Scottish Power / Excalon move back to Craigleith on Monday (19 August) with Groathill Avenue closed between Telford Road and Sainsbury’s garage for around 5 weeks.
Groathill Road South will also be closed at Telford Road with local access retained via South Groathill Avenue.
HISTORIC SCOTTISH DRINKS BRAND’S 750ML RANGE HITS THE SHELVES OF FIVE SAINSBURY’S STORES ACROSS EDINBURGH
Bon Accord Soft Drinks – one of Scotland’s most beloved soft drink brands – has today announced that their one hundred per cent naturally sweetened 750ml range is now available for purchase in the Longstone, Murrayfield, Cameron Toll, Straiton and Blackhall stores in Edinburgh.
The Bon Accord Soft Drinks range in Sainsbury’s stores will consist of 750ml sharing bottles of Rhubarb Soda, Cloudy Lemonade, and Ginger Beer. Rhubarb Soda is crisp and refreshing, with real rhubarb flavour, Cloudy Lemonade is tangy and tart with a zesty zing, and Ginger Beer is made with real ginger for a flavour that gently tingles and builds without overwhelming.
Having recently revamped its recipes in keeping with consumer trends and customer feedback, the naturally sweet drinks are now compliant with new government regulations regarding the fat, salt and sugar content of consumer goods.
Bon Accord Soft Drinks are also now available in many major Sainsbury’s stores across Scotland making the better-for-you drinks range more available to consumers nationwide.
Karen Knowles, Managing Director of Bon Accord Soft Drinks said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Sainsbury’s and are over the moon to announce that our one hundred percent naturally sweetened drinks will be available to even more people across Scotland thanks to this partnership.
“Our emphasis on natural ingredients and environmentally conscious packaging makes us stand out in the soft drinks space, and we can’t wait for more people to try our refreshing and better-for-you drinks.
“Existing Bon Accord drinks fans will know that each flavour is carefully crafted to cater to every pallet, delivering a memorable moment with each sip. However, in keeping with the latest consumer trends and customer feedback, we’ve recently revamped our recipes, meaning Bon Accord drinks are now high-fat, salt and sugar compliant. Our customers asked, and we listened! Our iconic soft drinks just got so much better with the already naturally sweetened drinks now having an even lower sugar content.”
With a heritage dating back to 1903, Bon Accord Soft Drinks have been delivering exceptional beverages to communities across Scotland for over a century. Founded by the current owner’s great-great-grandfather, the brand was reimagined and refreshed in 2016 and remains a family-owned and run business to this day.
This revamped range from Bon Accord Soft Drinks is crafted from 100% natural ingredients; paired with the one-hundred-per-cent recyclable glass bottles, the drinks are the perfect choice for both health and eco-conscious consumers. With a focus on making its fruity products even more natural, Bon Accord Soft Drinks offers a unique product to the marketplace.
When you choose Bon Accord Soft Drinks, consumers are supporting a historic Scottish brand that values natural ingredients, exceptional flavours, and environmental responsibility.
Karen Knowles continued: “Our new range of naturally sweetened soft drinks is perfect for anyone looking for a healthier take on a classic drink. We are proud to offer consumers a better-for-you option that is not only naturally delicious but more accessible now than ever.”
For further information please visit Bon Accord’s blog here.
The Chancellor delivered a Spring Statement today that ‘puts billions of pounds back into the pockets of hard-working people in Scotland’– unveiling a series of tax cuts to ease the cost of living.
Rishi Sunak announced that National Insurance starting thresholds will rise to £12,570 from July, meaning hard-working people across the UK will keep more of what they earn before they start paying personal taxes.
The cut, worth over £6 billion, will benefit 2.4 million working people in Scotland with a typical employee saving over £330 a year, whilst the typical self-employed person will save over £250. This means the UK now has some of the most generous tax thresholds in the world.
Mr Sunak also announced that fuel duty for petrol and diesel will be cut by 5p per litre from 6pm tonight (23 March) to help drivers across the UK with rising costs. Worth £2.4 billion, this is the biggest cut ever on all fuel duty rates and means a one-car family will now save on average £100.
As a result of a cut to the basic rate of income tax for savings income, taxpayers in Scotland will see benefits worth £3 million. As other income tax rates are devolved in Scotland, the Scottish Government’s funding is automatically increased as a result of this tax cut as set out in the agreed Fiscal Framework. This is initially worth £350 million in 2024-25.
The Chancellor also set out a series of measures to help businesses boost investment, innovation, and growth – including a £1,000 increase to Employment Allowance to benefit around half a million businesses.
As a result of measures in this Spring Statement the UK Government is providing the Scottish Government with an additional £45 million through the Barnett formula next year.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “We’re slashing taxes for millions of hard-working people in Scotland, getting pounds in people’s pockets and helping pay cheques to stretch further – from July more than 2.4 million in Scotland will get a tax cut with the typical employee keeping £330 more each year.
“By cutting fuel duty, we’re making it cheaper for people in Scotland every time they go to the pump, which together with the freeze means people save £100 per car on average a year.
“We’re boosting small business growth by increasing the Employment Allowance – a tax cut worth up to £1,000 for thousands of businesses.”
To grow the world’s very best talent in AI, the UK Government will partner with industry and academia to create 1,000 new AI PhDs. The Government will invest £117m to create PHDs across the UK at Centres for Doctoral Training, building on the existing three sites in Scotland. This will train a new generation of AI researchers who will develop and use AI in areas such as healthcare, climate change and creating new commercial opportunities.
Delivering the statement, the Chancellor made clear that our sanctions against Russia will not be cost-free for people at home, and that Putin’s invasion presents a risk to our economic recovery – as it does to countries all around the world.
However, announcing the further measures to help people deal with rising costs, he said the extra support could only be provided because of the UK’s strong economy and the tough but responsible decisions taken to rebuild our fiscal resilience.
