Smoking prevalence, or the proportion of current smokers, in the UK has gone below 14 per cent for first time in years while vaping hit highest rates since records began, official data has shown.
According to the annual smoking prevalence report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published yesterday, the number of UK vapers had risen to 6.4 per cent - equivalent to around 3.3m people - in 2020, from 3.7 per cent in 2014, when the agency started collecting data on e-cigarettes use.
The report also reveals that the number of adult smokers in the UK currently stands at 13.8 per cent of the population – its lowest percentage since at least 2015.
However, according to the ONS monthly data, smoking rates rose sharply during the pandemic and national lockdown to a peak of 16.3 per cent in August, before slowly decreasing to 13.8 per cent by the end of 2020.
“While this rise in smoking prevalence during lockdown could be attributed to increased anxiety because of the pandemic, I would also point towards the fact that speciality vape shops were not granted ‘essential retail’ status and therefore had to close their doors as another significant contributing factor,” commented John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association.
The data comes just one month after the government announced that vaping devices could soon be prescribed to smokers on the NHS.
The ONS report also highlighted that the number of ex-smokers who now vape had risen from 11.7 per cent in 2019 to 12.3 per cent, while the number of smokers who also vape increased from 15.5 per cent in 2019 to 17.8 per cent in 2020.
Dunne said these figures show that the anti-vaping lobby’s attempts to smear e-cigarettes’ effectiveness at helping people to quit smoking are “simply not working.”
“Vaping advocates, on the other hand, have the science, political will and, increasingly, the healthcare sector’s support for increased use of vaping to help smokers to give up their habits for good,” he added.
Chocolate purchasing intent for Easter is expected to slide due to factors like the ongoing cost of living crisis and growing concerns over sustainability while Easter-themed wrapping paper is expected to be in demand this year, states a recent report.
According to a UK consumer survey by product intelligence platform Vypr, 39 per cent of people are cutting back on chocolate eggs this year, while 24 per cent plan to spend less than £5 on Easter gifts.
While health concerns have led 29 per cent of consumers to scale back their Easter egg purchases, sustainability is a factor for many shoppers.
The desire for more eco-friendly options is evident for some, as 17 per cent of people are looking to choose gifts with less packaging, and another 17 per cent are prioritising items wrapped in less plastic.
Additionally, 15 per cent are opting to skip Easter altogether this year to avoid contributing to waste.
Despite these preferences, many shoppers are still planning to spend this Easter, although most say it’s going to be very low-key, with the majority (53 per cent) expecting to spend less than £10 in total, covering gifts, decorations, and entertaining.
Encouragingly for retailers, over a third (35 per cent) of consumers plan to spend between £10 and £50.
Chocolate eggs will still play a key part in these purchases, but for some, alternatives are gaining popularity. Cash gifts (10 per cent) and toys (9 per cent) are among the most popular choices.
Additionally, 10 per cent are looking for chocolate that isn’t egg-shaped, while 8 per cent will be buying Easter decorations.
Vypr noted that many supermarkets, convenience stores and wider retailers have expanded their range of Easter decorations this year, with 21 per cent of shoppers saying they have noticed the increased variety.
However, only 8 per cent report that this is likely to persuade them to purchase. Overall, 54 per cent of people do not decorate for Easter, and of those who do, 14 per cent plan to reuse last year’s decorations, while only 10 per cent will buy new ones.
Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, commented, “Retailers have plenty to consider when planning their 2025 Easter ranges.
"A quarter of shoppers are looking to gift-wrap Easter presents this year, making Easter-themed wrapping paper a clear opportunity to drive sales.
"Meanwhile, one in ten plan to buy Easter-themed clothing for children – which is something supermarkets could tap into to boost seasonal sales.
“Sustainability is also becoming a bigger priority for consumers, and demand for eco-friendly alternatives will only grow. This is a key area for NPD teams to explore, ensuring their ranges appeal to increasingly eco-conscious shoppers.”
Majority of Brits feel that the economy is heading in the wrong direction, and this feeling is leading many to cut everyday spend, defer big ticket buying, and save more, a recent report has stated.
