Sales at The Paul Hollywood Ready to Bake Range have surged during lockdown, with consumers now being advised to buy in advanced to avoid disappointment.
Over the past three months, the of value sales has increased by over 130%, indicating a strong consumer need to consistently have store cupboard favourites like bread in the home.
Known for its longer-shelf life, The Paul Hollywood Ready to Bake Range has allowed consumers to have freshly baked bread whenever they want it.
The coronavirus crisis has significantly altered the way that people shop, with many reducing the frequency of their shopping trips to larger retailers or shopping online.
Jeremy Gilboy, founder, St Pierre Groupe, comments: “The recent sales increase during the health crisis has further strengthened Paul Hollywood’s position as the biggest brand in the part-baked category in the UK.
“It is evident that consumers are seeking quality bakery items that have a generous shelf-life and are convenient, meaning part-baked ranges like Paul Hollywood’s Ready to Bake rolls are a must-stock for retailers.
“They not only reduce shopping trips, but they also provide consumers with the quick and simple pleasure of having baked bread fresh from the oven that’s ready in under ten minutes. The Paul Hollywood Ready to Bake range also benefits retailers, as its longer shelf-life can reduce food waste in-store.”
The Paul Hollywood Ready to Bake Rolls make the perfect accompaniment to a number of meals, as well as the basis for dishes themselves.
The range includes four Crusty Rolls RRP: £1.40 and four Rustic Rolls RRP: £1.70 and is available in the multiple channel, with a recent listing in Morrisons and convenience channels.
Carlsberg's £3.3 billion deal to buy J2O maker Britvic has been approved by a High Court judge, paving the way for Carlsberg UK Holdings Limited to acquire the company.
According to recent reports, the court sanctioned the takeover at a short hearing on Wednesday (15), stating the scheme "could be and should be approved", BBC reported.
The approval by the court is the final step in a process that began with an agreement between Britvic and Carlsberg on July 8, 2024.
The Danish brewery, which also owns brands including 1664 and Brooklyn, said it planned to create a single integrated drinks business called Carlsberg Britvic following the takeover.
The company said it will create an "enlarged international group" that could expand into "multiple drinks sectors".
Britvic holds an exclusive licence with US partner PepsiCo to make and sell brands such as Pepsi, 7up and Lipton Ice Tea in the UK.
Andrew Thornton KC, for Britvic, said in written submissions that the company was "the largest supplier of branded still soft drinks and the number two supplier of carbonated soft drinks in Great Britain".
The hearing in London was told that the deal will see Britvic taken over by Carlsberg UK Holdings Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carlsberg A/S, which Thornton described as "one of the world's largest international brewing groups" with a market capitalisation of £13bn.
The acquisition was approved by Britvic's shareholders last August, with the Competition and Markets Authority giving its approval in December.
The companies said they have also received the clearance from the European Commission to proceed with the acquisition, satisfying all regulatory conditions.
Discount chain Poundland has announced a new initiative to tackle theft from their stores and protect their staff.
The ‘Against Retail Crime’ initiative, launched across its 800 UK stores, is part of the retailer’s ongoing efforts to address increasing shop theft, along with abuse and harassment of staff.
Store staff will soon wear communication headsets to communicate quickly when incidents occur. Following a successful trial across its estate, Poundland is also now rolling out body cameras to the stores with the most significant crime issues, providing a visual deterrent for offenders and record of incidents.
Preliminary results from the trials are promising, with the retailer reporting an 11 per cent decrease in violence against staff and a noticeable reduction in theft.
Poundland, which revealed that it lost more than £40 million worth of stock last year due to crime, added that it is working closely with local enforcement agencies and police forces to aid prosecution.
“The rate of store theft and colleague abuse has accelerated significantly across our stores in the last 18 months, and this has been very challenging for our people,” Christina Jesty, Head of Loss Prevention at Poundland, said.
“Whether it’s store theft undermining all our colleagues’ hard work, or incidents of violence and abuse making our colleagues feel unsafe at work, something must change.”
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), police in England and Wales recorded 443,995 shoplifting offences in the 12 months leading up to March 2024, marking a 30 per cent increase from the previous year's 342,428 incidents. This figure represents the highest level of shoplifting offences since records began in 2003.
Retailers have expressed concerns that many incidents go unreported, suggesting the actual number of offences may be higher.
Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the new investment by Poundland.
“It is shocking that over two-thirds of our members working in retail are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many subjected to threats and violence. Seven in ten of these incidents were triggered by theft from shops and it has become increasingly common for retail stores to be targeted by organised crime gangs stealing to order amid a retail crime epidemic. So, we welcome initiatives taken by employers like Poundland in tackling retail crime and helping to protect staff and we share their view that ‘enough is enough’,” Bally Auluk, Usdaw national officer, said.
The recently announced new buying group The Wholesale Group has begun the new year with the addition of six brand-new members
The buying group, which was announced at the end of last year and came into effect on Jan 1 2025, brings together the wholesale members of Confex and Fairway Foodservice to create "the home for independent wholesalers".
With 255 members, The Wholesale Group is now the UK’s largest foodservice buying group and the second largest retail buying group. The group has seen interest from unaffiliated wholesalers as well as members of other buying groups.
The new members to join the group are HRH International, Lancashire; Clegg’s Chilled Foodservice Ltd, Preston; Warley Stores Ltd, West Midlands; Eagle Foods Ltd, Peterborough; Café Deli Wholesale Ltd, Surrey and Tinsdale Distribuciones, based in Alicante, Spain.
