7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Millions of chocolate lovers issued ‘skimpflation’ warning as brands change iconic bars – have YOU noticed a change?
CHOCOLATE fans across the UK have been issued an urgent warning about “skimpflation”.
As production costs soar, companies have been forced to turn this more subtle way of bringing down costs.
A market research firm has warned against skimpflationGetty Toblerone were previously accused of shrinking their portionsNews Group Newspapers Ltd
Inflation has hit chocolate sales hard and the market research firm Kantar UK and Ireland has uncovered some worrying trends in chocolate sales caused by this spike in inflation.
As prices rocket, shoppers have already begun switching away from treat-size snacks to season or multi-pack portions.
Inflation for seasonal pack sales has grown by 13 per cent and multi pack items have become 9 per cent more expensive, compared to the 24 per cent increase in treatsize snacks.
However, the increase in price has led to fears that shoppers may start to forgo chocolate permanently.
This has led chocolate manufacturers to attempt skimpflation tactics.
Skimpflation involves adjusting the mixture of ingredients to reduce the amount of the more expensive ingredients.
This could involve diluting the amount of chocolate used by introducing more nuts into the recipe.
Cadbury has been accused of leading the trend, after launching a range of filled chocolates in March 2024.
They have also announced a partnership with Biscoff which will launch in 2025.
However, this strategy can be risky as shoppers could be alienated by the brands they love.
There is the more obvious strategy known as shrinkflation, which sees brands reducing the size of their products while keeping prices the same.
This backfired for the beloved chocolate brand Toblerone in 2017, when their shrinkflation plan coincided with a 7 per cent drop in sales.
While an 80p packet of mini eggs will cost you £1.85 and a 270g packet comes in at just under a fiver, the M&S product gives you more bang for your buck if you’re looking to save some cash.
What is Skimpflation?
This is where the recipe for a food or drink item is changed to try and reduce production costs.
Despite the lowered production costs, shoppers still pay the same amount of money that they did before.
But shoppers still pay the same, or more.
It means shoppers won’t pay more when costs increase for the company making the item – but they will get less product.
Smaller products are easier for customers to digest compared to increasing prices, making it a popular option for manufacturers as it’s less noticeable.
Another tactic for businesses is “shrinkflation”.
This is where they reduce the size of their products, while keeping the buying cost level.
That means shoppers are buying less of the product for the same amount of money.
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Much-loved shopping centre popular in the 90s set to RETURN – as new plans for abandoned mall are revealed
A BELOVED nineties shopping centre has been set to return as plans for the abandoned mall have been revealed.
Shutting in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the site in Greater Manchester is yet to reopen to the public.
TripadvisorThe Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre has been set to get a new look[/caption]
Rochdale Council planning documentsCGI of how the new events venue in the Wheatsheaf Centre, in Rochdale, could look[/caption]
Located in the heart of Rochdale, the stripped back venue could be seen with a completely new look for nearby residents to enjoy.
Those in the surrounding areas could benefit from a new banqueting hall and events venue.
With the Wheatsheaf Centre being split across various floors, each level could be transformed into something different.
The fifth and sixth floors, where the library used to be, will become separate events halls.
Enabling a variety of events to be hosted, the proposal could offer a space for pre-wedding functions, wedding events, business conferences and public gatherings.
The lower floor is thought to provide a capacity of up to 280 people while the sixth could accommodate up to 180.
Rochdale Council has submitted plans which also look to include an extension to the floor car park.
This means direct access via stairs straight from parked vehicles.
It follows the centre closing its doors as the rest of the country battled through the pandemic.
The 2020 lockdown hit the site meaning it was expected to remain shut for some time.
Iconic shopping centre loved in the 90s set to be demolished – as devastated customers say they ‘can’t believe it’
AN ICONIC South London shopping centre, loved in the 90s, is set to be demolished.
Devastated customers say they can’t believe St Nicholas Shopping Centre in Sutton will be knocked down.
As with many high streets across the UK, Sutton’s has been hit hard in recent years, with the centre losing most of its major retailers.
