 stores to 180 “higher quality, higher productivity” full-line stores that sell its clothing, home and food ranges, while also opening over 100 bigger food sites by its 2028 financial y...

  Namnews,  3rd November 2023 Lidl has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket for a basket of groceries, ending a 16-month run by its key rival Aldi. Meanwhile, the research by consumer watchdog Which? found that for a larger trolley of items, Asda remained the cheapest retailer and Waitrose was the most expensive. The monthly analysis involves comparing the average prices of a shop consisting of everyday groceries at eight of the country’s biggest supermarkets. It also looks at a larger trolley of groceries at six supermarkets, which excludes the discounters as they do not always stock major brands. The cheapest supermarket for a smaller basket of goods in October was Lidl, where the cost averaged £74.58 across the month. However, Aldi was just 17p behind on £74.75. Meanwhile, the basket of groceries at Waitrose totalled £91.15, which is 22% more than Lidl. Full table of basket results (based on 44 items):  Retailer Average basket price Lidl £74.58 Aldi £74.75 Asda £82...

Following the  worst year in tourism history   and a year 2021 that was only marginally better due to the persistent threat posed by Covid-19, 2022 marked the first significant improvement for the global tourism industry. According to the   United Nations World Tourism Organization   (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals reached 66 percent of 2019 levels in 2022, up from 28 and 30 percent, respectively, in 2020 and 2021. In the first seven months of 2023, international travel continued its recovery despite difficult economic circumstances, but remained 16 percent below 2019 levels, as the road to full recovery is proving longer than initially hoped. While a brief rebound in the summer months of 2020 had fueled hopes of a quick recovery for the tourism sector, those hopes were dashed with each subsequent wave of the pandemic. And despite a historically fast global vaccine rollout, travel experts struggled to stay optimistic in 2021, as governments kept many restrict...

Tesco has launched a trial of handmade baguettes in the latest exciting shake up of its Premium lunch-time meal deal. From today, customers wanting to treat themselves at lunch can pick up baguettes with generous fillings including Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Pesto and Chicken & Beechwood Bacon Caesar. Other fillings include: Tuna, Mayo & Cucumber Wiltshire Ham, Cheddar & Dijon Mustard Free Range Egg Mayonnaise & Rocket In this 170-store trial across the country, customers with a Clubcard can pick up a baguette, along with a drink and side for just £5. Tesco Brand Manager, Violaine Barthe, said:  “We know our customers like the occasional lunchtime treat and our new range of baguettes with 5 delicious fillings give them the perfect excuse to do so. “And with a main, snack and drink in our Premium meal deal costing just £5 for Clubcard members, treating yourself at lunchtime doesn’t have to break the bank.” Meal deal baguettes are the latest revamp to Tesco’s popu...