“We are delighted to welcome so many new members to the group so soon into the new year,” said Jess Douglas, joint managing director.
“As a group, we provide a strong, supportive, collaborative platform for growth which secures our members’ future. Our offer is tailored to meet the needs of family businesses and we provide the best of both retail and foodservice expertise and efficiency.
"And, at a time when every business is faced with rising costs, our members pay no membership fees and all members receive a share of the profits – it’s an incredibly compelling offer.”
With £4.47bn buying power, the group is claiming to revolutionise UK independent wholesale sector.
As reported earlier, The Wholesale Group MD Tom Gittins is confident that the group will reach the £5bn mark “pretty quickly”, and has a chance “in five years’ time to be the biggest group”, amidst further consolidation in the industry.
On Tuesday (14), The Wholesale Group held a senior supplier briefing session ahead of its first trade show in March at Cheltenham Racecourse.
A survey from Too Good To Go has revealed that despite 60.4 per cent of adults claiming to be aware of the financial impact of food waste on their budgets, many underestimate the true cost.
The research uncovers a startling misconception among Brits, with 41.8 per cent believing they only waste £100-£200 worth of food annually. The reality is very different and in fact ten times higher, with UK households wasting on average, £1,000 every single year [WRAP, 2023].
With a long January ahead and Britons starting to think about the rest of the year, the surplus food marketplace noted that an additional £1,000 could provide some much-needed relief for the household budgets.
The main food items falling victim to waste are fresh produce (30.1 per cent), bread and bakery items (27.8 per cent) and leftovers (27.4 per cent). In fact, the equivalent of 1.3 million loaves of bread are thrown away every day in the UK, often due to incorrect storage.
Reducing food waste is not just a smart financial move; it’s an opportunity to be more sustainable. Food waste plays a huge part in the climate crisis – responsible for a massive 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. By reducing food waste, households can also significantly cut their carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier planet.
When asked if willing to alter shopping and cooking habits on realising they were wasting such significant amounts, a staggering 87.6 per cent confirmed they would. This willingness is driven primarily by a desire to save money (67.4 per cent), followed by a want to be more sustainable (33.1 per cent) and contributing to broader food waste reduction efforts (31.6 per cent).
Findings show that nearly half of respondents (45.8 per cent) already seek discounts as a cost-cutting measure.
Too Good To Go said its app provides the perfect opportunity for those looking to purchase food at a reduced cost. Users can purchase and pick up Surprise Bags of quality food from their favourite local spots that would otherwise have gone to waste, at a discounted price.
Too Good To Go shares some tips and tricks to help reduce household waste:
When in doubt, freeze those leftovers. Virtually anything can be frozen if you don’t think you’re going to be able to eat it in time.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with adapting a simple dish. For example, you can change a classic bolognese sauce into a chilli con carne, meat pie or even a lasagne.
Don’t forget storage. Cloth bags are ideal for storing bread as they help maintain its properties and prevent it from drying out, especially if you add a piece of potato to the bag.
Freshly made bread should not be stored in airtight bags to allow it to breathe and stay as fresh as possible; instead use a bread basket or cloth bag to cool it at room temperature.
For sliced bread, store it in the fridge to extend its shelf life, and always check its condition before eating.
Cultural entropy costs retailers an estimated £10.8 billion annually, making up almost a tenth of the £122 billion lost annually across UK industries due to workplace fear, amounting to 5 per cent of the nation’s GDP, states a recent report.
According to a research by Katharine Williams, founder of Neema, in terms of economic loss, the retail sector ranks fifth, sitting below healthcare, manufacturing, real estate and construction and financial services.
The rise of e-commerce, automation in supply chains, and data-driven decision-making has transformed operational models.
This shift has increased pressure on leadership to adapt quickly, often leading to fear-based behaviours amplified by job security concerns, evolving customer expectations, and the challenge of balancing technological innovation with workforce retention, states the report.
Defined by the Barrett Values Centre, cultural entropy is a measure of unproductive and fear-based leadership behaviours such as blame, bureaucracy, and mistrust, which divert critical resources and energy away from productive activities, hampering revenue growth and impacting employee engagement across various sectors.
In terms of cultural entropy, by comparison to other sectors retail performs quite well with an entropy score of 17 per cent, sitting below sectors such as utilities and healthcare which have greater levels of fear-based behaviours.
The study finds that although good leaders don’t intentionally foster fear-based cultures, many unwittingly do. Despite over 50 per cent of UK organisations offering leadership development programmes, between 15 per cent and 22 per cent of all leadership behaviour remains fear-based.
This is because, like all humans, 90-95 per cent of a leader’s thoughts and behaviours are driven by their subconscious processing—which is often fear-based and shaped by emotional triggers, habits, and learned responses.
As a result, even highly experienced, well-intentioned leaders operate with fully deliberate, intentional thought only 5-10 per cent of the time, making them susceptible to automatic responses that may not align with either their own or the company’s values.
Williams said, “I see this as positive news for CEOs within retail. For those who have been left dissatisfied by the results of costly, time-intensive cultural interventions and leadership development programmes, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
"Cultural Entropy costs will drastically reduce as leaders increase awareness of the subconscious patterns and habits that fuel fear-based leadership behaviours.
"As a coach, I use neuroscience-backed techniques, honed intuition, and rigorous diagnostics to help clients access and integrate what’s hidden in their subconscious. Integrating the subconscious with the conscious makes the invisible, visible – and what you can see you can address. At Neema, we call this ‘Integrated Leadership’.”