Consumer healthcare giant Haleon has announced the appointment of Dawn Allen as its next Chief Financial Officer.
Dawn will join Haleon on Oct 28 and will assume the role of CFO and join the Board from Nov 1.
Allen will replace Tobias Hestler, who is stepping down for better work balance amid the management of a long-term health condition. He will remain within the business until the end of the year to support the transition.
Allen is currently the CFO at Tate & Lyle. She previously had a 25-year career at Mars, where she was most recently Global CFO and VP Global Transformation.
Brian McNamara, Haleon’s Chief Executive, commented, “We are delighted to have appointed Dawn as our next CFO. She has a proven track record as a CFO with extensive consumer and international experience and will be a great addition to our executive team.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Tobias for his significant contribution in creating Haleon as a standalone business and for the close partnership over the last few years. He has played a critical role in shaping and building Haleon’s foundations and putting us on a path for long-term success.”
Sir Dave Lewis, Haleon’s Chair commented, “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Tobias for his significant input to the Board and his strong support to Brian and the management team and wish him all the very best for the future. We are very pleased to appoint Dawn as Haleon’s CFO. Dawn has deep consumer and financial experience and will be a very welcome addition to the Board.”
Allen added, “I am very excited to join the team at Haleon. Its clear purpose and fascinating journey through separation and beyond sets a strong foundation for the future. I am looking forward to help shape the next phase of the journey.”
Hestler commented, “I have been a Type 1 diabetic all my life and it’s a condition that has always needed careful management. That becomes even more important as you get older and I’ve therefore concluded that after 30 years, now is the right time to step down and take my experience into non-executive and advisory roles. I’ve had 15 fantastic years helping bring together the businesses that Haleon has become and listing the company. I’m very proud of the business we have built and the potential that it has. I will continue at Haleon until the end of this year and look forward to helping ensure an orderly transition to Dawn as she takes on the role.”
Britain's biggest supermarket group Tesco plans to cut about 400 jobs from stores and its head office, seeking efficiency savings so it can invest in the business, it said on Wednesday.
The move follows that of Sainsbury's, the No. 2 player, which said last week it planned to reduce its headcount by over 3,000 roles.
British companies, and particularly large employers, are facing increased costs this year after the Labour government's first budget in October hiked National Insurance contributions for employers and the national minimum wage.
"We have started speaking to colleagues about a number of proposed changes in our stores and head office, including changing our bakery model in some stores, and updating our management structure in Tesco Mobile phone shops," Tesco said.
"Taken together, the changes we are proposing mean that around 400 roles will be removed."
Tesco said it would try and find alternative roles for impacted staff, noting it currently has 1,000 vacancies across the business.
Theft and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year and are "out of control", driven partly by criminal gangs, according to a report published on Thursday.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to 31 August 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion.
There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
The BRC said many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before. This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were just 455 incidents a day.
Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.
"Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive," said Helen Dickinson, head of the BRC.
Satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61 per cent of respondents describing it as "poor" or "very poor", the report showed.
"With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse," said Dickinson.
The BRC said the amount spent on crime prevention also hit a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion in 2022/23.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. It also plans to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
“Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence,” Paddy Lillis, general secretary of trade union union Usdaw, said.
“We have campaigned along with the BRC for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the government will be introducing the Crime and Policing Bill, which will meet our aims. That is only part of the fightback against the criminals and we will continue to work closely with retailers to deliver respect for shop workers.”'
Responding to the report, the police said they had made progress in 2024.
“Over the last year we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers and greatly improving information sharing which has resulted in a number of high harm offenders being brought to justice,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council's lead for retail crime, said.
Diageo on Tuesday announced the sale of its majority shareholding in Guinness Ghana Breweries plc to Castel Group.
A key player in the production and distribution of beverages across Africa, Castel will acquire Diageo’s 80.4 per cent stake in the local unit for $81 million (£65.2m).
Diageo will retain ownership of the Guinness brand, and other Diageo brands currently produced by Guinness Ghana (Malta, Orijin, Smirnoff Ice and Alvaro, and mainstream spirits) will be licensed to Guinness Ghana under a new long-term license and royalty agreement.
Diageo said it will continue to drive the brand and marketing strategy for the Guinness brand, in partnership with Castel, to promote continued growth and development in the country.
“Guinness Ghana is performing strongly powered by a fantastic team of people. Through this transaction, I look forward to the Guinness brand continuing to thrive and delivering further growth,” Dayalan Nayager, president Diageo Africa and chief commercial officer, said.
“I am excited to extend our partnership with Castel, a long-term partner in the region with a proven track record.”
Castel Group has significant and extensive expertise across West and Central Africa, and are a partner to Diageo in 11 other markets in Africa.
