Nine SPAR and EUROSPAR stores throughout Holywood, Bangor, Ballyholme and Newtownards in Northern Ireland have raised money in aid of the local food bank Storehouse North Down.
The stores raised money for the Gift A Gift Card Appeal, where for every £10 raised, a £10 One4All gift card will be donated to the organisation.
All nine stores had collections while SPAR Abbeyhill in Bangor also ran an in-store raffle with exciting prizes from local businesses for shoppers, including a luxury hamper from Denman International, and vouchers for Streamvale Farm, DV8 and Dundonald International Ice Bowl.
The stores raised an amazing total of £4,028.81, resulting in 402 £10 One4All gift cards being donated to the food bank and the remainder of the money raised was spent on other essential items.
The stores and teams who raised the money with their shoppers were SPAR Torgrange, Holywood; SPAR Ballyholme, SPAR Donaghadee Road and SPAR Movilla in Newtownards while in Bangor, five stores took part: SPAR Belfast Road, SPAR Abbeyhill, EUROSPAR Rathgael Road, EUROSPAR Ashbury and EUROSPAR Gransha.
“The vouchers will be placed in Christmas Hampers which are being given out throughout December and to receive over 400 of them from the stores is an amazing help! It gives those local families who use our services that autonomy to buy what they need, when they need it. We want to thank the teams from all nine stores and their shoppers for this very generous donation,” Valerie Miskimmon, co-manager and a volunteer at Storehouse North Down food bank, said.
Mark Eatwell, Post Office manager and community representative at SPAR Abbeyhill in Bangor, who organised the appeal, commented: “It was great to get all these local stores together to help raise as much as we could for the food bank.
“Storehouse North Down is doing such important work and helping so many families through difficult times in our local communities, so we wanted to lend a helping hand for the Christmas period. On behalf of all stores, I want to thank our generous shoppers who donated to such a great cause, and those local businesses who got behind Abbeyhill’s raffle, we couldn’t have done it without them.”
A retailer has been handed a fine of £22,500 for selling vapes to minors and stocking non-compliant vapes.
Link Telecom Enterprise Limited was handed the maximum fine provided by the regulations of £2,500 for selling a vape to a child at a shop on Brigstock Road in Thornton Heath.
They were fined an additional £20,000 for two offences of stocking vapes which failed to display the health warning and contact details in Great Britain of the supplier.
The defendant was also ordered to pay £5,008.13 in costs to Croydon Council.
The company was not represented at the court hearing, and convicted in absence. The ownership of the business has recently changed hands which the court described as a ‘cynical’ attempt to abuse the court process.
“I’m proud that we have the best Trading Standards team in London because they work hard to protect residents and businesses against illegal operators,” Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said.
“The legal action is part of the council’s crackdown on rogue businesses that fail to follow legislation which can put residents’ health at risk, as well as harming legitimate businesses’ trade.
“Our Trading Standards team do really important work to help keep us all safe. Residents are vital in helping the team, so if anyone thinks a shop is selling restricted products to those underage or illegal vapes, please get in touch.”
Businesses can contact the Council if they would like more information to deter underage sales or any other trading standards assistance.
Croydon’s Trading Standards team won Team of the Year at the London Trading Standards Awards 2024, held in November last year.
Illicit tobacco, banned imported American candy, oversized vapes and unsafe or counterfeit goods are amongst the items seized by Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards officers last year.
As reported by the council on Wednesday (8), the team removed a total of 220,000 illegal products from the market, with an estimated value of around £250,000.
All the items present their own specific threat to public safety and consumer well-being, such as American candy made with unapproved additives, bogus perfumes and dangerous knock-off vapes.
Included in the haul for 2024 were 176,740 illicit cigarettes and 109kg of hand rolling tobacco. The £123,000 haul was seized from shops as part of Operation CeCe. Also removed from the market were over 7,264 illegal or oversized vapes worth around £94,432 as part of Operation Joseph.
As part of Operation Taste, officers have also been leading efforts to remove banned, illegal or harmful foods from the markets. These include banned imported American candy, snacks and drinks, products with incorrect or no allergen labelling, or foods where the origin is not known or clear. During the year, over 3,700 items were removed from the market worth an estimated £10,300.
Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, said, “Once again, it’s been another busy and successful year for our Trading Standards service.
“These are significant amounts of illegal goods and tackling the supply of them and disrupting the criminal networks behind them remains a priority for the team. Making these seizures is vital work and not only prevents potentially harmful products from reaching consumers but also helps protect legitimate traders and the local economy.
“The teams successes do rely on the support from the public about the sales of such goods and anyone with information should contact the team. Criminals should also remember that officers are never far away and will take the necessary action against any illegal activities.”
Over 8,000 unsafe or non-compliant products were also removed from sale. This included electrical goods, children’s toys and PPE. More than 1,624 counterfeit goods were also seized from shops, markets and from online sellers with a retail value of £6,100 .
Illegal Items removed from sale include banned imported American candy and fizzy drinks, illicit cigarettes and tobacco, counterfeit perfume, illegal and oversized vapes, unsafe children’s toys and tricycles, other non-compliant items like ladders and baby strollers and counterfeit clothing.
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Hancocks depot in Loughborough flooded after the River Soar broke its banks
The Hancocks depot in Loughborough is due to reopen today (10 January) after being flooded earlier this week.
The store, and World of Sweets head office which is located next door, were submerged under water after the River Soar broke its banks.
