NEWS DIGEST
THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/
LIDL UK APP Lidl is now introducing its ‘Lidl Plus’ mobile app to stores in the UK following the introduction of the app in the Republic of Ireland last month.
CASH
LOOMIS REDUNDANCIES LEAVE CASH FACING ‘DEATH SPIRAL‘
The mobile payment option
TRADE UNION GMB IS WARNING THAT THE UK CASH INDUSTRY IS
allows customers to pay in-app
FACING A ‘DEATH SPIRAL’ AS LOOMIS ANNOUNCES MORE THAN 300
and collect loyalty points, whilst
REDUNDANCIES.
granting access to partner offers.
FAIRER DELIVERIES The Scottish Government launched a new website this week to combat “shocking” charges for deliveries to rural and island communities. The site offers a parcel delivery pricing map to help residents find the best deals from a number of delivery companies including DPD, UPS, TNT, Parcelforce, MyHermes and
The UK cash industry faces a “death spiral”, according to the GMB union, after the news of 312 redundancies at cash-in-transit security and ATM servicing company Loomis. The Nottingham-based UK arm of Loomis AB, which is headquartered in Stockholm, announced the jobs across the country – over a fifth of its UK workforce – will go from next month. Loomis provides service to thousands of ATMs and stores across the UK for clients including Tesco. The news comes after G4S announced a restructure last month
that would put 1,150 jobs at risk, mostly among cash handlers following reductions in cash payments during the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdown. Roger Jenkins, GMB National Officer, said: “Our country’s cash infrastructure is facing a death spiral. The collapse of the cash industry could have a terrible impact on the elderly and most vulnerable and wreak havoc on a whole host of businesses that rely on cash transactions. There is a real risk of the UK sleepwalking into a cashless society.”
Menzies.
NEW ZEALAND COVID CASES New Zealand has confirmed its first cases of Covid-19 outside managed isolation for the first time in 102 days. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern scheduled an impromptu press conference with virtually no notice to announce that four new cases have been identified.
SPAR LAUNCHES £30K COMMUNITY CASHBACK Spar Scotland has launched its first Community Cashback campaign, with over £30,000 to give away to community groups and charities around the country. Customers, store staff and HQ employees can nominate a local charity or community group to win cash. There are 21 cash prizes up for grabs, ranging from £800 to £2,000. The campaign is running in all 109 CJ Lang company-owned Spar stores, with the winning groups being
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announced in November. It is being supported with in-store POS, social media, online website content and Spar Live radio. Colin McLean, CEO of Spar Scotland, said: “During the pandemic local community groups and charities have suffered as they rely so much on donations from the general public. We hope a number of organisations will benefit from a share of the Community Cashback campaign.”