The immediate financial support for people and businesses comes as part of a wider tax plan announced by the Chancellor that will create better conditions for growth and will share proceeds from growth more fairly – ensuring people can keep more of what they earn.
Mr Sunak also announced that the Scottish Government will receive £41 million more funding as there will be an extra £500 million for the Household Support Fund, which doubles it’s total amount to £1 billion to support the most vulnerable families with their essentials over the coming months.
The Chancellor also reduced the VAT on energy saving materials such as solar panels, heating pumps and roof insulation from 5% to zero, helping families become more energy-efficient.
This cost of living support comes on top of the measures that the Chancellor has already announced over the recent months to support families. This includes an over £9 billion energy bill rebate package, worth up to £350 each for around 28 million households, an increase to the National Living Wage, worth £1,000 for full time workers, and a cut to the Universal Credit taper, worth £1,000 for 2 million families.
The Spring Statement also confirms that:
Reacting to today’s Spring Statement, Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “Government should be about compassion and justice, and making sure people are able to live as full a life as they can.
“The Chancellor said his Spring Statement today was all about security. Yet his plans show a failure to comprehend the situations being faced by households across the country, leaving them with insecure and falling incomes in the face of rising costs.
“Amid a rising tide of poverty, the Chancellor could have thrown a lifeline by increasing benefits in line with inflation and by scrapping the unjust benefit cap. Instead he has provided additional funding of only £500m to the Household Support Fund which, although welcome, will quickly be consumed by the rising cost of living for families on the lowest incomes.
“The increase in the National Insurance threshold has also been presented as a support to people living on low incomes. In reality two thirds of this effective tax cut will go to middle and higher income households.
“By ignoring the tidal wave of rising living costs that is pulling so many people into poverty, the Chancellor has made clear his priorities. His tax cutting agenda will generate positive headlines, but could see another 400,000 people across the UK swept into poverty.
“Ultimately, the Chancellor’s statement is a failure of courage, a failure of compassion, and a failure of justice.”
The UK Government has not delivered the support and help that families and businesses need today, according to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes.
Responding to the Spring Statement, Ms Forbes said the Chancellor failed to help thousands of worried households facing poverty as a result of soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis.
In 2018/19, the Scottish Government introduced a more progressive approach to tax, including a 19% starter rate band below the basic rate, ensuring those who can afford to pay a little more do so.
Ms Forbes said: “The Spring Statement has failed to address the biggest challenges facing households today. With soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis, the Chancellor has not used his Spring Statement sufficiently to provide lifeline support that could prevent households facing fuel poverty.
“The Scottish Government is providing a further £10 million to continue our Fuel Insecurity Fund into 2022-23, which supports people struggling with their energy bills. Most powers relating to the energy markets remain reserved and Scottish Ministers have repeatedly called for the UK Government to urgently take further action to support households – including a reduction in VAT on household energy bills and support for those on low incomes.
“We are doing all we can to tackle the cost of living crisis – including doubling the Scottish Child Payment from £10 per week per eligible child to £20 next month. The UK Government should have followed our lead and matched the 6% uprate on social security benefits which the Scottish Government is adding to eight of the benefits we deliver. The Chancellor failed to match that commitment which could have provided lifeline support to thousands of households.
“On taxation, we have already acted to introduce a 19% starter rate of income tax below the basic rate, in line with our commitment to progressive taxation, which makes Scotland the fairest taxed part of the UK. We will continue to take that approach when we set taxation policy in future budgets.”
In the midst of the biggest wages and bills crisis in living memory, Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement has failed families who need help NOW, says the TUC.
He didn’t stand up for families. He didn’t take the opportunity to stand up to the bosses who’ve sacked hundreds of workers at P&O. And he didn’t set out a plan to get wages rising – leaving the average workers facing a wage cut of over £500 this year.
Last week, we set out what we needed to see from the Chancellor to get a spring statement that is fit for purpose.
We were looking for the Chancellor to:
Below we set out how the spring statement matched up to our tests and assess what it means for working people.
Workers’ pay prospects from the statement don’t look good. The OBR forecasts real weekly wages to fall by £11p/w (2.0 per cent) in 2022, and fall again in 2023. This will put wages back below their 2008 levels (after a brief recovery in 2021), where they’ll stay until 2025. And even this contains some optimistic wage forecasts, with the OBR forecasting pay before inflation to rise by as much as 5.9 per in Q3 2022.
The OBR forecasts that the 2022-23 financial year will see the biggest fall in living standards since records began in 1956-57, explaining that the “failure of nominal earnings growth to keep pace with rising inflation” is a “key factor” in this.
It adds that the policy measures announced since October only “offset a third of the overall fall in living standards that would otherwise have occurred in the coming 12 months”.
But there was no action to tackle falling pay in the Chancellor’s statement: nothing on raising the minimum wage, or funding public sector pay rises, and no recognition that collective bargaining (and union presence) is the most sustainable way to get wages rising.
The spring statement offers little good news for struggling families, especially those in receipt of benefits.
Worst of all there was no increase in the basic rate of benefits. As it stands, the standard allowance for Universal Credit and legacy benefits is set to rise by 3.1 per cent in April 2022. But this is far below the latest inflation figure (CPI is 6.2% in Feb 2022 and RPI is 8.2%), with inflation forecast to rise higher in the coming months.
This will leave those on benefits facing a real terms cut at a time when energy bills are rising by 54 per cent. The families who need the most help have been left totally out in the cold by the Chancellor today.
The decision not to cut benefits in real terms will particularly impact those who are unable to work. This reflects a wider ignorance of the equalities impact of the cost of living crisis.
