KTC Food Group has launched a revamped corporate website, marking a significant milestone in its history and recent expansions.
This update follows KTC’s strategic acquisitions of Trilby Trading and Cardowan Creameries, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s premier food oil specialists.
Cardowan Creameries, a leader in plant-based margarines and fats, and Trilby Trading, a top Irish importer of oils, have enabled KTC to broaden its product range and establish a stronger presence in the Irish market.
Since its founding in 1972, KTC has grown from a family-owned retail store in the West Midlands into a powerhouse in the food oil industry. The updated website showcases KTC’s capabilities across food service, manufacturing, retail, and export channels, serving customers throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe, and beyond.
Scottish independent retail chain PGNJ Group has reached a significant milestone in its ongoing support for Glasgow charities, with total donations now exceeding £20,000.
This incredible achievement reflects the dedication and generosity of PGNJ colleagues and customers across its 11 stores, with further locations in development for 2025.
Community lies at the heart of PGNJ Group’s ethos. Through its stores and Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) initiative, the retailer has raised over £8,000 last year alone.
Recent funds will directly support vital programs that ensure that every baby, child and young person treated at Scotland's largest children's hospital receives the extra special care they deserve.
The charity provides funding life-changing projects and services for the children and families treated at Scotland's largest children's hospital.
“The Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity is incredibly close to the hearts of our staff and customers," said Jay Javid, Director of PGNJ Group. "I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together. Every penny raised in our stores through MADL and other efforts is helping to make a real difference to children and families who need it most. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.”
PGNJ Group has a proud history of giving back through MADL. Recent donations include £1,000 to James Aiton Primary School and contributions of £700 to Glasgow Cash for Kids. These acts of kindness highlight the collective commitment of PGNJ colleagues and customers to supporting their local communities.
Stores raise money through a variety of initiatives, from donation tins at checkouts to the sale of Co-op own brand products in store. This spirit of giving and connection drives the retailer’s success and deepens its bond with the communities it serves.
Kate Carroll, Head of Charity at Nisa, added: “I know how passionate Jay and his staff are about supporting their communities, so I’m delighted to see this generous donation to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. I’m sure the money will go to some fantastic initiatives to support young people treated at the hospital.”
By reaching this £20,000 milestone, PGNJ Group has not only demonstrated its dedication to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity but also reinforced its mission to put community first. As the group expands its presence in 2025, it remains steadfast in its commitment to making a difference locally and supporting causes that resonate with its staff and customers.
Using cash not only affects consumer spending habits but also supports a deep psychological sense of ownership - something rarely experienced with digital transactions, shows a new research exploring how different payment methods influence spending behaviour.
The study, published in Qualitative Market Research in late 2024, reinforce the well-documented advantages of cash, such as its accessibility, resilience, and data privacy.
The study concludes that "when we handle cash, we are not just spending money; we are parting with a piece of ourselves." While digital payments are undoubtedly convenient, the research underscores the vital role cash continues to play in both monetary systems and society.
Cash remains the most inclusive payment method, accessible to everyone, including the elderly, unbanked individuals, and those in rural areas, states the report. With increasing bank closures, access to cash has been under threat.
However, new laws from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations introduced in September 2024 ensure continued protection and improvement of cash access for businesses and consumers alike.
During natural disasters, power outages, and cyberattacks, cash serves as a crucial fail-safe. Unlike digital payments, which depend on electricity and internet connectivity, cash transactions remain unaffected, ensuring that businesses can continue operating in critical situations, states the report.
As digital transactions grow, so do concerns over data privacy and fraud risks. Cash payments remain anonymous, providing consumers with peace of mind that their financial activities are not being monitored or exploited.
A 2021 white paper study from cash handling specialists Volumatic highlighted strong consumer demand for payment choice, with many preferring a combination of cash and digital methods. A diverse payment ecosystem strengthens economic stability, allowing banks and businesses to mitigate risks associated with system failures and cyber threats.
Mike Severs, Sales & Marketing Director at Volumatic, said: “With the upcoming rise in National Insurance and the National Living Wage rates, coupled with increasing business costs, we understand the challenges businesses face. Investing in cash handling equipment not only boosts efficiency but also improves financial performance - further proving the enduring value of cash.
“With cash usage on the rise and its benefits extending beyond financial considerations to consumer well-being, businesses must adapt to customer preferences.
"Offering a choice between cash and digital payments is key to meeting customer needs and ensuring a resilient, stable economy.”
For retailers concerned about handling and processing cash, innovative solutions from Volumatic offer seamless and secure management. As experts in cash handling technology, Volumatic provides tailored solutions that enhance efficiency while reducing costs.
Volumatic’s all-in-one cash-handling solution, the CounterCache intelligent (CCi), has helped retail businesses cut cash processing costs by up to 75 per cent. Acting as a secure storage device, forgery detector, and cash counter, the CCi - when paired with CashView Enterprise software - delivers real time reporting and full visibility from POS to bank deposit.
For businesses seeking simpler solutions, Volumatic also offers a range of money-counting scales, friction note counters and secure deposit devices - designed to improve efficiency and security while saving valuable time and resources.
Specialty wholesaler Cotswold Fayre has been paying a hefty amount to combat rising crime and theft on its depots by installing CCTVs and extra staff on the shop floor.
Paul Castle, managing director of Cotswold Fayre, a specialty wholesaler based in Reading, told BBC that it “paid a fortune” to have CCTV cameras installed in its two sites while employing extra staff to reduce theft loss.