Flooding hit huge parts of the East Midlands on Monday, with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue declaring a major incident. The flood waters forced local residents out of their homes and businesses to close.
But the team at Hancocks and World of Sweets were quick to dig out their wellies, and once it was safe, headed to the store and head office to begin the clean-up.
Hancocks staff cleaning up the Loughborough depot
Fifty members of the businesses’ team from the store, HR, customer services, finance, marketing, new product development, sales and buyers joined forces to tackle the clean-up.
They filled six skips, walked thousands of steps, consumed hundreds of mugs of tea and coffee and got very muddy but ended the day with a store cleaned and ready to stock.
The fully restocked store will reopen to customers on 10th January, with head office staff back working in the office on13th January.
“We have an amazing team here at Hancocks and World of Sweets who all pulled together to get the Loughborough store and the head office back in business,” Jonathan Summerley, Hancocks chief operating officer, said
“Clearing up after flooding is difficult. The damage and destruction left by the water is hard to take, but our incredible team handled it with smiles on their faces and lots of dirt on their clothes by the end of the clean-up.
“Here at Hancocks and World of Sweets we pride ourselves on our strong culture and the togetherness we’ve created. The efforts of the whole team show their commitment to the business and the customers we serve.”
Multiple convenience stores faced hefty fines last week for trading in illegal cigarettes and e-cigarettes, as enforcement crackdowns highlighted the dangers of illicit tobacco products.
Cases in Stalybridge and London saw store owners and managers penalised for selling counterfeit and unregulated goods, underscoring the ongoing efforts by local councils to protect public health and support legitimate businesses.
According to local reports, a Stalybridge store owner and manager have been ordered to pay over £11,000 after pleading guilty to three charges in relation to the sale and supply of illegal disposable e-cigarettes.
Tameside Magistrates’ Court heard that Tameside Council trading standards officers visited Texaco Caroline Street Service Station, Stalybridge, in June 2023 and seized a quantity of illegal disposable e-cigarettes.
A test purchase of an illegal disposable e-cigarettes was also made from the business.
This resulted in three charges being brought against Usman Patel, of Newstead Drive, Bolton, as the owner of the business and Khalid Muhammed, of Fenton Way, Bolton, as the manager of the business.
Tameside magistrates last week sentenced Patel to a £4,000 fine, and ordered him to pay a £1,600 victim surcharge and £715 costs. Muhammed was sentenced to a £3,200 fine, and ordered to pay a £1,260 victim surcharge and £715 costs.
Tameside Council Executive Member for Environmental Service and Neighbourhoods Cllr Laura Boyle said, “Trade in illicit tobacco and e cigarettes supports crime rings, damages legitimate businesses, undermines public health and facilitates the supply of tobacco to young people.
“This is a great result from court and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal trading in Tameside. Public protection is a priority for us and our officers are proactive in acting on local intelligence and investigating rogue traders to keep our local communities safe as well as to support responsible, local businesses that comply with the law.”
Another convenience store owner in London has also been fined heavily over selling illegal tobacco.
Ottoman Food & Wine on Reede Road, Dagenham was fined for over £5,000 for flogging dodgy tobacco. The store was caught red handed selling 1,880 illegal Benson & Hedges, Kent, Dunhill, Sobranie, and Marlboro cigarettes.
A routine Barking and Dagenham Council inspection uncovered the counterfeit goods after specialist tobacco detection dogs caught the scen.
The business MM & GS Food Ltd (trading as Ottoman Food & Wine) and the director Gokhan Sonmez were hit with a £5,272 fine at Barkingside Magistrates Court. MM & GS Food Ltd T/A Ottoman Food & Wine was fined £732 and ordered to pay costs of £1,611.45.
A victim surcharge was also added of £88. Sonmez was personally fined the same costs.
Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “We are committed to putting a stop to the selling of illegal tobacco in the borough. These activities jeopardise public health and flout regulations meant to protect consumers."
Valeo Foods Group, one of Europe’s leading producers of quality sweets, treats and snacks, has completed its previously announced acquisition of I.D.C. Holding, a major independent producer of quality wafers, biscuits, confectionary and chocolate in Central and Eastern Europe.
Valeo Foods Group said I.D.C. Holding will be a “transformative addition” to its expanding portfolio of leading food brands that include Rowse, Kettle, Jacob's, Barratt and Balconi, and would form the cornerstone for its operations in the fast-growing Eastern European market.
“We are delighted to complete this acquisition and welcome the team to Valeo Foods Group. The acquisition of I.D.C. Holding introduces complementary brands and opens the door to significantly strengthening our position in the Central and Eastern European market and solidifying our leading position with our international retail partners,” commented Ronald Kers, Valeo Foods Group chief executive.
"We are confident our market strategies will drive profitable growth through enhanced distribution, greater penetration and a cost-efficient supply chain. We expect the strength of our combined organisations to create value for years to come. With I.D.C. Holding joining Valeo Foods Group we can continue to build on our solid foundation underpinned by market leading brands, operational excellence and a strategic focus on becoming the undisputed sweet treats champion of Europe.”
First established over a century ago, I.D.C. Holding is a major manufacturer of high-quality sweets products in Slovakia with a turnover of almost €200 million annually. The portfolio includes traditional and iconic brands such as Horalky, Mila, Lina, Kávenky, Goralki, Moments, Verbena and many others. The group employs more than 1,150 people across three production sites located in Slovakia and three subsidiaries in Czech, Hungary and Poland.