Apart from a Primark, a Claire’s and a Perfume Shop it’s mostly empty.
Sutton Council announced plans to regenerate the town centre in October 2022, including removing the building.
This included building 740 new homes, half of which will be affordable for local families, and around 300 homes for social rent.
A new civic hub, library and retail centre are also included in the plans.
It cost £100million and was expected to be one of the South East’s “premiere shopping centres”.
In one online review, one shopper said: “I still remember when this shopping centre opened in the early 90s and going as a young boy with my family to see the cool fountains (people used to treat these as wishing wells and throw coins in…), skylights and loads of amazing cool shops.
“Now its many units, especially in once famous food court on the top floor, is desolate.
“Big names have disappeared, some escalators and lifts are non functional and fountains are all gone! My, how shabby this place has turned.”
Another person, who visited in the summer, said it was an “eerie liminal space where you can experience the Backrooms in real life”.
They added: “I hope to never go back.”
It has remained vacant ever since.
Before its demise, the site was home to a bustling complex over five floors.
Household names were spread throughout including New Look, Wilko and Ryman.
Planning papers, submitted by DHA Corporates Ltd, read: “Many functions and events, including weddings, concerts, and dinners, are currently held outside the town in other cities. This proposal seeks to retain a larger share of such commercial activities within Rochdale, responding to the high local demand.
“Consequently, it will boost local employment not only directly within the facility but also throughout the event-related supply chains.
“The development is designed to accommodate a variety of uses and cultures, with the client exploring potential partnerships with local businesses, corporations, and the council for hosting their events. The site would be transformed from one prone to anti-social behavior into a well-designed, high-quality venue that offers full-time employment and attracts a high-end clientele.”
Beyond the benefits to punters, it is thought the site just off Baillie Street could employ up to 46 full-time and part-time members of staff.
Other complexes are yet to be so fortunate to undergo such a transformation.
Locals to Lewisham Shopping Centre have been left furious after discovering their much-loved site was set to be demolished.
Some even ridiculed plans for redevelopment a “waste of money” as a £1.3 billion project could see the expansion of 1,700 new home with a modern shopping site and live music venue.
If approved by Lewisham Council, the plans would take 10 years to complete causing disruption to those who make use of the current site.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
AlamyThe centre has been closed since the 2020 lockdown[/caption]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Barry Ferguson’s incredible prediction comes true five years after he made brazen declaration to Pedro Caixinha
BARRY FERGUSON once said he’d “run back” to Rangers if they needed him as manager.
And he’ll have his training gear looked out again to take up the reins at his old club this week.
Barry Ferguson and Andy Halliday recalled the exchange with Pedro CaixinhaPAFerguson has since taken up the reins at Rangers[/caption]
SNSHe replaces Philippe Clement for the remainder of the season after the Belgian was sacked[/caption]
It’s always been an ambition of the former captain and Light Blue legend to boss the team.
So much so, he brazenly warned a previous gaffer he was directly eyeing up his job at Ibrox.
It was a typically confident prediction from the midfield marshall who was as gallus as he was class when he strut around the centre-circle at Ibrox over the course of 428 games and 13 seasons.
And it’s one that came true this afternoon when he was appointed caretaker manager to replace Philippe Clement.
Ferguson has previously been a manager himself – at Clyde, Kelty Hearts, Alloa and a caretaker spell at Blackpool.
But he was once close to dugout duties at Rangers too – as Pedro Caixinha’s assistant.
The Portuguese boss was looking for an assistant with a link to the club when he took over for an ill-fated spell.
He eventually settled on Jonatan Johansson but interviewed a variety of club stalwarts until he settled on the Finn rather than Ferguson.
But five-time title winner Barry recalled his honest answer that might have worked AGAINST his chances of landing the gig. As we now know, it didn’t work against his hopes in the long-term.
Infact he looks positively predictable given the forthright ‘five-year-plan’ response he shared with the team on OpenGoal podcast five years ago.