Castle told BBC, “I think the independent sector is always going to get hit harder than the multiples, because we don’t have as many security guards and all of the barriers.”
Castle said that to prevent theft, Cotswold Fayre has had to hire extra staff to be on the shop floor.
He explained that while this has stopped some of the stock loss, it has also increased the company’s overheads.
"You either suffer the loss of the product going, or you pay for the extra wages to prevent it going in the first place. The reality of it is, we’ve got no other protection or backing or support from anybody or anything. It’s your wits against that of the thief.”
The cost to businesses is about more than just the value of the lost stock.
Castle said, “If somebody comes in and pinches three bottles of vodka and they’re the only three bottles of vodka I’ve got and I’ve got to wait another week [for more], I lose the sales as well as the product.”
Cotswold Fayre
Cotswold Fayre
Cotswold Fayre supplies as a wholesaler the products of over 400 brands into around 2,000 retail sites. In recent years, it begun to operate its own large scale farm shops, under the Flourish brand, which it uses to showcase the range in its wholesale division.
Its currently supplies to a broad mix of operators from farm shops, which account for 30 per cent of sales, delis, garden centres, convenience stores, which has grown to 13 per cent of sales, department stores, and online retailers, which is now accounts for a hefty 30 per cent of revenues.
Castle's statement comes as an annual crime survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that in the year to last August, customer theft rose by more than 20 per cent to £2.2 billion, taking the total cost of crime in the retail sector to nearly £4.2 billion, including the cost of crime prevention. Incidents of violence and abuse exceeded 2,000 a day for the first time.
The survey from the BRC found that a third of larger retailers rated the police response to crime on their premises as fair, good or excellent, while majority (61 per cent) considered it poor or very poor.
Diageo, the company behind Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whiskey, has said US tariffs could damage a recovery in its sales, hitting its tequila portfolio and Canadian whisky in particular.
Debra Crew, the chief executive who took over in June 2023, today (4) said that Diageo had planned for a number of potential scenarios regarding tariffs, but said the new duties announced over the weekend “could very well impact this building momentum".
“In the US, our largest market, the products which would be impacted by the tariffs would mainly be our tequila portfolio, which given geographic origin requirements must be made in Mexico, and also Canadian whisky.
“We are taking a number of actions to mitigate the impact and disruption to our business that tariffs may cause, and we will also continue to engage with the US administration on the broader impact that this will have on everyone supporting the US hospitality industry, including consumers, employees, distributors, restaurants, bars and other retail outlets.”
This could include higher prices, fewer promotions, as well reallocation of investment, inventory and supply chain management.
The warning came as the world’s largest spirits maker, which has almost 30 malt distilleries in Scotland and owns global brands such as Johnnie Walker whisky, Guinness stout, Smirnoff vodka and Captain Morgan rum, revealed that net sales dipped 0.6 per cent to £8.8bn for the six months to December 31, as an increase in organic sales was dragged back by “unfavourable” currency exchange rates.
Crew said, “Our fiscal 2025 first-half results marked a return to growth, delivering organic net sales growth of 1 per cent despite a challenging industry backdrop as consumers continue to navigate through inflationary pressures.
“The confirmation at the weekend of the implementation of tariffs in the US, whilst anticipated, could very well impact this building momentum. It also adds further complexity in our ability to provide updated forward guidance given this is a new and dynamic situation.
Reported operating profit declined 4.9 per cent for the group’s first-half period, Diageo reported.
Diageo's finance chief Nik Jhangiani said today (4) that the company estimates an around £160 million hit to operating profit in its current financial year if US tariffs on Mexico and Canada are implemented in March, about 40 per cent of which it could mitigate before any price impact.
A plastic-free grocery store in Edinburgh has called for urgent action on youth crime after a violent incident linked to underage vaping left its shopfront damaged.
The Refillery, an ethical grocery store in Newington, was among the businesses affected when a group of teenagers vandalised its windows following an altercation at a nearby store that refused to sell them vapes.
The incident, which took place around 9pm on Friday (31 January), saw the teenagers allegedly swinging a pallet and attacking staff at another shop before moving onto the street, where they caused damage to The Refillery.
“Seems they were angry that a shop on the same street wouldn't sell them vapes (as they're underage). They ran riot in the shop near us swinging a pallet around and attacking the staff,” the store wrote in a social media post.
“Thankfully we were closed but the chaos spilled onto the street and they somehow felt the need to cause damage to our shop.”
The store called out local MP Ian Murray, who serves as the secretary of state for Scotland, questioning what measures are being taken to curb youth violence in the area. The post highlighted the increasing trend of aggressive behaviour towards retailers, particularly those refusing to sell age-restricted products.
While The Refillery does not sell vapes, cigarettes, or alcohol, the presence of stores allegedly supplying underage customers is bringing trouble to the area, the post claimed.
“There's very little the other shop keepers can do when these teenagers launch their attacks as they're too young and many are girls too. They simply have to stand back. Which I imagine is very frustrating,” the post read.
“What's going to be done @ianmurraymp to stop teenagers running feral on your doorstep?”
Last week, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has flagged a surge in retail crime across the UK, with its latest annual crime survey revealing that incidents of violence and abuse soared to over 2,000 per day in 2023/24—up from 1,300 the previous year. Among these, 70 incidents per day involved a weapon, more than double the previous year’s rate.
Police Scotland confirmed receiving a report about the incident, adding that the enquiries were ongoing.