One Stop has announced a new partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare.
And, the convenience store retailer has donated an incredible £80,000 to FareShare to mark the new partnership, which will support the provision of meals to children during the school holidays over the festive period and February half term next year.
One Stop has also launched a fun-filled Christmas activity book which will be available to purchase in store from Wednesday (December 8) to help raise further funds.
The book will cost £2.50 – raising funds that will help FareShare to deliver the equivalent of 10 meals to support children through the holidays – and will be available at all of One Stop stores, with proceeds from the sale going directly towards helping FareShare provide food for those in need.
The activity book includes colouring pages, the opportunity to find festive characters including ‘Carol the Cranberry’ and ‘Lesley the Leek’ and also houses a template for a gingerbread house on the back page that can be cut out and made.
“Our stores are based in the heart of community neighbourhoods so we see firsthand how some people may need additional support. It’s key that we work with organisations like FareShare to help make a difference and influence change,” Liz Fox, head of sustainability & social responsibility at One Stop commented.
“Our initial £80,000 donation will support the delivery of 320,000 meals to support providing meals to children during the school holidays across the UK (£1 providing four meals), so we’ll be able to hit the ground running before we even start to sell the Christmas activity books. These books will then enable us to raise additional funding.”
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare chief executive, added: “Two-thirds of groups FareShare supply with food support children and families. The holidays should be a time of fun and excitement yet, in the aftermath of the pandemic and with rising costs to contend with, many more families will struggle to put food on the table over the Christmas break. We are very thankful to One Stop for their support, which will help us deliver 320,000 meals worth of food to our network of frontline charities supporting families this winter.”
Christmas will see the initial launch phase of One Stop’s partnership with FareShare and moving into 2022 and 2023, its 900 stores around the UK will continue with their support of holiday hunger and further activity books launched, including over Easter and Summer.
UK food businesses are expected to face significant financial challenges in 2025, grappling with multiple cost pressures. The cost of food items is predicted to rise by up to 4.9 per cent next year, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD).
IGD’s latest Viewpoint Special Report, “Hungry For Growth”, highlights food inflation as one of the most significant challenges for UK households. However, it also places the increase in food prices within a wider context of overall industry pressures.
IGD’s forecast for food inflation in 2025 is based on a full overview of all the cost pressures on food businesses for the next 12 months. While energy and commodity prices will remain stable albeit a little higher in 2025, there will be significantly increased employment and regulatory costs for food businesses in the coming year which will mean food inflation could hit anywhere between 2.4 per cent - 4.9 per cent.
In July 2024, IGD forecast that retail food inflation in 2025 would average 2.1 per cent. This forecast has been revised upward principally on the basis of measures announced in the budget.
In forming these new forecasts, IGD assumed that major policy changes raising business costs will arrive in three phases over the next year:
April: rising costs to employment staff due to increases in National Insurance and National Living Wage
July: rising costs of food imports due to implementation of the Windsor Agreement framework with the EU
Oct: first payments are due to fall on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), increasing costs on packaging
IGD estimates that the food sector will only be able to absorb between 20 per cent - 40 per cent of these costs, meaning the remainder will be passed onto the consumer.
Food inflation is likely to continue to exceed inflation in other items, not just in 2025 but also 2026.
“We do not see food prices going down in the foreseeable future," said IGD Chief Economist James Walton. "The rising cost of living, combined with increased employment and regulatory costs, will keep inflation elevated. Consumers will undoubtedly look for ways to save money, but the impact of these cost pressures will be felt across the economy.
"For the food sector, the increased financial burdens are becoming harder to absorb, particularly for smaller players in the sector. The cumulative impact of multiple changes landing within a short period of time will drive significant cost into all food businesses across the UK.”
Police investigating crimes linked to the Post Office Horizon IT scandal are looking at "dozens" of potential suspects, but don't expect trials to begin until 2027. The police will also await the publication of Sir Wyn Williams’ public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal before moving forward to charging, stated recent reports.
The investigation, which the police describe as unprecedented in size and scale, is in the first instance examining potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice by those involved in making “key decisions” on Post Office investigations and supporting prosecutions of branch owner-operators.
However, a second phase, which is being developed concurrently, is looking at “wider offences” and decision-makers involved more broadly at the Post Office, as well as at Fujitsu, which developed the controversial Horizon accounting software.