We also didn’t see a reversal of the decision to suspend the state pension triple lock. The decision to abandon the pensions triple lock will cost pensioners almost £500 a year. Pensioners are particularly vulnerable to price hikes as they spend a higher percentage of their income on food and fuel.
The big new announcement for targeted support for low-income households was £500 million in additional funding for the Household Support Fund – a temporary discretionary fund run by local authorities. This scheme was set to end this month, and the initial funding was £500 million.
This extra money is worth less than £10 each to the six million families claiming Universal Credit – in the unlikely event they hear about it and are able to jump through the hoops needed to claim it. And contrast this £500 million to the £10 billion cut to benefit spending in 2022-23 as a result of not uprating benefits in line with inflation.
Changes to tax cuts won’t help the families who need it most now. Raising the National Insurance threshold mostly benefits middle earners and, compared to increasing benefits payments, does little to help those with low income. This can be seen in the chart below, from the Resolution Foundation.
And promises of income tax cuts tomorrow do nothing for families facing cuts to their living standards now.
Recent TUC research found that 1 in 3 parents with pre-school children spend more than a third of their pay on childcare. And yet the spring statement made no mention of childcare –or even children.
And the Chancellor has missed another opportunity to raise sick pay and make it available to all. Living with Covid requires decent sick pay for all, yet we’re still waiting for government to take action on this.
Alongside this was the removal of the 5% Value Added Tax currently applied to building materials, like home insulation and solar panels. But this only benefits families who own a home and can afford to renovate it anyway.
The Chancellor should’ve taken the opportunity to invest in home retrofits at scale. Improving the average UK home’s energy efficiency to band C would reduce the country’s gas demand by 15% and cut hundreds of pounds off fuel poor homes’ energy bills. A massive social homes retrofits programme, delivered by local authorities, could also create over a quarter million good jobs over two years. But here again the Chancellor failed to act.
The 5p cut on fuel duty does next to nothing to support those at the sharp end of the wages and bills crisis. Analysis by NEF estimates that a third of this tax cut will go directly to the richest 20% of households, while the poorest 20% will on average only receive £5 per month. To make transport truly affordable for everyone, Government should be expanding bus and rail services in the public sector.
We heard nothing on reforms to corporate governance, industrial strategy or expanding the public sector workforce to deliver the decent public services we need to level up.
The Chancellor did announce a review of the apprenticeship levy. We believe that any changes to the levy should focus on significantly increasing the number of high-quality apprenticeships and widening access to groups facing long-standing barriers. A review must not be an exercise in allowing employers to duck their responsibilities on apprenticeships.
And much more than this is urgently needed to tackle the shortfall in training, including increased government skills funding and new workplace training rights to expand opportunities for everyone to upskill and retrain.
The Chancellor talked about security but did nothing to take on the bosses who take every measure to undermine their workers’ job security. He could’ve made it clear that no employer who treats workers with the contempt shown by P&O Ferries would receive a penny of public money until they reinstate their workforce, including by taking freeports contracts off DP World, the parent company of P&O.
Yet once again the Chancellor failed to mention the issues that matter to working people.
The Spring statement document outlines the £400m in humanitarian support the government has given to Ukraine, and says it has committed “to provide local authorities with £10,500 per person for support services, and between £3,000 and £8,755 per pupil for education services depending on phase of education, as well as £350 per month for sponsors for up to 12 months”.
But it’s clear that the government’s support for the people fleeing war and conflict is worse than inadequate. The Ukraine for Homes scheme is no substitute for a properly funded system that provides universal refugee protection. And yesterday, the Government’s nationality and borders bill, passed a vital stage in the House of Commons, meaning that those fleeing conflict may find themselves treated as criminals and deported, instead of finding sanctuary.
Families are facing soaring bills at a time when their incomes have been squeezed by years of wage cuts and attacks on the social security system. The wages and bills crisis is a consequence of decisions taken by successive governments. Today the Chancellor chose to make the pain last for longer.
THERE WAS SOME PRAISE FOR SUNAK’S MINI-BUDGET, HOWEVER:
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, Sainsbury’s said: “We know our customers and colleagues are concerned about increases to the cost of living and at Sainsbury’s we are doing everything we can to support them.
“We really welcome today’s changes to fuel duty and national insurance. We are passing a 6 pence per litre cut in fuel across our forecourts from 6pm tonight as we know fuel costs are one of the biggest pressures everyone is facing right now.
“We were pleased to welcome the Chancellor to one of our stores today to discuss what we are doing to offer customers great value and to invest over £100 million in increasing pay for our colleagues with a new hourly rate of £10 per hour nationally and £11.05 in inner London.”
Michelle Ovens CBE, Founder, Small Business Saturday said: “Moves in today’s Spring Statement to increase the employment allowance, reduce fuel duty and raise the National Insurance threshold are welcome, and will go some way to help businesses deal with rising costs.
“In particular, It is good to see the immediacy of this rise in employment allowance.”
Martin McTague, Chair, Federation of Small Businesses, said: “We are very pleased to see the Chancellor adopting our top ask for this Spring Statement: uprating the Employment Allowance to help small employers with national insurance costs.
“We originally put forward the Employment Allowance as a targeted measure to help small firms, and it has now been expanded three times since its creation.
“Together with a cut to fuel duty, these measures will provide crucial breathing space for our embattled small employers.
“This Spring Statement marks a good starting point, with welcome measures on business rates, net zero and energy investment taking effect next month.
“With steep inflation, energy bills increasing fast, without the same support in place as enjoyed by consumers, and hiring pressures landing hard on small firms, more of the right stuff will be needed in the autumn given this challenging backdrop.
“We’ve seen a VAT cut on net zero investments for households today, which is good for small firms involved in their installation.
“However, a high street shop or local bar cannot access the same support that consumers do when dealing with the same energy supplier, and they should have access to the same assistance to reduce energy use and support the move to net zero.
