Britain will gather price data from over 1 billion units of grocery sales each month from supermarket scanners when it introduces a new system for measuring inflation in the sector next year, the country's statistics agency said on Tuesday.
The Office for National Statistics, which is modernising the way it gets information on the economy, said the move in March 2025 represented the biggest update so far of its inflation data gathering, covering 50% of the grocery market.
Currently, ONS price collectors go into shops to gather 25,000 prices per month but the new system will cover approximately 300 million price points derived from sales of over a billion units of products per month, the agency said.
The new system will improve the breadth of products covered by the ONS, gather prices across the entire month rather than on a specific day and tell the ONS about quantities sold, capturing changes in consumer behaviour in response to price changes.
Last year, the agency began using a new source of digital data covering all consumer train fares and this year it increased the number of price points for second-hand cars from 105 to 300,000 per month.
The ONS will continue to use price collectors to measure how prices have changed in smaller grocery shops and other outlets.
According to the ONS’ latest consumer price inflation tracker, food inflation fell 0.2 percentage points in June to 1.5 per cent as the prices of essential items such as pasta and margarine eased. This figure marked the lowest annual rate since October 2021 where it sat at 1.3 per cent, and compares with 17.4 per cent a year ago.
Huge amounts of counterfeit and illicit vapes, cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco cigarettes worth over £1.6million were seized in Lancashire late last month.
In one of the biggest Trading Standards seizures in Hyndburn to date, around 100,000 packs of illegal cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco, and hundreds of illegal non-regulation vapes, with a combined retail value of over £1.6million, were seized on 30 October in a joint operation with HMRC and Lancashire Constabulary from an empty trade premises next to a shop in Oswaldtwistle.
Counterfeit brands included Richmond, Benson and Hedges, and Lambert and Butler, as well as less familiar brands such as Manchester & Sovereign. Packaging used to manufacture counterfeit cigarettes was also seized.
Less than a week later, a sniffer dog has hunted down thousands of hidden illegal vapes and cigarettes as part of a crackdown at shops across Preston, in which the Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards team joined forces with HMRC and tobacco detection dog, Sky, a working cocker spaniel from Wagtail UK, whose canines are trained to sniff out hidden compartments of tobacco, vapes and money.
She sniffed out illicit goods at all seven city centre premises that they visited and even indicated that there was tobacco behind a false wall, which officers broke open to find the goods inside.
Stashes of cannabis, together with illegal prescription drugs and antibiotics were also seized. Hiding places included hidden compartments and in backyards, while one trader threw suitcases full of tobacco on the roof to try to evade detection.
A total of 1,642 packs of illegal tobacco and 651 non-compliant vapes were seized during the operation on 25 October with five of the businesses in the New Hall Lane and Friargate areas.
Investigations are now ongoing, the council added.
“Our Trading Standards team go above and beyond in their pursuit of illegal vapes and cigarettes, with unbelievable outcomes,” Cllr Michael Green, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Lancashire County Council said.
"Hiring sniffer dog Sky, who did a very thorough job, was a fantastic way of protecting residents from unsafe goods from unscrupulous traders. With the help of partners such as Wagtail UK, HMRC and the police, we can tackle rogue traders and find hidden illicit goods.”
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has on Wednesday announced the closure of its investigation into Unilever's environmental claims, noting the progress made by both Unilever and the broader fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector in ensuring transparent green marketing.
The decision comes after the CMA observed positive changes in Unilever’s product claims and the wider impact of its Green Claims Code, which has encouraged businesses to accurately promote their environmental credentials.
“Given these points, and the ongoing impact of the CMA’s work, the CMA has decided as a matter of administrative priority to close this investigation,” the regulator said, adding that it has not taken a view on Unilever’s compliance with consumer law.
The investigation into Unilever, launched in December 2023, sought to examine whether the company's environmental marketing met consumer protection laws. The CMA at the time said they are concerned that Unilever may be overstating how green certain products are through the use of vague and broad claims, unclear statements around recyclability, and ‘natural’ looking images and logos.
The CMA commenced a review of environmental claims in the FMCG sector in January 2023, examining a wide range of products which are essential items used by people on a daily basis and repurchased regularly, such as food and drink, cleaning products, toiletries, and personal care items.
The UK government’s generative AI chatbot has moved to the next stage of testing this week, making it easier and quicker for thousands of small businesses across the country to find information on GOV.UK.
Up to 15,000 business users will be able to ask the tool for advice on business rules and support, with the chatbot linked from 30 of GOV.UK’s business pages, such as “set up a business” and “search for a trade mark”. People with access to the trial can ask questions about tax and the support available to them.
A team of in-house data scientists, developers and designers are building the experimental tool using OpenAI’s GPT-4o technology which aims to help people more quickly navigate complex advice to understand what matters to them. In response, they will receive straightforward, personalised answers that collate information that may otherwise be spread across dozens of pages.
The results from the trial will determine the next steps which could include potential larger-scale testing. This could ultimately lead to the chatbot being rolled out across the full government website, made up of 700,000 pages.
The GOV.UK website attracts over 11 million users per week and is the best-known digital service in the UK according to YouGov.
The new trial comes as the science secretary’s department is shaping the new ‘digital centre’ of government to boost technology adoption across the public sector, taking a more experimental approach with emerging technology where appropriate as it does so.
“Outdated and bulky government processes waste people’s time too often, with the average adult in the UK spending the equivalent of a working week and a half dealing with public sector bureaucracy every year,” science secretary Peter Kyle said.
