Sharp’s Brewery has racked up an impressive medal haul at the International Beer Challenge 2022 – following on from recent recognition at the World Beer awards earlier this year.
The Cornish brewer picked up a total of five medals, including a silver medal for Sharp’s Atlantic Pale Ale, highlighting its quality, and refreshing taste. Atlantic Pale Ale is inspired by the Atlantic Ocean, bringing together flavours of zesty American hops with a delicate sweetness to produce a truly unique, refreshing ale.
Picking up another silver medal the limited-edition Sharp’s Camel Valley Pilsner - a lightly-hopped Pilsner, created through an exclusive collaboration with fellow North Cornish drinks producer, Camel Valley Vineyard - was also recognised.
Meanwhile, Sharp’s Offshore Pilsner, Doom Bar and Chalky’s Bite picked up bronze medals.
More than 500 beers from over 40 countries across the world were blind tasted by judging panels of publicans, brewers, retailers, and flavour analysts.
The five medals at the International Beer Challenge follow a number of other accolades achieved by Sharp’s in 2022 which include five accolades at two international beer awards – including a gold medal for Chalky’s Bite, a collaboration with chef Rick Stein at the prestigious World Beer Awards.
“Having so many of our beers recognised by the expert panel at the International Beer Challenge is testament to the passion and commitment of our team to produce some of the world’s best beer," said Marketing controller at Sharp’s Brewery, James Nicholls.
“There are some phenomenal breweries competing in these awards so to be considered among the best is a real achievement.
“It’s been an incredibly successful year for Sharp's Brewery so far, taking home ten awards across multiple internationally renowned events. The winning formula of a great range of unique beers coupled with our hardworking team is sure to deliver even more accolades in the future.”
Purity Soft Drinks, makers of leading fruit juice and juice drink brands Juice Burst and firefly, appoints Jonathan Duffin as CEO. Duffin joins the business with immediate effect.
With extensive experience in consumer goods, gained at United Biscuits and Jordans Cereals in the early part of his career and then at Ocean Spray and Bahlsen Group more recently, Duffin is a strong, commercial leader with a proven ability to grow and develop brand-based businesses. His track record will help him to build on the strong foundations in place at Purity and drive the business forward through the next phase of its exciting journey.
Rooney Anand, Chair of Purity comments: “I am delighted that Jonathan is joining Purity. His leadership experience, together with proven ability to build brands and businesses, make him an excellent appointment for Purity and I look forward to working with him to steer the business forward.”
“I am excited to be joining Purity Soft Drinks and am looking forward to working with the team and developing its brands to take Purity forward to the next level,” said Jonathan Duffin.
NewstrAid, the charity dedicated to supporting individuals in the newspaper and magazine industry during times of financial and emotional hardship, is delighted to welcome InPost Newstrade as its newest corporate sponsor.
The partnership follows InPost Newstrade’s full acquisition of Menzies Distribution, a company that had been a steadfast supporter of NewstrAid for over a century.
Grant Jordan, Managing Director, InPost Newstrade said, “InPost Newstrade are delighted to continue the relationship that has been in existence with Menzies Distribution for over 100 years, ensuring that those working in our industry, past and present, continue to receive the help they need.”
For over 185 years, NewstrAid has provided essential help to those who have worked in newspaper and magazine sale and distribution, ensuring they receive much needed assistance during challenging times. In 2024 alone, the charity helped more than 1,500 people across the industry, reinforcing its vital role within the sector.
"The support of corporate sponsors like InPost Newstrade is invaluable to our work,” said Neil Jagger, CEO of NewstrAid. “The demand for our services continues to grow, and this sponsorship helps us extend our reach to even more individuals in need. We are incredibly grateful for InPost Newstrade’s commitment to supporting our work which helps hundreds of people facing hardship across the industry every year.”
For more information on how NewstrAid helps the newspaper and magazine industry or to contribute to its mission, visit www.newstraid.org.uk
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Illegal products seized at a Kent convenience store.
Almost 20kg of illicit tobacco and around 40,000 illegal cigarettes being sold to fund organised crime have been seized for destruction from a shop in Maidstone.
The confiscated goods, which included boxes of illegal vaping products, have an estimated recommended retail price of £45,356.
As informed by Kent Police on Monday (10), patrols entered the business premises on Upper Stone Street at around 3pm on Feb 28 to carry out an inspection, alongside partners from Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council Trading Standards.
During the search, officers found two hides; one of which required a strong magnet to open. The other was accessed by operating a modified light switch.
Alongside the hoard of illicit tobacco products, an air-powered revolver was retrieved, for which the business did not have the appropriate licences to sell.
Investigating officer, PC Tom Cunningham, said, ‘Counterfeit tobacco and vape products pose serious health risks to users.
"Their manufacture is not regulated meaning they often contain higher levels of chemicals, as well as ingredients not fit for human consumption, such as animal hair and human faeces."
"In a wider, detrimental impact to the community, those involved in the production and distribution of such goods are often connected with organised crime groups.