“We look forward to working with the Chancellor on his new tax plan. Achieving the new culture of enterprise vision he rightly aspires to, alongside levelling up aspirations, will mean putting community small firms and sole traders front and centre of reforms.
“That means taking more of them out of the business rates system, protecting SME R&D investment incentives and delivering on commitments to end an endemic late payment culture that destroys thousands of firms a year.”
Alex Towers, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, BT Group said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s focus on tax reforms for business investment, given how central this is to UK infrastructure and growth.
“This is particularly important for BT Group as we make once in a generation investments to build the UK’s full fibre broadband and 5G networks. The existing super-deduction has already helped us to significantly increase and accelerate that investment.
“We agree that longer-term incentives are now needed, to support this country’s growth and competitiveness, and we will be keen to contribute evidence to aid the Government’s decision-making.”
Dr Clive Hickman OBE, Chief Executive, the Manufacturing Technology Centre said: “We welcome the Spring Statement, which outlines concrete steps to ensure that the manufacturing sector remains competitive, sustainable, and resilient.
“The Government’s commitment to cut tax rates on business investment is important if the UK is to boost manufacturing productivity and create high-quality jobs. In addition, the reform to R&D tax credits is a very positive step that will enable the scheme to be more effective, better value for money, and more generous.
“These measures will be crucial to spur innovation and encourage investment across the country.”
Julian David, Chief Executive, TechUK said: “Rightly the majority of the Spring Statement focused on addressing the cost of living concerns resulting from the war in Ukraine and rising inflation. Along with this vital action, the Chancellor also outlined a welcome package of consultations and policy programmes aimed at boosting businesses investment.
“In our recent Digital Economy Monitor Survey UK tech companies said increasing support to invest in R&D would be their top ask of Government, with 76% saying R&D is important to their business operations in the UK.
“The proposals unveiled today to further expand R&D tax credits and consult on ways to maintain the tax deduction for capital expenditure have the potential to unlock more investment into UK innovation.
“However, to get this right the Government must ensure that the software and intangible assets that power modern business investment are kept in scope. Otherwise, the Government risks missing an opportunity to unleash the potential of tech led growth.”
Dom Hallas, Executive Director, COADEC said: “Better R&D tax credits would mean more innovation from startups and innovative companies.
“We’re delighted the Chancellor recommitted to expanding it to cover cloud and data costs – and look forward to discussing the many ways to improve the credit further.”
Irene Graham OBE, Chief Executive, ScaleUp Institute said: “In the face of increasing pressures of inflation and wider international uncertainties, it is very good to see the Spring Statement continues to recognise the importance of business growth and innovation.
“It reaffirms policies targeted towards R&D, people and skills, investment, and innovation including the new Innovation Challenge across central government departments. We will continue to work closely with the Government on the evolution and development of these policies which are so vital to our scaleup economy.”
Michael Moore, BVCA Director General, said: “Increased business investment is key to the future of the UK economy and we welcome the measures announced by the Chancellor today which support this objective.
“Private capital’s focus on sectors like AI, robotics and fintech has helped the UK to become a world leader in these areas – further reform of R&D tax credits will help businesses to drive further innovation and strengthen the UK’s position in this new economy.”
Fuel Duty
Edmund King, President, the AA said: “The AA welcomes the cut in fuel duty. However, we are concerned that the benefit will be lost unless retailers pass it on and reflect a fair price at the pumps. Average pump prices yesterday hit new records- despite the fall in wholesale costs.
“The Chancellor has ridden to the rescue of UK families and businesses who use their vehicles, not for pleasure, but to function in their daily lives. Since the start of the year, the 20p-a-litre surge in pump prices has been the shock that rocked the finances of families, and particularly young drivers, pensioners and lower-income workers who need to commute each day.
“AA research showed that even in November, when petrol pump prices set new records at around 148p a litre, 43% of drivers were cutting back on car use, other spending to compensate or both. That rose to 59% among young drivers and 53% among the lower-paid. Petrol started this week averaging 167p a litre.
“On top of the duty cut, there has been a substantial reduction in wholesale road fuel costs feeding through to the forecourts since 9 March. That needs to drive lower pump prices also. The road fuel trade shouldn’t leave the Treasury to do the heavy lifting when cutting motoring costs.”
Elizabeth de Jong, Director of Policy, Logistics UK said: “With average fuel prices reaching the highest level on record and rising inflation, there has been an unstainable burden on logistics businesses which operate on very narrow margins of around 1%; the Chancellor’s decision today will help to ensure operators can continue to afford supplying the nation with all the goods it needs, including food, medicine and other essential items.
“Fuel is the single biggest expense incurred by logistics operators, accounting for a third of the annual operating cost of an HGV. The cut in fuel duty of 5ppl will result in an average saving of £2,356 per year per 44-tonne truck; this move will help to strengthen the UK’s supply chain during a time of ongoing financial and operational challenges.”
Zero rating VAT in energy efficiency measures
David Cowdrey, Director of External Affairs, MCS said: “The Chancellor has used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to kick-start the home heating revolution by zero rating VAT on home energy efficiency and renewable technologies for five years.
“This announcement allows people to insulate their homes and save on our fuel bills, making houses cheaper to run, especially when gas prices are at a record high.
“The government’s bold move to zero rate VAT can help the UK meet its net zero targets by using proven, off the shelf, zero carbon domestic energy solutions, such as solar and heat pumps, which are ready to be upscaled now.“
Professor Robert Gross, Director, U.K. Energy Research Centre, Professor of Energy Policy, Imperial College said: “The VAT cut on energy efficiency products is a great first step in helping households adopt simple measures to help cut fuel bills for the coming winter.
“Better insulated houses need less energy to keep warm and this is good for our bills, energy security and the environment.”
