Talysis Ltd has appointed Luke Harris to the newly-created role of Commercial Director, as the company seeks to continue its ambitious growth trajectory.
Harris joins after six years at SalesOut, most recently as its Director of Wholesale. With a background in the convenience/wholesale sector, Harris has a wealth of experience from both commercial and operational roles, having worked for Central England Co-op and My Local prior to SalesOut.“I’m excited to welcome someone of Luke’s calibre to the team, as we look to drive the business forward," said Ed Roberts, Managing Director. "Just over a year into our three-year growth strategy, we’re already on target to deliver our ambitious plans. With Luke on board, I’m confident that we’ll gain further momentum and ensure the business is in prime position to capitalise on future opportunities.”
Luke Harris, Commercial Director, Talysis Ltd, commented: “It’s been a really positive few years at SalesOut, developing and fulfilling the strategic plan, but I couldn’t turn down this opportunity. Talysis are a small yet agile business, but their product diversity and future potential is huge. I’m keen to harness this offering, to ensure that it’s commercially driven and targeted at the right channels.”
The Dougall Group has reaffirmed its commitment to providing top-quality products and service by renewing its supply contract with Nisa for an additional five years.
The renewed partnership ensures that four Dougall Group stores will continue to benefit from Nisa’s extensive product range, including exclusive access to Co-op own-brand items and flexible support designed to empower independent retailers to meet local customer needs.
The renewed contract solidifies a relationship that began in 2010 and has helped Dougall Group achieve significant growth and expand its retail portfolio across multiple locations.The latest addition to the Dougall Group store network is the Leamington Spa site, which opened in September and showcases the modern, community-focused shopping experience that both Dougall Group and Nisa strive to deliver.
The Leamington Spa store has already attracted a strong local following, thanks to its emphasis on convenience, fresh foods, and locally sourced products. A targeted marketing campaign is underway to introduce more customers to the new location, and early results have been positive, with both footfall and sales steadily increasing.
Ricky Dougall, Owner of The Dougall Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the renewed partnership, citing the ongoing alignment between Nisa’s services and Dougall’s growth strategy.“We’re very pleased to continue working with Nisa for another five years. Their support, from logistics to access to Co-op own-brand products, has been invaluable in helping us bring a unique, trusted shopping experience to our customers.“
The partnership allows us to remain independent and responsive to our local communities, which is essential to our vision. The positive reception at our new Leamington Spa store reaffirms that commitment.”Katie Secretan, Nisa’s Director of Sales & Retail, welcomed Dougall Group’s decision to extend their relationship with Nisa.
“We’re delighted to continue supporting Dougall Group and helping them grow and evolve. Ricky and his team share Nisa’s values of quality, community support, and flexibility, and it’s rewarding to see how our combined efforts have led to meaningful connections with customers.“
The success of the Leamington Spa store highlights what can be achieved when local retailers leverage Nisa’s product range and resources to create stores that truly resonate with their communities.”The renewed agreement not only reinforces a long-standing partnership but also sets the stage for Dougall Group’s continued growth and ability to adapt to changing customer demands with Nisa’s dedicated support.
Scottish Retail Consortium and trade union Usdaw have released a joint appeal to the public to be kind and considerate to all retail workers and fellow customers when doing their shopping this Christmas and play their part in creating a safe and enjoyable retail experience.
The plea comes as abuse and violence towards those in customer service continues to climb, with a recent Usdaw survey showing that in the last 12 months, 69 per cent of retail staff experienced verbal abuse, and 45 per cent have been threatened by a customer.
Retail is Scotland’s largest private sector employer with 230,000 Scots directly working in the industry. The festive period is a crucial trading period for many shops, with every purchase helping to support jobs in local retail and throughout the supply chain. Christmas is always an incredibly complex and challenging time of year for the retail industry. Everyone is working extra hard to keep shelves stocked, products delivered, and stores, delivery services, and eateries will naturally be a little busier.
Nonetheless, it is essential that all Scots play their part in creating a friendly and enjoyable environment for other customers and workers this Christmas, and the SRC and Usdaw are asking for patience, kindness and consideration during this busy time.
SRC and Usdaw will also be launching a new social media campaign to encourage shoppers to be considerate this Christmas. The joint initiative comes during Usdaw’s Respect for Shopworkers Week.
David Lonsdale, Director, Scottish Retail Consortium, said, "As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retail stores and websites will become increasingly busy. People in retail are doing a brilliant job working hard to look after customers, helping them find what they need, keeping shelves stocked and delivering goods.
"While this time of year can be a little stressful, any mistreatment of store colleagues and delivery drivers will not be tolerated. Confrontations, be it verbal abuse or physical assault, can take a huge toll on victims, their families and their colleagues. When everyone shows a little Christmas kindness and courtesy – everyone will be better off. That way we can all enjoy shopping over the festive period and support local jobs and the vibrancy of our high streets and retail destinations.”
Tony Doonan, Scottish Regional Secretary, Usdaw, said, "People across retail work incredibly hard over the busy festive period to make sure everyone can get the gifts and items they are looking for and enjoy the brilliant shopping experiences that Scotland has to offer.
"They deserve to be treated with respect and kindness and there is no place whatsoever for any abuse or violence towards shopworkers. We urge customers to treat retail workers the way they would like to be treated, that way everyone can enjoy their shopping experience as we celebrate Christmas.”
Typhoo Tea, one of Britain’s oldest tea companies, is teetering on the edge of administration after enduring years of challenges, including a costly break-in at its Wirral factory.