"These criminals have not only been found to breach employment regulations but often participate in illegal activities such as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and drug smuggling.
"In choosing to purchase the often cheaper, illicit tobacco and vape products, members of the public are not only compromising their health but are unknowingly funding abhorrent crimes."
This comes couple of weeks after a test purchasing operation conducted by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Nottingham uncovered the shocking scale of the illicit tobacco and vapes market in the city.
Undercover operatives carried out multiple test purchases across Nottingham in November 2024, visiting 17 stores and finding 25 illicit tobacco and vapes. Counterfeit and contraband tobacco products were easily obtained from stores, including 50g Roll Your Own (RYO) packets from as little as £5.00, and ready-made cigarettes (RMC) from £4.00. Illegal vapes with puff counts of up to 22,000 were also discovered.
License of an independent convenience store in Belle Vue has been suspended after counterfeit vodka was found on sale on the premises.
Hartlepool Borough Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee took the decision following a request from the authority’s Trading Standards Team to review the Premises Licence held by Belle Vue Convenience Store in Belle Vue Way.
The licence allowed the sale of alcohol from 8am-11pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-10.30pm on Sundays.
The visit by a trading standard officer and an environmental health officer was carried out as part of checks at off-licences across the town following a counterfeit alcohol alert issued by the Food Standards Agency.
Members of the Licensing Sub-Committee heard that five 35cl bottles of counterfeit and dangerous vodka were found to be on open sale. Subsequent tests showed it contained a dangerous substance that made it unfit for human consumption.
A wider search of the premises also found 194 illegal vapes in various places behind the counter, on display and in a store room.
When interviewed, the holder of the Premises Licence holder and designated premises supervisor Amandip Singh Kapoor said the vodka was purchased legitimately and he was unaware that the vapes were illegal.
Councillor Gary Allen who chaired the Licensing Sub-Committee, said after the meeting, “A licence to sell alcohol in Hartlepool comes with the responsibilities of upholding the principles of public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder.
“Any premises caught selling counterfeit alcohol will face having its licence reviewed and, where appropriate, revoked entirely.
“The vodka found at this shop contained a dangerous substance and this highlights how sales of counterfeit products can put people’s live at risk.
"Sales of counterfeit products, including vapes, also undermine the viability of legitimate businesses and impact the local economy.”
In another incident, the license of a convenience store in Birmingham got revoked after it a knife was sold to a teenager and a hoard of fake and illegal goods were found at the premise
The second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill held in parliament on Monday (10) during which Yvette Cooper reiterated the new measures to tackle the rising crime, abuse and shop thefts, declaring that the new measures will reverse the damage done by the Conservative government.
Among the key announcements made by Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for the Home Department, during the parliamentary debate were a standalone offence for assaulting a shopworker, introducing Respect Orders, scraping the £200 threshold for shop theft offences, and placing £200 million for the next financial year for recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers.
Additionally, the Secretary of State highlighted the unique challenges faced in crimes against rural communities which she stated are often driven by organised gangs.
The Bill introduces measures to prevent prolific offenders from entering places such as town centres, as well as introducing new interventions to help addicts into treatment and end the cycle of reoffending.
Cooper said during the debate, “The Bill introduces stronger action on retail crime. I thank the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, the Co-op, the British Retail Consortium, the Association of Convenience Stores and more for their determined campaigning over many years to protect shop workers.
“They are the staff who kept their shops open and kept our local communities going through the pandemic, but in recent years they have had to face a truly disgraceful escalation in threats, abuse and violence. Our party has campaigned on this measure for very many years.
“Through the Bill, we will introduce a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, sending the message loud and clear that these disgraceful crimes must not be tolerated, because everyone has a right to feel safe at work.
“We will reverse the damage done by the Conservative government through years of cuts to community police. There are half as many PCSOs as there were 14 years ago, and many thousands fewer neighbourhood police officers.
"Some 10 years ago, the Conservative Government introduced a new £200 rule, categorising shop theft below that amount as low value. That sent the signal, which has shaped the police response ever since, that such crime should not be taken seriously.
"It became a Tory shoplifters’ charter—a signal to thieves and gangs across the country that they could operate with impunity, wandering from shop to shop and stealing away because nothing would be done.
"That kind of crime spreads. It creates a sense of lawlessness, and huge anger and frustration among the law-abiding majority, who see criminals getting away with it and respect for the law hollowed out. This Government will finally end the damaging £200 rule."
The ACS 2025 Crime Report was also launched yesterday, revealing the extent of crime committed against the convenience sector and its retailers, estimating a record-breaking 6.2million incidents of shop theft.
Key figures from this year’s report include:
Crime cost retailers an estimated £316m over the last year
Retailers have spent over £265m on crime prevention and detection measures in their store over the last year
Taken together, the cost of crime and investment in crime prevention amount to a 10p crime tax on every transaction in a convenience store
There were over 59,000 estimated incidents of violence in the convenience sector over the last year, and 1.2million incidents of verbal abuse
59 per cent of retailers believe that incidents involving organised crime have increased over the last year