Amy MacConnachie, Director of External Affairs, Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said: “The REA warmly welcomes today’s announcement to remove VAT on domestic renewables for five years. We have long campaigned for this change because we know these installations will help protect people from volatile gas prices and reduce their energy bills, while also supporting the transition to Net Zero and providing a catalyst for new jobs and investment across the country.
“The move to bring forward business rate exemptions for green technologies from April 2022, including solar panels and heat pumps, will help to further drive down costs and support the decarbonisation of buildings.
“We now want to see the Government clarify and go further on the range of technologies included as Energy Saving Materials, particularly energy storage, but this is a positive package of measures for our sector.
“We stand ready to deliver an energy future which is independent, secure, and stable.”
Shoppers could be paying almost four times more than they need to for the same branded grocery products at certain times, Which?’s biggest ever supermarket pricing investigation has found.
The consumer champion analysed more than a million prices for 493 branded grocery items at six major supermarkets – Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose – throughout 2020.
The investigation revealed not just the pricing secrets that mean shoppers could be paying over the odds for the same products depending on the days they shop, but also the types of grocery products that fluctuate the most when it comes to price, as well as the supermarket that almost always beats its rivals when it comes to the cost of branded groceries
Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee (250g) at Ocado had the most dramatic price difference, as the investigation found shoppers could pay almost four times more for the same product on different days.
It was at its cheapest price of £1.30 for 63 days in 2020, however for more than a third of the year (130 days), it cost an eye-watering £5 – a 284 per cent difference for the same product. Ocado said this price fluctuation was an error that has now been corrected.
The price for Müller yogurts illustrates the so-called “high-low” tactic used by many supermarkets – when prices are dramatically hiked and then slashed at regular intervals.
For example, Müller Light Greek Luscious Lemon yogurts fluctuated substantially at Sainsbury’s during 2020, flipping between £1 and £2.75 – a 175 per cent price difference – at roughly three-week intervals. The same product was also available for £1 or less in at least one of the major supermarkets for about 85 per cent of the year.
Other products that saw significant price variations included Carte D’Or Vanilla Ice Cream and Loyd Grossman Tomato and Basil Sauce at Asda – with prices fluctuating by 133 per cent and 125 per cent respectively.
At Morrisons, shoppers could pick up a bottle of Shloer’s Red Grape Juice Drink for just £1 on a good day, however it cost more than double (£2.25) on other days – representing a 125 per cent increase.
Which? also found there were price variations of 122 per cent for Jordans Country Crisp Four Nut Cereal at Tesco. Shoppers could sometimes pay just £1.35, yet on other days the same pack was more than double the price at £3.
The investigation also analysed pricing at a category level, looking at 19 areas from chocolates to cheese, and found the price for branded cakes and biscuits fluctuated by 48 per cent on average – more than any other category.
In this category, Which? analysed the price of 14 products and found a 10-pack of Cadbury Chocolate Mini Rolls at Asda had the biggest price difference. It cost just £1.20 at its cheapest but was more than double the price at £2.60 on certain days.
Shoppers should also keep a close eye on the price of juices and smoothies, as prices in this category varied by 41 per cent on average. This was followed by cooking sauces (38%), crisps (36%) and cereal (35%).
Across all 19 categories analysed, Asda had the lowest average prices for branded groceries, making it the best option for shoppers who prefer branded items but do not want to pay over the odds.
Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for branded items in eight categories including energy drinks, ice cream and tea, and Ocado for seven categories including juice drinks, coffee and cheddar.
Almost all the products in the investigation varied in price and could be found discounted at one or more supermarkets at any time. However, a Which? survey found one in five shoppers are confused by grocery promotions and the majority (73%) would prefer consistently low prices.
While Aldi and Lidl were not featured in the investigation as they stock fewer branded goods, they have won legions of customers by focusing on consistently low prices rather than deals and discounts. In Which?’s monthly price analysis, the cheapest supermarket is invariably either Aldi or Lidl.
Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said: “Our research reveals just how wildly food and drink prices can fluctuate from day to day, meaning people are at risk of massively overpaying for branded groceries depending on when and where they shop.
“We would recommend keeping an eye on the prices of your favourite products and stocking up when they’re discounted to avoid paying over the odds.”
Please see a link below for the average price fluctuation for all 19 categories:
https://infogram.com/1pddv32knm3wngimz1972prnlkhkzqkzll2?live
FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU SAVE
Which? awards various endorsements to supermarkets:
An Asda spokesperson said: “We have a long heritage in providing customers with the brands they love at the best possible prices and we’re really pleased the Which? survey found that Asda is the cheapest supermarket for branded products.
“Investing in price to provide even greater value for customers when they shop remains our key strategic priority. In tandem with everyday low prices, we are also focussed on a number of other price investments to deliver great value, including our regular rollbacks and price lock events, where prices are reduced across thousands of food and non-food categories.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We’re committed to offering our customers the best possible quality and value and prices fluctuate up and down for a variety of reasons.
“Our Price Lock and Sainsbury’s Quality Aldi Price Match campaigns ensure customers can feel confident they are getting the best possible prices at Sainsbury’s, while not compromising on quality.”
An Ocado spokesperson said: “Ocado is committed to offering customers the best range, service and value in the market. As part of this commitment, we are proud to offer over 49,000 products – more than any other supermarket.
“Our Value Delivered range offers hundreds of everyday items at low prices. The fluctuation in price for the Lavazza product was due to a technical error and has since been resolved. The regular price is now back in place and is in line with most other major grocery retailers.”
Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose did not provide a comment.
I have spent a lot of time in our stores over the past few days and I need to ask for your help with two key issues to keep you and all my colleagues safe.
When shopping in our stores, you must wear a mask or visor unless you have a medical exemption. And you should also shop on your own. Thank you for your support.