Andy Halliday said: “So apparently he said to you, where do you see yourself in five years? And you went, ‘sitting in your seat‘.
“Everybody loved it – but we were like ‘five years? what about five weeks, get him out’.
And Ferguson confirmed: “That’s right, it was at the end of the meeting. And he just looked and he’s done that [offered his handshake] and said ‘Right, thanks, nice to meet you’.”
The bold prediction, delivery and response brought guffaws from the podcast panel – but it’s Ferguson who has had the last laugh by bagging the job – albeit on an interim basis.
X.COMOpen Goal recalled their old pal’s prediction – five years on[/caption]
Halliday added: “What I will say is what a f****** thing to say when you’re trying to get a first-team coaching job – I want your job.”
The former captain has drafted in old team-mates Allan McGregor, Neil McCann and Billy Dodds to his backroom team – but kept Clement’s new number two Issame Charai on the staff.
Previous coaches Colin Stewart, Alex Rae and Stephen van der Heyden have also followed Clement out at Ibrox.
Clement leaves with a win percentage of 64pc – 55 matches in 86 games.
That’s 13th in Gers’ all-time boss list – narrowly ahead of Steven Gerrard.
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Popular Glasgow restaurant to reopen after two-year closure with new late-night bar and sports floor
A SPANISH restaurant which closed its doors two years ago is back.
Rioja is set to make a bold return to Glasgow in a brand new city centre location.
The restaurant opens next monthIt’ll serve tapas and street food
Formerly in Finnieston, the tapas and street food favourite will now open on the busy corner of Hope St and Bothwell Street.
And the once small eaterie will now be set over three floors.
There will be a casual but stylish restaurantspace upstairs, a bar with liveDJs which serves Spanish wines and classic cocktails on the ground floor and a basement games floor, complete with sports screenings, pool tables and foosball.
Rioja, which first opened its doors in 2013 and closed in Finnieston in 2023 due to Covid will announce a series of unique events to mark its launch.
Owned by independent restaurateurs Toni Carbajosa and Kevin Campbell, the new venture will also bring over 20 jobs to the city.
Toni Carbojosa said: “Rioja was a much-loved part of Glasgow’s food and drink scene, and we were overwhelmed by the support and loyalty of our guests in Finnieston.
“Since closing from in covid in 2023, not a week has gone by without people asking when Rioja would return – and now, we’re back, bigger and better than ever.
“We’ve taken everything people loved about Rioja – the energy, the atmosphere, the incredible Spanish flavours – and reimagined it for a brand-new space in the heart of the city.
“This next chapter is about bringing that same passion for great food, great drinks, and unforgettable nights, but on an even bigger scale.
“We can’t wait to welcome everyone back and introduce them to Rioja’s bold new era.”
To mark its highly anticipated return next month, Rioja is rewarding its biggest fans with an exclusive Secret Spanish Supper Club experience ahead of its official opening.
If you ever visited Rioja in Finnieston or you’re a fan of Spanish cuisine and culture, simply sign up at riojaglasgow.com for your chance to be part of Rioja’s return.
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For Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, adding Jimmy Butler to his team has completely changed the complexion of the 2024-25 campaign. Green guaranteed the Warriors would win a championship. Then, he explained why anyone could get frustrated with Butler — it’s because they’re losers. For Green, it’s the only explanation for why players couldn’t […]
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Adrian Wojnarowski made reporting breaking NBA news into an art form. And now, the retired NBA insider is putting the gadgets he used to “paint his masterpieces” up for sale. On Monday, Wojnarowski dropped a nostalgic Woj Bomb when he announced that he is auctioning off the iPhones that he relied on to deliver countless […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Mets’ rotation takes another hit with Sean Manaea injury update
The New York Mets have opened spring training with high expectations. Juan Soto’s first at-bat home run set the fanbase on fire and got baseball fans everywhere excited. But injuries have been a serious issue in Port St Lucie so far. The Mets are dealing with another significant injury, as Sean Manaea is expected to […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Why Warriors’ Draymond Green was so ‘surprised’ about Oscar Robertson’s callout
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