NEWS SPECIAL
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PRICE WAR LOOMING Tesco is reportedly pressuring suppliers to switch to everyday low pricing and effectively reduce their prices as the supermarket prepares for a price war with Aldi. Tesco will reportedly also permit only promotions that come under its Clubcard loyalty scheme.
M&S RELAUNCHES SPARKS Marks & Spencer is relaunching its Sparks loyalty programme as a ‘digital first’ scheme to provide members with a more personalised experience.
B&M BOOST B&M has made a strong start to the new financial year with
RETAILERS URGED TO MAINTAIN 2M RULE LOCAL RETAILERS IN SCOTLAND AND ACROSS THE UK ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING AT 2M DESPITE THE INTRODUCTION OF MANDATORY FACE COVERINGS IN SCOTTISH STORES.
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hopworkers’ trade union Usdaw is urging retailers to maintain social distancing in shops at two metres, as agreed in joint safety guidance, despite the Scottish Government announcing that face coverings will be mandatory in shops from this Friday. The union also calls on customers to respect staff who have to enforce safety in stores. Stewart Forrest, Usdaw’s Scottish Divisional Officer, said: “Usdaw worked
with the Scottish Retail Consortium on joint safety guidance for shops based on the two-metre rule and in our experience retailers have taken that seriously and are complying. We see no reason why that should be relaxed now that the Scottish Government has made face coverings mandatory in stores. “We accept face coverings can limit the spread of the virus, but they do more to protect others rather than the wearer and that needs to be understood.”
FARESHARE ADDS 150 MORE PARTNERS
group revenue increasing by 27.7% to £1.15bn in its first quarter. UK revenue rose by 33.7% to £987.8m as like-forlike sales climbed 26.9%.
FREE T FOR PUBS Tennent’s has launched a new campaign for the on-trade supplying complimentary kegs for around 2,000 licences premises in Scotland as part of its ‘Dedicated to You’ activity.
8 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 12 / WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY 2020
FareShare, the UK’s biggest food redistribution charity, has signed up almost 150 more retail and food businesses to divert surplus food or donate food to organisations supporting people in need since lockdown measures began. Before the pandemic, FareShare worked with around 600 partners to divert surplus food that would have otherwise been wasted to frontline charities such as homeless hostels, food banks and domestic violence refuges.
As a result of lockdown and Premiership footballer Marcus Rashford’s public plea to the food industry to support FareShare in getting food to those most affected by the crisis, an additional 144 businesses across the supply chain signed up to help. FareShare has now tripled the amount of food it distributes each week, providing enough food last week alone for charities and community groups across the UK to deliver over 3.2 million meals.
