Leading high protein ready-to-drink brand Ufit has announced the next stage in its evolution as it appointed Tony Holmes as its new managing director, replacing founder Austin Bailey.
Holmes brings a breadth of senior commercial and directorial experience to the company, having previously been chief operating officer of Glebe Farm Foods Ltd, the UK’s leading producer of gluten-free, 100% pure British oats. Other notable positions include managing director of VBites Food Ltd and sales director of Bestway Wholesale Ltd, greatly improving market share and commercial viability during his tenure.
Austin Bailey, founder and managing director of Ufit, began the category-leading brand alongside co-founder and marketing director, Terry Adams, and Huw Miller, former sales director and co-founder, in 2014. It is now a multi-million revenue business, having joined the Weetabix Food Company in 2022.
The news follows the recent announcement of Adams welcoming Angie Turner to the company as head of marketing, in a similar role transition.
Austin Bailey
“Tony is the perfect choice to lead the next chapter in Ufit’s progression as managing director,” Bailey, founder and managing director of Lacka Foods, said.
“Having driven the success of both independent challengers and established sector leaders alike, his knowledge and experience is invaluable to the company’s continued growth. I look forward to seeing what’s next to come and wish the entire Ufit Team the very best for the future; they have some very exciting plans which I will be looking out for!”
Sally Abbott, managing director of Weetabix, UK and Ireland, added: “Since taking Ufit under the Weetabix family’s wing, we have been delighted to see it has continued to grow from strength to strength within the market as the UK’s leading high-protein drink brand.
“We thank both Austin and Terry for their hard work and dedication. Now, with a fresh team of experienced and senior leadership at the helm, we’re excited to see what’s in store for the future of the brand – and our best wishes to both in their future endeavours.”
PayPoint has announced a new partnership with Leeds Credit Union (‘LCU’), a financial cooperative with 37,000 members, enabling them access to its CashOut service, effective immediately.
The partnership will mean that LCU customers can access their cash and savings across any of PayPoint’s UK network of 29,000 retailer partners. This represents an unprecedented growth in accessibility and the first partnership of its kind for LCU. Historically customers have needed to visit one of LCU’s four branches to withdraw money.
Leeds Credit Union provides straightforward, affordable financial services. As a mutual there are no shareholders, so it is owned by its members and always has the interests of the members at the heart of everything it does. The credit union prides itself on providing members with the most appropriate services based on their circumstances.
“Our partnership with Leeds Credit Union will enable its customers to access their funds more easily than ever before," said Jo Toolan, Managing Director of Payments at PayPoint. "We’re committed to pursuing these kinds of partnerships, which enable credit unions to offer a more competitive and technologically advanced service, while simultaneously making the lives of customers that little bit easier through enhanced access.”
Greg Potter, Head of Marketing & Member Experience at Leeds Credit Union, said: “Increasingly, we’re looking at ways that we can apply technological solutions and partnerships to add value to the experience of our members using Leeds Credit Union. This partnership is demonstrative of our determination to grow in their best interests and will make access to funds something that can be done at any of a number of PayPoint locations in the UK.”
Marlboro-maker Philip Morris said Tuesday it planned to close down its two production sites in Germany, citing falling demand for cigarettes among Europeans.
"In recent years, demand for cigarettes in Europe has fallen significantly," the company said in a statement, adding that it saw the same trend for roll-your-own tobacco.
"This trend is expected to continue in the coming years," the company said.
Many smokers have been shifting to e-cigarettes, or vapes, and heated-tobacco devices.
Philip Morris employs 372 workers at its factories in Berlin and Dresden. Both sites are scheduled for closure next year.
The tobacco giant said it would begin discussions with labour representatives to find "fair and socially responsible solutions" for staff.
Nisa retailer Prem Uthayakumaran has made significant donations totalling £3,500 to two local community organisations through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity.
The funds will provide essential support to groups within the communities that his stores serve, helping them continue their invaluable work.
The first of these generous donations was a £1,000 contribution from Broxbourne Service Station in Hertfordshire, directed to the Lea Valley Karate Academy. The funds will enable the academy to purchase much-needed equipment, ensuring that young people and adults in the local area have access to high-quality resources as they develop their skills in martial arts.
Additionally, a £2,500 donation was made by Eastfield and Cross Road Service Stations to the Mansfield Town Ability Counts Football Club. The club, which provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in football, will use the funds to support their programs, enhancing the experience for current players and making it possible for even more participants to join.
In July 2024, Prem donated £1,000 to Voice of the Vale – a group of young performers at Nottingham Trent University. This followed further self-donations from Prem to Broxbourne Organisation for Disabled and to Mansfield Under 12s Football Club in 2023.
Prem Uthayakumaran said: “Supporting the communities around my stores has always been important to me, and through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity, we’re able to make a real, tangible difference. The Lea Valley Karate Academy and Mansfield Town Ability Counts Football Club both play vital roles in their respective communities, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to their success.”
Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity enables retailers to donate to local good causes through the sale of Co-op own brand products in their stores. A percentage of sales from these products goes into a MADL fund, which retailers can then use to make donations to charities, schools, sports clubs, and other community groups.Kate Carroll, Head of Charity at Nisa, said, “We are delighted to see retailers like Prem using their MADL funds to support such worthwhile local causes. Both the Lea Valley Karate Academy and Mansfield Town Ability Counts Football Club provide vital services to their communities, and donations like these enable them to continue their important work. At Nisa, we are incredibly proud of our retailers’ commitment to making a difference locally.”
Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity has been helping retailers like Prem Uthayakumaran give back to their communities for over 15 years, and with each donation, they help foster stronger, more Connected local areas.
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A selection of disposable vapes with bright and colourful packaging are seen in a convenience store, on January 29, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The decision to ban disposable vapes by June 2025 has sparked strong reactions across the vaping and retail sectors, with key industry figures voicing concerns about the impact on public health and called for a balanced approach to support smokers switching to vaping as a safer alternative.
A spokesperson of Elfbar, the leading disposable vape brand, highlighted the role of the product in smoking cessation, citing that “nearly three million people in Britain have quit smoking using vapes in the last five years,” with single-use vapes comprising over 60 per cent of the UK market.
The brand warned of unintended consequences, noting, “Our concern is the potential impact on the majority of single-use vapers – adult smokers…pushing them to the black market and illicit products.”
Liam Humberstone, technical director at Totally Wicked, also pointed out the public health benefits of disposable vapes, noting they’ve served as “a key entry point for many smokers seeking an easy-to-use, effective alternative.”
While recognising environmental and youth access issues, Humberstone said “proper regulation, enforcement, and education are vital in addressing these concerns and … it’s crucial to ensure that adult smokers continue to have access to safer alternatives to cigarettes.”
James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, welcomed the government’s intention to provide businesses with enough time to prepare for the changes, but added: “This is still a challenging timetable for retailers and their supply chains.” He called for strict enforcement against rogue sellers post-ban to prevent black-market sales, which “undermine legitimate retailers.”
Mo Razzaq, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, suggested an alternative approach to an outright ban, advocating for a recycling scheme akin to that for single-use drink containers. “An outright ban will simply send many vapers towards unorthodox and illicit sources,” he said, highlighting the risk posed by products that may not comply with UK health standards.
Consumer advocacy groups echoed these concerns. Mike Salem of the Consumer Choice Center criticised the government for pushing through the ban during Stoptober, a campaign month encouraging smokers to switch to vaping. “Announcing such a policy…seriously damages governmental and NGO efforts in reaching a smoke-free society by 2030,” Salem said.
The UK Vaping Industry Association’s director general, John Dunne, cautioned that a ban might exacerbate black market sales, saying, “Bans are not the answer as we’ve seen in other parts of the world…they will only boost the black market.”
Dunne advocated for stronger enforcement and proposed a licensing scheme for vape retailers to help control sales to minors and ensure environmental compliance, calling for “fines of up to £10,000 and £100,000 for retailers and distributors respectively who break the law.”
The Independent British Vape Trade Association’s chair Marcus Saxton also voiced concerns about the ban's potential to mislead the public on vaping’s relative safety.
“Banning an entire category of vapes is likely to fuel public misperceptions about the relative safety of vaping to smoking. Adults using single use disposable vapes outnumber those that are under 18 by several times. Consequently there needs to be clear messaging from government to encourage those adults not to simply revert to smoking,” he said.
Saxton criticised the absence of an importation ban in the new legislation, arguing that it will lead to increased illicit trade.
The government has laid legislation to introduce the ban and, subject to parliamentary approval, businesses will have until 1June 2025 to sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force.
High streets in the UK are collectively pay one third of all business rates while accounting for 9 per cent of the economy, British Retail Consortium (BRC) stated on Thursday (24), strengthening its call for a fairer level of business rates for hospitality and retail.
BRC and UKHospitalityare united in their call for the Chancellor to implement a fairer level of business rates for hospitality and retail at the Budget, which will rebalance a system that unfairly punishes our high streets and town centres. This was a manifesto pledge from Labour ahead of the election.
A lower rate for hospitality and retail, which together employ around six million people, would unlock investment in our high streets, while also stemming the loss of shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels, and the jobs that rely on them.
In 2023-24, retail and hospitality businesses combined to pay almost £9 billion in business rates, 34 per cent of the overall rates bill, while accounting for only 9 per cent of the overall economy.
Current business rates relief for retail and hospitality is set to end on 31 March, costing the sectors a combined £2.5bn. That would take their bill up to £11bn, accounting for 44 per cent of total rates.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said, "Consumers want diverse and thriving high streets, but this is held back by the broken business rates system. It is the biggest barrier to local investment and prevents the creation of new shops and jobs.
"Already, the industry pays far more than its fair share – retail accounts for 5 per cent of the economy, but pays 7.4 per cent of all business taxes, and over 20 per cent of all business rates. The Budget is a great opportunity to right this imbalance, ensuring that retail pays a fairer level of business rates."
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said, "Hospitality is at the heart of our communities but the enormous value it delivers both socially and economically is under threat from the inflated business rates bill the sector has to foot.
"High street businesses paying one third of all business rates is absurd and one of the primary reasons why we see our businesses facing financial challenges – it makes running a pub, bar, café or restaurant, to name a few, incredibly expensive.
"Introducing a reduced level of business rates for the high street at the Budget can unlock millions in investment – from new venues to more jobs. Crucially, it would save our high street from countless closures if hospitality had to bear a billion pound business rates hike in April."