Did you know?... Amazon, which ships millions of packages a year to shoppers' doorsteps, has announced plans to make half of all its shipments carbon neutral by 2030. The online retail giant said it will use more renewable energy such as solar power, have more packages delivered in electric vans and push suppliers to remake their packaging.
Did you know?... British convenience retailer McColl's is on course for its first rise in like-for-like sales in a year in the first quarter, the company said on Monday, outweighing a warning of the potential impact of Brexit and pushing shares up 8%. The company said sales had recovered from falls earlier in 2018 to stand flat on the year in the fourth quarter and up 1.2% in the 11 weeks ended 10 February. McColl's also warned of the potential for an 11% drop in sales in April and May if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, as customers migrate to new products and supply chains are disrupted.
Did you know?... Factory and consumer price inflation in China rose at a slower rate than expected in January as global growth cools and the US trade war drags on, official data showed today. The producer price index (PPI) - an important barometer of the industrial sector that measures the cost of goods at the factory gate - rose 0.1% in January, compared with a 0.9% rise the previous month.
Did you know?... Strong demand for its new vegan sausage roll drove a 14% rise in sales for British high street baker Greggs in the first seven weeks of 2019, and prompted the company to promise underlying pretax profit ahead of previous expectations. The positive outlook comes less than two months after the company nudged up its 2018 profit forecast to at least £88 million after demand for its festive bakes, mince pies, hot drinks and breakfast items led to a "very strong" finish to the year. It is expected to announce results for the full-year on March 7.
Did you know?... Germany has launched a drive to halve food waste by 2030 as research shows every consumer on average throws away 55kg of edibles a year. The new strategy would target households, producers, retailers, and the restaurant industry to get them to cut down the 11 million tonnes of food wasted a year.
Did you know?... Italian coffee producer Illycaffè has announced the appointment of Alessandra De Gaetano as its new retail director. De Gaetano will focus on the relaunch and development of the company's retail channel, in order to strengthen its global presence, the company said.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