According to the latest quarterly Consumer Pulse survey from KPMG in the UK, three in five people say that the UK economy is worsening, leading even consumers feeling financially secure to cut back on spending.
The number of people feeling that the UK economy is worsening grew by fifteen percentage points in the last three months to 58 per cent.
But despite the perception of a downbeat economic picture, the majority (55 per cent) of people currently feel financially secure (which is just 2 percentage points lower than the previous quarter).
The research gauged the confidence of 3000 UK consumers and assessed their buying behaviour over the last quarter.
Those feeling insecure about their finances grew from 21 per cent to 24 per cent over the last three months, but within that only 15 per cent of people reported that their finances are such that they are having to actively cut discretionary spend to pay for essentials – with a further 2 per cent saying they are incurring debt to pay bills.
The growing negative economic perception is leading more consumers to take spending action than those who say their financial situation means they need to, with:
43 per cent saying they are reducing spend on everyday items.
36 per cent saying they are saving more as a contingency.
29 per cent saying they are deferring big ticket purchases.
19 per cent feeling less inclined to leave their current employment.
Reflecting upon the findings, Linda Ellett, head of consumer, retail and leisure for KPMG UK, said, “Our research continues to show that while only a minority of consumers feel financially insecure, the majority feel that the economy is heading in the wrong direction.
"And this nervousness about the economy is leading many, including some of those who are secure in their current personal financial circumstances, to cut everyday spend, defer big ticket buying, and save more.
“Some may be taking this action as they prepare for higher costs, such as a new mortgage deal or the higher cost of travel.
"But other cautious consumers are certainly preparing for the potential impact on them from what they believe to be a worsening economy. This week’s Spring Statement needs to give people the confidence in the longer-term UK economic outlook.”
Comparing consumer spending in the first quarter of 2025 to the results from the final quarter of 2024:
Eating out remains the most common target (38 per cent) for those cutting spend. Takeaway was second, with 34 per cent of consumers reporting less spend over the last three months. The number of people saying they are cutting back was 2 percentage points higher than the last survey.
The number of consumers reporting they cut clothing and footwear spend in the last three months rose 3 percentage points from the last survey to 32 per cent.
Cost cutting behaviour when shopping was once again evident, with:
Nearly a quarter of consumers (23 per cent) saying they shopped for promotional or discount goods more in the last three months.
Just over a fifth (22 per cent) of consumers saying they bought more own brand or value goods in the last three months.
A fifth (21 per cent) of consumers saying they used loyalty schemes more this quarter.
70 per cent of consumers said that price was a top purchasing driver for everyday items – rising 3 percentage points from the last survey.
Holiday spend was again the most common ‘big ticket’ quarterly spend, with 21 per cent of consumers reporting related spend in the last three months. 30 per cent of consumers say they will spend on a holiday in next three months.
45 per cent of consumers said they bought no ‘big ticket’ items in December, January and February. And 38 per cent said they won’t make any larger purchases in the coming three months.
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Nisa Local Uxbridge Road donates £1,000 to St. Stephen’s CE Primary School.
Nisa Local Uxbridge Road, operated by convenience chain LA Foods, has donated £1,000 through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity to St. Stephen’s CE Primary School as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the local community.
The donation was presented during the store’s recent relaunch event, attended by headteacher Michael Schumm and a group of excited pupils from the school.
This latest contribution takes the total amount donated by the store to St. Stephen’s to £5,000.
Store manager Malik Zameer said, “Supporting the community is very important to us. We’re proud to have been able to contribute £1,000 to St. Stephen’s CE Primary School, which will help fund valuable resources and activities for local children.
“We’ve worked closely with the school before, and we’re always keen to continue giving back.
"We’ve also been approached by an Islamic charity in the area, and we’re currently exploring how we can help with that too.”
Last year, LA Foods celebrated reaching the £100,000 donation milestone to local communities, demonstrating its commitment to making a positive impact on local communities.
Nisa retailers, including LA Foods, raise money for charitable causes through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity.
Funds are generated via the sale of Co-op own brand products in store, enabling retailers to provide meaningful support to local causes that matter most to their communities.