Security guards will support our colleagues at the front of store and will challenge customers who are not wearing masks or who are shopping in groups. I know you’ll understand and support what we are trying to do.
We have also significantly reduced the number of customers allowed in our stores at any one time to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times.
Together, these steps will go a long way to keep everyone safe, whether you are shopping or working with us.
Please wear a mask or visor and please shop alone in our stores. Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe.
Best wishes
Simon
Sainsbury’s is to cut 3,500 jobs, mainly from it’s Argos chain, it was announced this morning.
The retailer plans to close more than 400 standalone Argos stores by March 2024, although it says it will open 150 more Argos outlets in Sainsbury’s stores. Jobs will also go in the supermarkets, however, with the closure of delicatessen and fresh fish and meat counters.
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive of J Sainsbury plc said: “As we go into lockdown in England for the second time this year and restrictions are in place across the UK, we know our customers and colleagues are feeling anxious and we will do all we can to support them.
“Our colleagues have done an exceptional job going above and beyond for our customers every day which is why we are giving our frontline colleagues a second 10 per cent thank you payment.
“Above all else today, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to every one of my colleagues in our stores, in our depots, and across our store support centres for all your hard work and for your outstanding team effort.
“We also want to support our communities and those in need and are creating a £5 million community fund for local charities and good causes, in addition to the £7 million we donated to Fareshare and Comic Relief earlier this year. We want to do our bit to ensure that no one goes hungry at Christmas and to support those most in need.
“COVID-19 has accelerated a number of shifts in our industry. Investments over recent years in digital and technology have laid the foundations for us to flex and adapt quickly as customers needed to shop differently. Around 19 per cent of our sales were digital this time last year and nearly 40 per cent of our sales are digital today.
“While we are working hard to help feed the nation through the pandemic, we have also spent time thinking about how we deliver for our customers and our shareholders over the longer term.
“We will put food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s. We are already working to make this happen – we have lowered prices on over 1,500 every day grocery products over the past few months and we will do more of this, focusing on the staple products that our customers buy every day.
“We know that customers are feeling the pinch and we want them to feel confident they will get always get great value, quality and service from Sainsbury’s. We will focus on accelerating product innovation and will bring new and exclusive products to our customers much more often.
“To support our ambition in food, we are accelerating our ambition to structurally reduce our cost base right across the business so we can invest faster back into our core food offer.
“Our other brands – Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar and Sainsbury’s Bank – must deliver for their customers and for our shareholders in their own right.
“Argos sales have been strong over the past six months and we have gained almost two million new customers as people have re-connected with Argos. Over the next three years we will make Argos a simpler, more efficient and more profitable business while still offering customers great convenience and value and improving availability.
“We will also make Habitat more widely available in Sainsbury’s and Argos, giving customers access to stylish home and furniture products at more affordable prices.
“We are talking to colleagues today about where the changes we are announcing in Argos standalone stores and food counters impact their roles. We will work really hard to find alternative roles for as many of these colleagues as possible and expect to be able to offer alternative roles for the majority of impacted colleagues.
“Given the unprecedented circumstances of this year and the challenges facing our colleagues, including the changes we are announcing today, I have informed the Board that if a bonus is payable, I will waive any bonus entitlement for this financial year.
“We are raising our ambitions. By delivering improvements in value and quality and simplifying this business, we will do a better job for our customers and deliver an improved financial performance and stronger shareholder returns.
“Right here and now I and all the team are focused on supporting and delivering for our customers in the days and weeks ahead.”
Unite the union has called on Sainsbury’s to redeploy its 500 members whose jobs on deli, fish and meat counters are under threat, following today’s announcement by the supermarket giant that it is cutting 3,500 jobs.
Unite said that it was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the news affecting its members working on these counters which have been closed since the first lockdown in March and called for urgent talks to explore redeployment opportunities within Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
It is understood that the redundancy notices for the counter staff will be issued in March next year and come into effect in May 2021.
Unite national officer for the food industry Bev Clarkson said: “This is very disappointing news for our 500 members working on the deli, fish and meat counters.
“We are seeking urgent talks with the management to explore deployment opportunities within Sainsbury’s, given the supermarket’s sales have risen since the first lockdown in March.
“Hopefully, the supermarket can reopen some of these counters, closed since March, once the Covid-19 restrictions are eased and a vaccine comes on stream.
“Sainsbury’s needs to engage more constructively with Unite going forward as this news came ‘out of the blue’ without the detailed consultations we would expect from such an established and well-known company.
“This is very grim news for our members and their families in the run-up to Christmas, and we will be giving them maximum support during this worrying and uncertain time.”
I’m writing to you today to update you on the range of ways we are helping to get food and essential items to those who need them most (writes Sainsburys Chief Executive MIKE COUPE).
We continue to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers for online delivery and have offered over 725,000 elderly and vulnerable people access to slots so far. We identified 450,000 of these customers based on our own data and from customers registering with us.
We have also been able to match over 275,000 additional customers in England, Scotland and Wales based on government data and we are contacting these customers to arrange priority home delivery.
We will be in touch with more customers based on the database we receive from Northern Ireland as soon as we can. For vulnerable customers who have been offered a slot and are unable to place their order online, we offer a telephone ordering service and we now have five times the number of colleagues on hand to help with this.
As we do our best to keep our colleagues and our customers safe, we have had to temporarily change some of our processes.
To help our colleagues socially distance, we are no longer asking them to accept unwanted substitutions or to process refunds on your doorstep. If you do not want the substitutions, then you need to call us to let us know and we will process the refund for you.
This is only temporary and we are working on a digital process to make this quicker and smoother. I apologise for the inconvenience in the meantime and I’ll write again to let you know when the new process is up and running.
As I’m sure you can appreciate, our online home delivery and click & collect services are in more demand than ever before.