According to court filings made on Thursday, Typhoo has filed a notice to appoint administrators. This move allows companies temporary protection from creditors while exploring options to address their debts.
The company is reportedly using the process to seek rescue solutions, with administrators from EY already lined up. However, filing the notice does not equate to Typhoo entering administration at this stage.
Dave McNulty, Typhoo's chief executive, commented: “This action has been taken to enable us to pursue a sale of the business. A further statement will be issued in due course with additional information.”
Founded in 1903 by Birmingham grocer John Sumner, Typhoo was once among the UK’s best-loved tea brands. However, in recent years, the company has struggled as Britons increasingly shift towards coffee, energy drinks, and novelty beverages like bubble tea.
According to Mintel, tea consumption in the UK has been steadily declining and is projected to drop by 8% between 2023 and 2028.
Typhoo’s revenues fell from £34 million in 2022 to £25 million in 2023, while losses surged from £9.7 million to £38 million in the same period, as per publicly available accounts.
The steep rise in losses partly stemmed from a break-in at the company’s mothballed Merseyside factory. The incident caused extensive damage to machinery and tea stock, delaying the factory’s sale, which was eventually completed in June 2024.
Typhoo’s future now hangs in the balance as it navigates a path to potential recovery or sale. Typhoo Tea revealed it had to absorb £24 million in exceptional costs during the 2023 financial year, largely due to damage caused by a break-in. Company executives admitted these costs had a "material" impact on its operations.
Adding to its challenges, Typhoo has faced mounting competition from a surge of "wellness" tea brands entering the market. Meanwhile, tea manufacturers have struggled with supply chain disruptions, including tea paper shortages and rising import costs following Brexit.
Private equity firm Zetland Capital has held the majority stake in Typhoo since 2021. By the end of September 2023, Typhoo’s debts had climbed to £73 million, up from £53 million the previous year.
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visits the Cambridge Biomedical Campus on November 1, 2024 in Cambridge, England
Britain's economy contracted unexpectedly in September and growth slowed to a crawl over the third quarter, data showed on Friday, an early setback for chancellor Rachel Reeves' ambitions to kick-start a sustained pickup.
Gross domestic product slipped by 0.1 per cent in monthly terms during September as the services sector flat-lined, while manufacturing and construction dropped, the Office for National Statistics said.
For the third quarter as whole, the economy grew by 0.1 per cent, slowing from 0.5 per cent growth during the second quarter.
Economists polled by Reuters and the Bank of England had forecast an expansion of 0.2 per cent in the July-September period, slowing from the rapid growth of the first half of 2024 when the economy was rebounding from last year's shallow recession.
"Improving economic growth is at the heart of everything I am seeking to achieve, which is why I am not satisfied with these numbers," Reeves said in response to the figures.
"Now we are going to deliver growth through investment and reform to create more jobs and more money in people’s pockets, get the NHS back on its feet, rebuild Britain and secure our borders in a decade of national renewal."
Last week, the BoE trimmed its annual growth forecast for 2024 to 1 per cent from 1.25 per cent but predicted a stronger 2025, reflecting a short-term boost to the economy from the big-spending budget plans of finance minister Rachel Reeves.
Britain's economic output has grown slowly since the Covid-19 pandemic. Only Germany, which was also hit hard by surging energy costs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has done noticeably worse among the largest advanced economies.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said he wanted the economy to reach annual growth of 2.5 per cent when campaigning for the July 4 election - a rate that Britain has not regularly achieved since before the 2008 financial crisis.
Reeves wants Britain to have the fastest per capita growth in gross domestic product among the Group of Seven advanced economies for two consecutive years.
Shoppers are becoming increasingly discerning when it comes to winning their loyalty with most now expect offers to be personalised while appetite for offers has grown over the last 12 months, shows a recent survey's findings.
In a new research from American Express, the survey of both UK consumers and retail decision makers reinforced that generic offers and incentives are not enough to win over new customers, and don’t positively impact long term loyalty.
Over seven in 10 shoppers (73 per cent) said when they receive offers like this via email, they tend to go unused. Almost three quarters (74 per cent) said they now expect offers to be personalised to them, for example, linked to products they’ve previously bought, and based on their previous interactions with the brand, or delivered at the right time, e.g. a birthday or following a recent purchase.
With consumers now seeking out tailored offers and services at every touchpoint, for retailers this means putting personalisation at the heart of their customer engagement strategy. The vast majority (93 per cent) of UK retailers surveyed acknowledge that appetite for offers has grown within their customer base over the last 12 months.
They’re taking concerted action, with personalisation being crucial; 94 per cent of retailers said their top priority for the year ahead is "making customers feel like we really know them". About a third (31 per cent) are looking to launch a new offers or loyalty programme over the next year.
The consumer research revealed a particular appetite for card-linked offers – digital offers from retailers which are directly linked to a particular payment method like a credit card, with three quarters (74 per cent) saying if a retailer gave them an offer like this, they’d choose them over an alternative retail brand that doesn’t, and two thirds (67 per cent) said they’d be likely to spend more.
Dan Edelman, general manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express, said, “Consumers have increasingly high expectations when it comes to being rewarded for their spending. Our research shows retailers recognise the need to respond to this demand as they focus on attracting and retaining customers.
"Card-linked offers such as Amex Offers can be a compelling solution for merchants – providing a strategic and efficient addition to marketing programmes, whether incentivising first-time purchase, driving up transaction values, or helping to build long term loyalty.”