Kate Carroll, Head of Charity at Nisa, said, “It’s wonderful to see Nisa partners like LA Foods making such a big difference to their local school. Donations like this are vital in helping schools and community groups thrive.”
Earlier this month, LA Foods reopened Nisa Local Uxbridge Road with a new layout and an extensive refit designed to enhance the shopping experience for the local community.
The new-look store now offers an impressive selection of Co-op own-brand products, providing customers with access to high-quality, great-value groceries, chilled meals, and food-to-go options.
In addition, the refit has introduced a temperature-controlled ‘beer cave’, a first-of-its-kind feature for the area, offering an extensive range of wines and beers.
Another key improvement was removing previous signage that covered the store’s windows, allowing passers-by to see inside.
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Morrisons announces major store and café closures as part of its renewal plan.
Supermarket chain Morrisons on Monday (24) announced that it is shutting down its 17 convenience stores and 52 cafes as a part of its second year of its programme of renewal.
A wide-ranging review identified a number of areas where the costs of operations are significantly out of line with usage, volumes or the value that customers place on them.
As a result, Morrisons is proposing a number of changes over the next few months, specifically the closure of 52 Cafés, all 18 Market Kitchens, 17 Convenience stores, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters and four pharmacies.
Although the significant majority of colleagues affected by these changes are expected to be deployed in suitable roles elsewhere in Morrisons, there will be a total of around 365 colleagues at risk of redundancy.
Rami Baitiéh, Chief Executive of Morrisons, said, “The changes we are announcing today are a necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate Morrisons and enable us to focus our investment into the areas that customers really value and that can play a full part in our growth.
“Although these changes are relatively small in the context of the overall scale of the Morrisons business, we do not take lightly the disruption and uncertainty they will cause to some of our colleagues.
"We will of course take particular care to look after all of them well through the coming changes.”
Reacting on the reports, Darren Matthews – Usdaw National Officer says, “We have been informed by Morrisons about their restructuring plans.
"Usdaw will be supporting our members through the one-to-one consultation process, our priority is to keep as many employed in the business as possible.
"We welcome Morrisons’ early indication that the majority of staff affected by the changes are expected to be deployed to roles elsewhere in the business.
“Usdaw is also maintaining regular talks with the company on these proposals where we’ll be able to raise concerns, challenge and ask serious questions about the company’s business case.
"Usdaw reps are providing our members with the support, advice and representation they need through this period of uncertainty.”
Cost-cautious Britons are spending more on home-cooked meals, risking to bring inflation back to grocery stores, a recent report has stated.
According to research by Retail Economics and NatWest, UK consumers expect to be spending more money on in the next three months on groceries while less on eating and drinking out.
It reflects a social phenomenon stemming back to the pandemic when people got into the habit of attempting restaurant-quality meals at home. Supermarkets subsequently put more effort into their premium ranges and have profited from a boom in demand.
Richard Lim, chief executive officer at Retail Economics, also said that Britain’s grocers should be able to reap the rewards of strong demand for high quality, niche and premium ranges, while keeping a lid on the price of more basic products.
“Grocers really need to focus on being competitive across those core essentials and then they will try to protect margins in other parts of the basket,” Lim said. “There might be deflation in some areas, inflation in other areas.”
Last week, supermarket Asda , slashed prices on 1,500 products in an effort to win back droves of customers who have switched to its rivals.
However, Bloomberg analysts state that price wars are "not necessarily incompatible with rising inflation", when broader economic conditions lift cost pressures.
Charles Allen, a senior retail analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said one of the fiercest price wars in the UK came during the high inflation of the late 1970s.
With the upcoming sharp increase in employment taxes and another steep hike in the minimum wage, retailers are expected to pass on some costs to customers, hence increase prices.
Supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Tesco together employ nearly half a million workers, and collectively the two supermarkets are facing an extra £390 million bill due to the budget measures, states the Bloomberg report.
“They’ve had many rounds of trying to operate as efficiently as possible in order to minimise prices for the consumer,” Jessica Moulton, senior partner at McKinsey, said. “The grocers are at their limits.”
Food inflation accelerated to 3.3 per cent in the year to January, and market surveys suggest it stayed high in recent weeks.