THIS WEEK'S NEWS

77 CHARGED OVER EXTINCTION REBELLION NEWSPAPER BLOCKADE

A TOTAL OF 77 PROTESTERS HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH CRIMINALOFFENCES FOLLOWING A BLOCKADE OF NEWSPAPER GROUPS ATTHE WEEKEND BY ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNERS EXTINCTIONREBELLION.

A major blockade of newspaper groups at the weekend by environmental campaigners Extinction Rebellion has led to 77 protestors being charged with criminal offences. The campaign caused huge disruption to national newspaper deliveries affecting around 1.5m copies.

The actions at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire and Knowsley in Merseyside were condemned by the News UK-owned Newsprinters business as an “attack on all of the free press” which had affected workers going about their jobs, and others such as newsagents who face a “financial penalty”.

The company transferred printing to other sites, but delays were caused to some deliveries of The Sun, The Times, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times.

SHOPWORKER PROTECTION CAMPAIGNS GATHER STEAM

MOMENTUM CONTINUES TO BUILD BEHIND SEVERAL CAMPAIGNSDEMANDING BETTER PROTECTION FOR SHOPWORKERS.

Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw has announced that it is throwing its weight being a campaign by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to improve legislation to protect shopworkers from violence. The BRC launched a Shopworkers’ Protection Pledge last week which has been signed by MPs who support legislation necessary to protect shopworkers.

It follows a parliamentary petition launched by Usdaw which now has over 58,000 signatures, as the union continues to campaign for the 100,000 signatures that should trigger a parliamentary debate.

BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson (pictured) said: “Every day, hundreds of hard-working retail colleagues are subjected to violence or abuse in their place of work. These incidents have multiplied during the pandemic, which is why we are now calling on MPs from all parties to come together and sign the Shopworkers’ Protection Pledge. On behalf of the three million people who work in retail, their families, and their communities, there is one simple message – doing nothing is not an option.”

LIDL REWARDS APP ROLLED OUT

Lidl rolled its Lidl Plus app out last Thursday giving customers access to exclusive weekly discounts and rewards when they scan their digital card at the till. The app features weekly coupons and scratch cards handed out with every purchase where customers could win up to £20 off their weekly shop.

Each week customers get new single-use coupons to use on their next shop – with some discounts of up to 25% on selected products.

Lidl Plus will also be launching a ‘Coupon Plus’ feature where customers will get bonus money-off coupons to use on their next shop when they reach a certain target.

SMART CHECKOUT PAYMENTS ‘TO HIT $387BN BY 2025’

A new report from Juniper Research has predicted that the value of retail transactions processed by frictionless smart checkout technologies will hit $387bn in the next five years, despite the fact that the value processed in 2020 will be only $2bn.

The ‘Digital Retail Technologies‘ report says the massive growth will be driven by retailers looking for sustainable business models in the wake of Covid-19.

Amazon is already ahead of the curve on this frictionless model with its ‘Just Walk Out’ technology that it

has been using its own Amazon Go stores for several years. Its move into licensing out its technology to other retailers will only help generate further growth.

The report also predicts that retailers will invest over $23bn globally in Artificial Intelligence technology by 2025, up from $5bn this year.

PITRON JOINS MFG

Motor Fuel Group (MFG),the UK’s largest independentforecourt operator, has namedDavid Pitron as its newcommercial director. Pitronjoins from BP where he workedfor the past 16 years, latterlyas the UK-based global retailcommercial developmentdirector.

E-VOUCHER DEAL

PayPoint has entered anexclusive deal with NeoSurf,an organisation which providepincodes for use across20,000 different websites,which allows customers to buyNeosurf pre-paid pincodes atover 27,000 PayPoint retailersacross the UK. Cash can alsobe used to top-up balances onNeosurf e-wallets and prepaidcards.

WASTE NOT

Sainsbury has extendedits in-store food donationprogramme by allowingcustomers to make onlinedonations to the FareSharefood waste and hunger charityas part of their shop. Allfunds will go towards buyingfood for redistribution acrossFareShare’s UK network.

FLORIST FRENZY

Morrisons is hiring an extra180 fully-qualified floristsas part of plans to install afurther 60 florist stations inthe supermarket’s stores totake the total to over 100.Google data shows that onlinesearches for flowers climbedby 277% during lockdown.

PORTMAN BLOG

Alcohol industry watchdog thePortman Group has launched anew blog series: ‘Responsibleactions to Covid-19’. Theseries features alcoholcharities, partnerships andindustry bodies and looks atthe impact of Covid-19 on thealcohol sector, demonstratingthe responsible and rapidresponse from the industry.

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

News UK is close to removingall single-use plastic used towrap its titles. Last weekend,Sunday Times magazinesin parts of South East ofEngland were wrapped witha recyclable paper band andThe Saturday Times magazinewill follow this weekend. Thebanding will be phased inacross the rest of the UK andIreland by mid-October.