The official opening of Pilgrim Foodservice's new wholesale depot was marked by the Mayor of Colchester, Councillor Lesley Scott-Boutell, who not only celebrated the launch of this impressive facility but also highlighted the positive impact it will have on the local community and beyond.
This new depot, a cornerstone of Pilgrim Foodservice’s ambitious investment plan, has already created 14 new jobs, reinforcing the company's commitment to supporting the local economy. The strategic location of the depot allows the family-run Caterforce member to expand its operations, ensuring more efficient deliveries of its products and services across Essex, Suffolk and London.
“I was delighted to be invited to visit Pilgrim Foodservice’s new depot," said Mayor Scott-Boutell. "The new purpose-built cross dock is hugely impressive, and it was brilliant to receive a tour of the whole site. Pilgrim Foodservice is an asset to Colchester and I’m particularly pleased that not only has this expansion helped to create more jobs for the area, but it will also be a fantastic boost to the local economy.”
Charles Bateman, managing director of Pilgrim Foodservice, shared her enthusiasm: “It was great to have the Mayor officially open our new depot. The positive customer feedback we've received since the depot started operating reflects the dedication of our Colchester team, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony felt like the perfect way to celebrate this exciting new chapter.”
One long-standing customer commented, "The new Colchester depot has significantly improved how we purchase our stock. The quality and freshness of the products are second to none, and we’ve noticed that all of our deliveries are arriving earlier which is great for us.”
Retailers across Scotland are calling on MSPs to back the SNP’s “imperfect” budget to avoid confusion within the business community.
According to retailers body Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), the Scottish government’s tax and spending plans are “imperfect” and have many flaws but should still be supported by politicians at Holyrood.
SRC however added that it has many concerns about areas including taxation, regulation and business rates.
But the SRC believes a failure to get the budget through Holyrood would leave a “thick layer of uncertainty” over the country.
David Lonsdale, the director of SRC, said, “Whilst the proposed Scottish budget is far from perfect and has flaws, there is much in it that retailers can get behind.
“Robust debate and scrutiny of the budget over the coming weeks is both right and necessary, however our hope is that ministers and MSPs can work collegiately to pass the budget without diluting the pro-growth measures during parliamentary horse-trading.
“A failure to do so risks adding a thick layer of uncertainty at a challenging time for retail.”
John Swinney, the first minister, is expected to use a speech in Edinburgh today (6) to call for collaboration from other parties to ensure the budget moves through the Scottish parliament in a timely manner.
An initial full parliamentary debate on the budget is due to take place on Feb 4 and the legislation must receive royal assent by the end of March.
The SRC’s submission to Holyrood’s finance committee is supportive of plans to freeze the basic property rate, rule out income tax increases, drop a surtax on grocers and fund action to combat shoplifting.
However, SRC has expressed disappointment over rising business rates for medium and large shops and for the decision not to match relief for smaller premises on offer in England.
It also raises concerns about a lack of measures to reduce the cost of doing business, particularly as retailers are facing increases from April as a result of the UK government’s decision to raise employers’ National Insurance contributions.
Aldi has reported its “best Christmas ever” due to the sales of more than £1.6 billion in the four weeks to Christmas Eve, thanks in part to shoppers trading up to its premium range.
According to numbers released by the supermarket, the total sales for the crucial holiday period increased by 3.4 per cent year-on-year, helped by a 12 per cent increase in sales of its Specially Selected own-label products.
Although this year’s growth was slower than the 8 per cent reported in Christmas 2023, the German discounter still achieved a record-breaking holiday season for the second consecutive year.
Aldi said it sold 350,000 turkeys, more than 400 tonnes of beef, and almost 3m Brussels sprouts, as well as 50m mince pies and about 25m pigs in blankets over the festive period.
The final quarter of the year, often referred to as the “golden quarter” in retail, saw households splurge on festive food and gifts.
Aldi noted that Monday, 23 December 2024, was its busiest trading day ever, with 3 million shoppers flocking to stores.
Rival chain Lidl last week reported similar results with record Christmas sales of more than £1bn. Lidl sales rose by 7 per cent for the period.
Aldi, with more than 45,000 staff across 1,020 stores, overtook Morrisons in 2022 to become the fourth largest grocer by market share, and it now has 10.3 per cent of UK spending, according to data company Kantar.
Aldi UK chief executive Giles Hurley said, “Our offering of outstanding quality British products at unbeatable prices was a winning combination yet again this Christmas as customers wanted to celebrate in style after an uncertain year, but with more challenges ahead, they wanted to do it without breaking the bank.”
“We couldn’t have done any of this without the unwavering dedication of all our amazing colleagues and I want to thank each and every member of Team Aldi for serving our customers so well this Christmas.
“As we look ahead to the new year, which for many will mean the prospect of living costs rising again, many families will be nervous about what 2025 holds.
“Against this background, our mission remains clear: we will not only remain the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket, but we will ensure the price gap between ourselves and the traditional full-price supermarkets is as big as ever.”
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Man pleads guilty to violent robberies in West Midlands c-stores
Man pleads guilty to violent robberies in West Midlands c-stores
Two people from Corby have been sentenced for theft offences after the local community people identified the duo on Facebook after an appeal was posted by the staff of a local convenience store.