“This acquisition exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit that drives Castel and marks a new milestone in our growth ambition,” Gregory Clerc, Castel chief executive, said.
“It reflects our ability to go where we are least expected, exploring new horizons on a continent full of opportunities. With this 22nd African country, we reaffirm our dynamism, our boldness, and our confidence in Africa’s potential.”
The company said the latest transaction, and the expanded long-term partnership with Castel, further demonstrates its “active portfolio management and commitment to building an efficient operating model” in West Africa that is structured to deliver long-term and sustainable growth.
The announcement follows the sale in September 2024 of Diageo’s shareholding in Guinness Nigeria plc to Tolaram; the announcement in October 2023 of a wholly-owned dedicated spirits company to strengthen Diageo’s international premium spirits business and serve a wider geographic reach across West Africa; and the sale of Guinness Cameroon to Castel in July 2022.
Diageo’s footprint across Africa consists of East African Breweries Limited (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) and Diageo South West Central, and the company is present in 34 countries with strategic beer and spirits distributors.
The Wrexham Lager Beer Co has announced its expansion into the Hungary market, securing a partnership with Drink Station, a leading importer and distributor of beer in the country.
Servicing both the on and off trade, Hungary will see Wrexham Lager, Wrexham Export and Wrexham Pilsner hit the market in the 440ml can, 330ml bottle and 5L keg formats.
Now co-owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, alongside the Roberts family from Wrexham who took over the running of the brewery in 2011, the new listing follows the company’s recent successful expansion into the US, Australian and Scandinavian markets.
CEO of The Wrexham Lager Beer Co said: “Expanding into Hungary marks an exciting new chapter for Wrexham Lager Beer Co as we continue to grow our presence throughout Europe,” James Wright, chief executive, said.
“We believe our authentic beer, steeped in over 100 years of history, will not only appeal to Hungarian beer lovers, but also introduce them to a new dimension of flavour forged by our commitment to proper lagering.
“2025 is set to be another year of significant growth for Wrexham Lager Beer Co and we look forward to seeing how our product lands in Hungary.”
The Wrexham Lager Beer Co produces high-quality lager beer made with the finest ingredients, using a unique original recipe that is over 140 years old and still to this day follows those traditional Bavarian methods of its founders.
On the same day Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans to kickstart the UK’s floundering economy, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) revealed in its latest Market Insight Report that 80 per cent of survey respondents expect the Scottish economy to decline – with six per cent considering closing their premises.
The SLTA's report gives a snapshot survey of the challenges faced by Scotland’s pubs, bars and hospitality venues in the year 2024, with a deep dive into the festive trading period, and the expectations of the sector in 2025.
It reveals that the Scottish licensed hospitality industry ventures into 2025 with concerns over continued pressure from rising costs, staff availability, changes to employers’ national insurance contributions, and low economic confidence.
The survey’s responses represent over 400 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, covering the full spectrum of licensed hospitality businesses throughout the country, and contain key insights into the continued challenges facing hospitality, driven by a challenging economic environment and visitors with less disposable income.
“Christmas and New Year was a difficult period for our industry with a universal theme of visitors spending less time in outlets and spending less on food and drink. We did see an upturn in lower-strength products, but this was offset by customers having ‘one course instead of two," said Colin Wilkinson, SLTA managing director.
“Over the course of the calendar year, 49 per cent of outlets were down year on year, but over the festive period this increased to a worrying 69 per cent of outlets reporting a decline.’’
Mr Wilkinson added: ‘‘We also continue to face rising costs and staff shortages – 38 per cent of outlets told us that staff availability is impacting upon opening hours, up from 23 per cent in the summer. We are also seeing increased costs from suppliers and government increases in taxes.
“Regarding the pending changes to NI contributions, 75 per cent of outlets expect new employers’ NI costs to impact on their staffing levels. This will make it even more difficult for businesses to open their full operating hours, remain competitive and get more people into our venues.
“We are also facing the harsh reality that six per cent of respondents are seriously considering closure.”
The SLTA has been conducting Market Insight Surveys for nearly 10 years with the analysis based on quantitative research from outlets covering the length and breadth of the country. This survey is supported by major food and drink chains, and independent pubs, bars and hotels, across Scotland’s licensed hospitality sector.
Commenting on staff availability and how the government can support the sector, Mr Wilkinson added: “One proposal that the SLTA supports is the introduction of a Scottish hospitality workers’ visa, which could help to alleviate staff shortages.
“The hospitality industry fulfils a critical role in Scotland’s food, drink and tourism industry, and we are keen to work with government to explore opportunities to protect jobs in this vital sector and help businesses to work to their full potential.”