“We are going to change this by experimenting with emerging technology to find new ways to save people time and make their lives easier, as we are doing with GOV.UK Chat. With all new technology, it takes time to get it right so we’re taking it through extensive trials with thousands of real users before it is used more widely.”
After the first trial, which was conducted late last year, nearly 70 per cent of users agreed that the responses provided by the chatbot were helpful - where under 15 per cent disagreed. However, the first trial also showed that more testing and development was required to meet the high accuracy standards for advice and information on GOV.UK.
The government added that stringent safety measures and guardrails have been put in place, given the nature of this technology. Since the last test, the government experts have added ‘guardrails’ that help GOV.UK Chat detect which questions it should, and should not, answer. These include measures to prevent the chatbot responding to queries that may prompt an illegal answer, share sensitive financial information or force the chatbot to take a political position.
Keep ReadingShow less
Retailer Benedict Selvaratnam from Freshfields Market in Croydon
Government is "missing the mark" when it comes to understanding the struggles faced by small business owners, a convenience store owner has said, adding that Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget has left many small, family-run businesses feeling overlooked.
Retailer Benedict Selvaratnam, who runs his family business Freshfields Market in Croydon, is "disappointed" by the recent budget announcement. He feels that the bigger-than-expected increase in wage cost, rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions and reduction in business rates relief will significantly raise the business operating costs
Among the key measures announced by Reeves that directly impact local stores are an increase in National Living Wage to £12.21 per hour and increase in National Minimum Wage (18-20 rate) to £10 per hour. The two are collectively expected to cost £513 million extra to the convenience sector next year, according to convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).
Additionally, Employers’ National Insurance Contributions will rise by 15 per cent, the threshold for Employers’ National Insurance contributions to fall to £5,000 per year and Employment Allowance to rise to £10,500 a year. The collective cost to the convenience sector next year is estimated by ACS at £397m (increase of £85m).
Expressing his concerns, Selvaratnam told Asian Trader, "As a small, independent family business, Freshfields Market already operates on tight margins to keep our prices competitive for the local community. The increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions and reduction in business rates relief will significantly raise our operating costs.
"These changes come at a time when small businesses are still trying to recover from economic challenges, and it could hinder our ability to invest in growth, hire more staff, or even maintain our current workforce. It feels like a step backward for small businesses that are vital to our high streets."
Selvaratnam finds some relief in the shoplifting measures announced in the budget though he stresses on the need of proper enforcement as well.
He said, "The measures proposed to tackle shoplifting are a positive move and much needed. Shoplifting has become a major issue for retailers, especially in communities where economic pressures are high. Abolishing the £200 threshold and enforcing stricter penalties sends a strong message that theft won’t be tolerated.
"However, for these measures to be effective, enforcement needs to be consistent and supported by local law enforcement. It’s a step in the right direction, but we need ongoing support to ensure our staff and customers feel safe and protected."
"While the shoplifting measures are encouraging, the increased financial burden placed on small businesses outweighs the positives. It feels like the government is missing the mark when it comes to understanding the struggles faced by SMEs. We need policies that support growth and sustainability, not measures that add pressure to already strained resources.
"This budget has left many small, family-run businesses feeling overlooked."
Earlier, retailers' body British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) too strongly criticised Reeves’ budget, calling it the “most damaging for independent retailers in recent memory”, with a triple blow of doubled business rates, increased National Insurance, and higher minimum wage costs threatening widespread high street closures.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said, "Small retailers, who have already endured years of challenging trading conditions, now face a perfect storm of crippling cost increases. Their business rates will more than double as relief drops from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, while they're hit simultaneously with employer National Insurance rising to 15 per cent and a lower threshold of £5,000, down from £9,100. Add to this the minimum wage increase to £12.21, and many of our members are telling us they simply cannot survive this onslaught."
Goodacre added, "For all the government's rhetoric about supporting small businesses and revitalising high streets, their actions do precisely the opposite. These punishing measures will force many shop owners to make heart-breaking decisions about their businesses' future.
"What makes this particularly bitter is that these are family businesses, often built up over generations, run by people who work incredibly long hours to serve their communities. They're now being asked to shoulder an impossible burden while trying to compete with online giants who face none of these cost pressures."
Russell George MS has been elected as the new Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Small Shops, succeeding Vikki Howells MS.
The decision was taken during the CPG's annual general meeting held on Wednesday (6). The meeting also saw discussion over the important role of access to cash in local communities.
Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) highlighted in the session the current access to cash trends across the convenience sector and the important role that cash plays in local communities and businesses.
Sarah McKenzie, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), also joined the meeting to discuss the FCA's latest interventions to protect access to cash for communities in Wales and what this means for businesses across Wales. The CPG committee also heard from Tenby's Vince Malone, who shared his experience of running a Post Office in his local community and why cash is still important for his customers.
The core purpose of the group is to ensure that the voice of small shops is heard within the Welsh Parliament.
George said, “As a former small shop owner, I am delighted to be elected as Chair of the Cross-party Group on Small Shops. This role is vital in advocating for our local businesses and ensuring that their voices are heard. Access to cash is crucial for communities across Wales, especially in rural areas where many residents rely on cash transactions.
“We must work together to safeguard cash access, ensuring that the people of Wales can engage fully with their local economies and maintain the health of our high streets. I look forward to leading this group in promoting policies that support small shops and enhance financial inclusivity.”