Over Christmas, police arrested two accused Eleanor Hunter and Robert Mort on suspicion of three shoplifting offences including two from the BP garage in Uppingham in Rutland county.
The arrest happened after the staff of Budgens store on the Uppingham crossroads posted a video of the pair stealing alcohol bottles. The shop stocks a range of gin, cider and beer by small local producers which was among the items allegedly taken in the raid.
The video was widely shared on Facebook after which people in nearby Corby were able to identify the offenders.
Mort appeared before magistrates in Leicester on Dec 31 and admitted the charges. He was given a 14 week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
Hunter also appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Dec 28 where she also admitted the charges. She was given 16 weeks in prison.
Hunter and Mort are charged with the theft of a range of items including gammon, steak and meat from Budgens on Dec 16, as well as multiple kinder biscuits, Christmas gingerbread houses, Christmas sweets gifts and chocolate biscuits worth hundreds from the BP Garage in Harborough on Dec 14 and 15.
Both have long and chequered histories of shoplifting and other crimes. After a shoplifting spree last year Mort was locked up while in 2022, Hunter was banned from the BP Fourways garage after targeting the crime-ridden shop 18 times in a short period.
At that time, the garage was Corby’s most-targeted crime spot and was accused of "fuelling a crime-wave".
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has outlined its vision for the future of British farming in 2025, with President Tom Bradshaw reflecting on what he described as a “wretched” year for the industry in 2024.
Bradshaw, elected to the NFU's top position in February, used his inaugural New Year’s message to highlight the challenges faced by farmers over the past year.
These included volatile input costs, record-breaking commodity prices in some sectors and plummeting rates in others, shrinking direct payments, and one of the wettest years in recent memory.
“To cap a wretched year, we saw a Labour government that, after 14 years in opposition, promised to reset its relationship with British farmers and boost farmer confidence,” Bradshaw said. “Instead, it delivered an inflationary Budget and effectively dismantled tax reliefs for agricultural and business property.”
The government’s controversial changes to inheritance tax (IHT) sparked widespread farmer protests in Westminster and deepened tensions between the farming community and Labour leadership.
“We are keeping up the pressure on government, targeting rural Labour MPs with a strong visual reminder from banners going up across the UK that the fight is far from over,” Bradshaw stated.
“Ultimately, this issue must be resolved by the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves. A solution is urgently needed to mitigate the extreme human impacts of this indefensible family farm tax policy, which has left many farmers with no choice but to hold onto their farms until death. Rest assured, we will keep fighting.”
Bradshaw urged Labour to honour the commitments made in its election manifesto, which initially brought hope to the farming sector. He stressed the need for immediate action on the Agricultural Transition Plan, including adjustments to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) to balance food production with environmental goals, and making the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) more accessible to all farm businesses.
“A robust system of core standards for food imports is critical to protect both farmers and consumers from food produced under standards that would be illegal in the UK,” Bradshaw said. He called for legislation to boost public procurement of British food and a planning system that enables investments in on-farm infrastructure to support food production and mitigate environmental risks.
“These are the building blocks necessary to secure UK food security and provide Britain’s farmers with the confidence to invest in sustainable, affordable, homegrown food,” he explained. “This investment will also create jobs, support greener energy security, and foster climate-friendly farming practices.”
Despite the challenges, Bradshaw pointed to several bright spots in 2024. These included the first US export opportunity for UK beetroot growers and major retailers heeding the NFU’s call to introduce ‘Buy British’ tabs on their websites.
“As we step into the new year, we will build on the public’s unwavering support for British farming,” Bradshaw concluded. “We are committed to fostering a thriving and profitable farming industry—one that benefits shoppers, the environment, and the nation’s food security.”
The NFU’s ambitions for 2025 signal a determination to navigate a challenging political landscape while championing the interests of Britain’s farmers and consumers alike.
The government has unveiled a new £15 million grant to help thousands of tonnes of food – and fresh produce in particular – be passed to redistribution charities rather than going to waste.
An estimated 330,000 tonnes of edible food is either wasted or repurposed as animal feed before leaving farm gates every year, the government noted, with transport from farms to charities cited as a major barrier to redistribution.
To strengthen the links between farms and charities, the new scheme will see grants starting from £20,000 made available to the not-for-profit food redistribution sector in England. The cash will help organisations like homeless shelters, food banks and charities fight hunger, the government said.
It will help British farmers to deliver good food for those that need it and reduce the costs they face when dealing with waste, while also increasing the capacity and capability of the redistribution sector to take on farm surplus.
Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said: ”Nobody wants to see good food go to waste – especially farmers who work hard to put food on family tables across the country. Our new fund will help the charitable sector to work more closely with farmers, helping to find new opportunities to get their world-leading produce to those most in need within our communities.”
In a joint statement, Charlotte Hill, CEO of The Felix Project, and Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO of FareShare, said, ”After years of campaigning by food redistribution charities, we are thrilled to see this fund come to fruition. We are pleased that the government has recognised that too much food goes to waste on our farms, and that it should be redistributed to feed people who need it.
”We look forward to acting quickly with the government, the charity sector, and farmers to maximise the impact of this initiative during the British growing season, ensuring surplus food reaches as many people as possible. We have a proven model which funds farmers to redistribute their unsold food, which means that together, we can take meaningful steps toward achieving a zero-waste Britain.”