We are increasing our capacity as much and as quickly as we can and by the end of the month we aim to offer 600,000 online slots per week. We are doing our best to add more slots and will keep going with this but it’s important that I highlight that there is far more demand for these slots at the moment than we can ever satisfy. I have therefore included below a full list of other ways to access food and other essential items.
We are doing our best to reduce queuing times both inside and outside our stores.
To help with this, we have been extending our opening hours. By Monday the vast majority of our supermarkets will be open from 08.00-22.00. We are installing perspex safety screens in our petrol filling station stores and these will start to re-open from next week.
We are also extending opening hours in many Convenience stores to 10pm or 11pm. You can check the latest opening hours in your area before shopping here.
To help with queuing inside stores, we are installing additional protective screens between manned checkouts.
These screens will help keep our colleagues and customers safe and will mean we can open far more manned checkouts in the stores that have them. We are installing them in over 150 stores over the next week or two and I will keep you updated on this and other steps we are taking to help make your shopping trip quicker and easier.
For elderly and vulnerable customers, we offer dedicated shopping hours between 08.00 and 09.00 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And NHS and social care workers can shop in our supermarkets from 07.30 to 08.00 Monday to Saturday before they open.
We have also extended our partnership with WHSmith to provide easy access to food for NHS workers in 80 hospitals across the UK at a discounted rate.
We know that many of you are already shopping for friends, family and neighbours and we are very grateful to you for providing this community service. I mentioned in my last letter that we were launching a Volunteer Shopping Card to make it easier for people to shop for others and I am pleased to let you know that these are now available online.
For customers who are struggling to leave the house to get to the shops, we have also expanded our on-demand delivery service ChopChop to London zones 1 and 2. The service allows you to choose up to 20 of 400 grocery and essential items for home delivery within an hour. We’re looking at how we can bring this service to more people in more places across the country and I will keep you updated on progress.
Many of you have also written to ask me what additional steps we are taking to support the most vulnerable in our communities.
In addition to donating £3 million in cash to Fareshare to help to distribute food to food banks and other vulnerable communities across the UK, we are also supporting the government’s free school meal vouchers scheme, ensuring that children who qualify for free school meals can continue to access free meals while schools are closed.
Many of you are also helping us to make a real difference to communities across the UK by buying a copy of The Big Issue in stores and online. We are also supporting Comic Relief and the BBC on The Big Night In, which is raising money for people impacted by COVID-19. I hope lots of you will be able to join me in tuning in this Thursday at 7pm and donating in a range of ways if you can.
I know that most of you really appreciate the essential role that our colleagues are playing at the moment to keep the nation fed.
Our colleagues are working in really challenging circumstances, constantly trying to balance the need to serve our customers well, to keep shelves stocked and to help people get in and out of shops as quickly as possible.
We are also asking them to help us keep you safe. Unfortunately this means they will ask you to queue outside shops when they are busy. Please help us to make our colleagues’ jobs easier by showing them kindness and respect at all times.
Best wishes
Mike
Sainsbury’s, British Gas, The Entertainer, Palletforce, XPO Logistics and British Gas have joined forces to help distribute food to people who need it most. The unprecedented partnership will ensure the Trussell Trust and FareShare can continue to help support people struggling in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Each organisation1 is playing a vital role in distributing donated food from supermarkets, wholesalers and other food companies to food banks and community charities across the UK.
This innovative partnership comes as the Trussell Trust warns that more people are likely to need a food bank’s help as a result of the outbreak. Food charity FareShare has also seen a steep rise in applications from charities and community groups across the UK who are in need of vital food supplies.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust said: “This unique partnership beautifully articulates how society is pulling together in the fight against Covid-19.
“All these organisations have innovatively adapted their services to support the people most in need during this challenging time, and we are truly grateful that they are helping food banks to continue to provide their essential community service. But ultimately, no one should need to use a food bank. We want to ensure that this community spirit, of supporting one another during difficult times, continues long after this pandemic, so we can create a society where everyone can buy their own food.”
Judith Batchelar, Director of Sainsbury’s Brand said: “Coronavirus has impacted everyone in the UK and it’s important that we support each other now, more than ever.
“We are committed to supporting our colleagues, customers and our local communities during this crisis. In addition to helping FareShare redistribute food, we are still operating our food donation points in 92% of our stores which support 2,250 food donation partnerships, ensuring food continues to go topeople who need it most.”
Lindsay Boswell, CEO at FareShare, said: “This partnership is a testament to the incredible things we can achieve when businesses and the voluntary sector works together with a common purpose.
“It will enable FareShare to dramatically scale up the amount of food we can distribute right across the UK, enabling us to get more food out to the thousands of charities and community groups, fellow food redistribution organisations, food banks and pantries. It is these groups who, under the most extraordinary circumstances, are doing everything they can to safely deliver food onto the doorsteps of those who are most at risk.”
Matthew Bateman, Managing Director of Field Operations at British Gas, said: “This partnership is a great example of people and businesses coming together to help people who need it most.
“There are still so many of our people that want to do more to help people in need so by working with the Trussell Trust we can help get food and other essentials to those who really need it. We are in a unique position to help with our nationwide reach and with the third largest fleet in the UK.”
Gavin Williams, managing director, supply chain – UK & Ireland, XPO Logistics, said: “This is a fantastic initiative, a collaboration that really does have a significant positive impact on the groups of people most affected by the pandemic.
“Our part in the food journey is in creating mixed parcels, palletising and consolidating them, before they reach the food banks. We are proud to be playing a role in expanding and speeding up the supply of essential goods to the front-line doorstep delivery.”
Michael Conroy, CEO of Palletforce, said: “Palletforce has helped deliver surplus food for FareShare for a number of years now and we’re privileged to play our part in distributing these food donations.