Three suspects have already been interviewed under caution and there are plans to interview others next year, according to police.
But no one will be charged until officers have read the final report from the separate public inquiry, almost 30 years after concerns were first raised.
Stephen Clayman, the Met commander overseeing the police investigation, said officers were “looking at the actions of prominent individuals” beyond those directly involved in making decisions on Post Office investigations and supporting prosecutions.
“We will go where the evidence takes us,” The Guardian quoted Clayman as saying. “We are looking at the Post Office and Fujitsu and anything wider. We will cast the net wider in terms of culpability.”
“The scale of the task ahead is unprecedented. I do know that if you take into account Post Office criminal and private prosecutions, civil claims and contract withdrawals, there are potentially thousands of victims who we are working hard to identify.”
Clayman added, “No key decisions will be made around submissions and charging decisions until the final report is delivered and thoroughly reviewed by the investigation team and the Crown Prosecution Service. We are looking at 2027 [for trials] realistically.”
“We have been building a larger investigation team made up of officers across all forces. All forces are contributing to the build of a national team. This is a truly national operation in scale and should be resourced as such.”
Michael Norman, the senior investigating officer, added that police were also looking at “investigators, solicitors, barristers and people within Fujitsu as well”.
“As others [persons of interest] come into scope we will look at those as well, if they become raised to suspect status,” Norman said. “It is very fluid. The issue of corporate liability, corporate culpability, is always open.”
Norman said that to date the police had interviewed three individuals under caution, dating back to 2021, with the most recent in September this year. Clayman said prosecutions would not reach trial until 2027, in part due to the “unprecedented” scale of the investigation, which is reviewing more than 1.5 million documents.
More than 900 post office operators were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 because of faulty Horizon accounting software that made it look as though they had been committing fraud.
Tŷ Nant, a symbol of Welsh luxury and premium hydration, has announced the strategic acquisition of Fonthill Water and Decantae Mineral Water from the US-based Primo Water Corporation.
Tŷ Nant said the acquisition will elevate its status as one of the UK's leading premium water brands, following closely on the heels of acquiring the premium Welsh water and mixer brand, Llanllyr Source in late 2023.
Primo Water is a leading player in North America's beverage industry with a multi-billion dollar market cap and an EBITDA of $500 million in 2023.
Decantae Mineral Water, known for its pristine quality sourced from the foothills of Snowdonia, has been a leader in the premium bottled water sector in the UK and Europe. The acquisition of Decantae brings new packaging innovations to Tŷ Nant's line-up, including cuplets for travel retail and healthcare, complementing its existing glass and PET bottles.
Fonthill Spring Water, with its origins in the historic Fonthill Bishop Estate in Wiltshire owned by Lord Margadale, is celebrated for its naturally filtered, high-quality spring water. This acquisition not only broadens Tỳ Nant's geographical footprint but also enhances its product range with another iconic British water source and introduces Tŷ Nant to the water cooler market, targeting commercial, educational, and healthcare sectors with its 15L bottles.
Raminder Sidhu, chairman of Tŷ Nant, highlighted the synergy in these acquisitions, stating: “Our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and exceptional customer service aligns perfectly with the ethos of Decantae and Fonthill. These acquisitions are pivotal in our vision to grow our diversified super-premium adult beverage group, where each product carries a deep sense of provenance, alongside our commitment to premium and sustainable offerings.”
In a market increasingly driven by consumer demand for quality and sustainability, Tŷ Nant has been recognised as the UK's fastest-growing bottled water company in the Alantra Fast 50 this year, and ranked as the overall 4th fastest growing food and beverage company in the UK. This recognition is particularly impressive given that Tŷ Nant is already profitable, securing the highest average price per litre among all British mineral and spring water brands.
Looking ahead, Sidhu outlined ambitious plans for 2025. “We are poised for an exciting year continuing the tremendous growth we have experienced for the last four years. We will continue to innovate across our portfolio. We're introducing aluminium bottles and cans as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional packaging and refreshing the 'contemporary classical' look for Llanllyr Source. Moreover, we're set to launch new flavours from our award-winning Kings Hill small batch gin distillery in the Pentland Hills, Edinburgh and we are expanding into 10 new export markets.”
Bira (the), which represents 6,000 independent retailers across the UK, says the extension of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations will finally create a level playing field between high street and online sellers.
"Electrical equipment like vapes are being sold in the UK by producers who are failing to pay their fair share when recycling and reusing of dealing with old or broken items," announced circular economy minister Mary Creagh on December 10. "Today, we're ending this: creating a level playing field for all producers of electronics, to ensure fairness and fund the cost of the treatment of waste electricals.
"As part of our Plan for Change, we are helping UK businesses compete and grow, and we continue to get more households recycling, cracking down on waste and ending the throwaway society."
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: "This marks a significant step towards fairer retail competition. The regulation of online marketplaces for WEEE compliance has been a particular concern in the vaping sector, where we've seen a surge in online sales without corresponding waste management responsibilities. These new rules will ensure all sellers contribute to the environmental costs of their products."
The WEEE directive, which covers all items requiring batteries, solar energy, or electrical current to operate, will now require online retailers to cover disposal costs for products they place on the market. This brings them in line with existing requirements for high street retailers who have long managed these responsibilities.
Jeff Moody, commercial director of Retra, Bira's specialist electrical retail division, added: "The vaping industry exemplifies why these regulations are needed. High street retailers have managed disposal responsibilities while online sellers haven't faced the same obligations. This has created an unfair advantage for online marketplaces, particularly with products like vapes that have significant environmental impact."
The directive, first introduced in 2002 and updated in 2012, places responsibilities on all producers - including manufacturers, importers, distant-sellers, distributors and retailers. These regulations ensure proper disposal and recycling of everything from large household appliances to small electronics, including the growing category of vaping products.
"As part of the Bira group, Retra has long advocated for equal treatment between online and physical retailers," added Mr Moody. "This announcement marks a significant victory for independent retailers who have consistently met their environmental obligations while competing with online sellers operating under different rules."
Despite stormy weather conditions hitting the UK last weekend, the nation’s support for small businesses remains strong, according to new research. The study by American Express to mark this year’s Small Business Saturday (7 December) shows that even faced with the force of Storm Darragh, over 10 million Brits shopped small on Small Business Saturday.
The research suggests that a collective £634m was spent on Small Business Saturday in-store and online. The survey of 4,000 adults revealed average spend per person on the day was the highest since 2020, with top reasons for shopping small including wanting to support business owners on the high street (53 per cent) and recognising that it has been a tough period for small businesses (39 per cent). Encouragingly, seven in 10 (70 per cent) adults surveyed said they will continue to shop small next year because of the positive impact these businesses have on local communities.
These Small Business Saturday figures are based on a third-party study that gathered consumer self-reported data from a nationally representative sample of UK adults – and does not reflect actual receipts or sales from Small Business Saturday, or American Express Cardmember spending data.
The research asked consumers about their level of support for small businesses across this year; of those upping their support, they are doing so in a variety of ways; almost three quarters (72 per cent) say they are shopping small where possible; three-fifths (60 per cent) are recommending small businesses to friends and family; and nearly one-third (31 per cent) are posting positive reviews online.
American Express is founder and principal supporter of Small Business Saturday, which encourages consumers to ‘shop small’ and support independent businesses in their communities. It is the UK’s most successful small business campaign; over the 12 years it has been running in the UK, it has engaged millions of shoppers and seen billions of pounds spent with small businesses.
Widespread support for this year’s Small Business Saturday campaign came from across the political spectrum, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosting a reception for small businesses at Downing Street last week and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves undertaking a special visit to meet small firms in Leeds on Friday (6 December). Government ministers joined MPs from all political parties, including the Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch, in posting their support across social media. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham were also among senior figures supporting the campaign.
“I am thrilled to see so many people out supporting small businesses on Small Business Saturday, even despite the weekend’s terrible weather,” said Michelle Ovens, Director of Small Business Saturday. “Not only that, but spend per shopper is up this year, showing a really encouraging trend for small businesses looking for a Christmas boost. It is so critical for businesses that we get out to support them, not just this weekend but throughout the festive season. Being conscious about where our spend goes, even when budgets are tight, gives consumers the power to make a real difference to communities. Together we can shepherd in an optimistic 2025.”
Dan Edelman, UK General Manager, Merchant Services, American Express, said: “Small businesses are vital to local communities so it’s incredibly encouraging to see this level of support on Small Business Saturday, even with the bad weather across most of the country. Looking ahead, it’s positive that consumers are intending to continue their support into next year too, something which will help keep local high streets thriving.”