“Our members are out there ensuring supply chains keep moving, guaranteeing food and other essential supplies make their way to retailers. We’re pleased that they can assist in distributing critical supplies to food banks supported by FareShare and the Trussell Trust.”
Gary Grant, Founder and Executive Chairman of The Entertainer: “We’re extremely proud to have joined together with other retailers and businesses to support people in need within our communities during this challenging time.
“It’s both humbling and inspiring to see the outpouring of support for each other across the country and the coming together of retailers and businesses to provide help and support is something we’re delighted we can be part of. We hope the food will bring comfort to people who receive it in these difficult times.”
I wrote to you last week to update you on how we are supporting elderly and vulnerable customers with access to groceries online. I wanted to share some progress we have made on this over the past few days.
When I wrote last, we had offered 450,000 elderly and vulnerable customers priority booking to online delivery. At the end of last week we received the government database, which includes details of all the people in England who have registered with the government to say that they are vulnerable and need help getting a food shop.
Since then we have been able to match almost 150,000 additional customers against our database. We have already contacted almost 30,000 of those and so we are now contacting almost 120,000 additional customers to offer them a priority delivery slot.
We are waiting for the databases for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and will contact vulnerable customers in those areas as soon as we are able.
We know many elderly and vulnerable people who need to self-isolate are relying on the kindness of family, friends and local communities to shop on their behalf and we encourage this.
You wrote to tell me that product limits were a barrier to being able to shop for other people. We understand that it can be difficult to buy what you need and shop for someone else with the 3 item product limit.
We have now lifted buying restrictions on thousands of products and hope that this will help more of you to shop for others. I also want to reassure you that stock levels are now much better right across the store.
We are keeping limits on the most popular items for now, including pasta, UHT milk, antibacterial products and some tinned and frozen foods. But you can now feel confident in shopping in our stores at any time of day and being able to find most of what you need.
To help people shop for others easily, we will be introducing a new volunteer gift card and online voucher in the next week or two. I will share more information on this soon.
Many of you have also written to me to tell me about food banks and community groups near you that are struggling in this crisis. We know from our ongoing support of food banks that this is a particularly tough time for them right across the country.
To help with this, we have donated £3 million to Fareshare, who will use that money to distribute donated food to the people who need it the most.
We are also partnering with Comic Relief and the BBC on The Big Night In which aims to raise money for people impacted by COVID 19. We’ll be sharing more information on this in stores and online.
Best wishes
Mike
I’ve written to you regularly over the past few weeks as we adapt the way we work to keep our shelves full while keeping you and our colleagues safe.
We continue to make changes in line with government guidelines and in response to feedback from you and our colleagues.
I am writing today to tell you about measures we are taking to protect our customers and colleagues and to update you on our product availability and on how we continue to support our elderly and vulnerable customers.
Keeping our customers and colleagues safe
Keeping you and our colleagues safe is our number one priority. This week we have brought in further measures to help you keep a safe distance from other customers and from our colleagues when you are visiting our stores.
We have queuing systems in place outside stores and ask you to please queue at a safe distance of two metres apart. Please also try to keep a safe distance from other customers and from our colleagues when you are doing your shop. We have placed clear markings on shop floors to help you know what a safe distance is.
From today, we are asking everyone to please only send one adult per household to our shops.
This helps us keep people a safe distance apart and also helps to reduce queues to get into stores. Our store teams will be asking groups with more than one adult to choose one adult to shop and will ask other adults to wait. Children are of course welcome if they are not able to stay at home.
To help keep our colleagues safe while serving customers, we now have screens at most manned checkouts. In the next few days we will have finished installing the screens across all manned checkouts in every supermarket, convenience store and Argos collection point.
Feeding the nation
We have been working hard with our suppliers to improve our product availability. Most people are now just buying what they need for themselves and their families. This means we now often have stock on the shelves all day and at the end of the day.
People have been queuing to get into our stores when they open in the mornings, but customers are now finding they can shop at any time of the day and feel confident in finding most of what they need.
As stock continues to build, we have been reviewing whether we still need to limit the number of items people buy. I am pleased to tell you that we will start to remove limits from Sunday. Limits will remain in place on the most popular items which include UHT milk, pasta and tinned tomatoes.
We have removed limits from Easter eggs immediately as we know families often want to buy more than three and we have plenty of these in all stores and online.
Supporting elderly and vulnerable customers
We are continuing to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers for online delivery slots and our customer Careline has helped 170,000 customers, who will now get priority access to online delivery. In total, we have offered priority booking to more than 450,000 elderly or vulnerable customers.
I apologise to customers who have been struggling to get through to our online team. The team is working at full capacity and we are doing our very best to get to people as quickly as possible.
We are expanding our groceries online service as much and as quickly as we can. Two weeks ago we had 370,000 online grocery slots available. By the end of next week we will have increased this to 600,000 across home delivery and click and collect and we will continue to add more capacity over the coming weeks.
Supporting our colleagues
Our colleagues really are doing a remarkable job. I have been into a number of stores over the past few days and have been struck by their dedication and their determination to do the best job for our customers. These are very uncertain times and our colleagues really are on the frontline.
We are doing everything we can to keep our colleagues safe and this includes supporting them if they need to self-isolate. Where colleagues are considered vulnerable, we are paying them in full for the recommended 12 weeks self-isolation, including colleagues who live with extremely vulnerable family members who the government has asked to shield for 12 weeks.
I am personally committed to ensuring the safety of our colleagues and we will continue to do the right thing to protect them throughout this time.
I have been delighted to see that customers have told us they think colleague friendliness is at an all-time high at the moment. I think this is real testament both to the hard work of our colleagues and also the fantastic recognition they are getting for the vital role they are playing throughout this crisis.
Thank you for treating our colleagues with the respect and kindness they deserve. They really are doing their best to serve our customers well in these challenging times.
Best wishes
Mike
