Proximo, the global spirits maker responsible for Jose Cuervo tequila, Bushmills Irish whiskey, The Kraken black spiced rum, has launched The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey. The Sexton is the result of the unique vision and creativity of Master Blender Alex Thomas, one of the world’s few female whiskey blenders. The Sexton is designed for a new modern whiskey drinker, who looks for a multi-tasking malt that’s just as enjoyable in a cocktail as it is neat or on the rocks.
Hammerson, on behalf of the Dundrum Partnership, has partnered with Naturally Fast Food brand, Leon, to open a flagship restaurant in Dundrum Town Centre. Leon will occupy 1,886 square feet in the Upper Pembroke District of the centre. The new dining brand will form part of a wider development that will reposition existing retail units to create four new restaurants and additional leisure space.
Online sales of groceries grew by 13% globally in the 12 months ending June 2018 and now account for 6.3% of all fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sales worldwide, Kantar Worldpanel reveals. This compares with a 1.6% increase in total FMCG (online and offline) sales though it is the slowest e-commerce growth in five years. The biggest contributors to FMCG e-commerce growth are China Mainland and the US, which both grew at 30% – in line with the average growth rate for global online FMCG sales over the past half decade.
Confectionery giant Mondelēz International has been urged to sever its links with the “biggest and dirtiest palm oil trader in the world” in a protest staged outside its UK headquarters which took place on the 19 November. More than 30 Greenpeace activists recreated a life-size burnt and smouldering rainforest, complete with a lifelike orangutan, at the main entrance of the headquarters in Uxbridge, west London.
IKEA Group, the owner of most IKEA furniture stores worldwide, plans to cut 7,500 jobs over the next couple of years, mainly administrative staff in central support functions, it said on Wednesday. At the same time, the group, which owns 367 IKEA stores, estimates it will create 11,500 new jobs in the period as it expands with new store formats and online, grows its service offering and invests in digital capabilities, it said in a statement.
Britain's accounting watchdog said on Wednesday it had launched an investigation into the audit by Grant Thornton UK of cafe chain owner Patisserie Holdings Plc's financial statements for 2015-2017. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it was investigating the preparation and approval of Patisserie's financial statements and other financial information by the company's former Chief Financial Officer Christopher Marsh. Grant Thornton handles the accounts of Patisserie, which has been rocked by an accounting scandal and came close to collapse before getting a 20-million-pound lifeline from Chairman Luke Johnson.
The European Council has agreed on the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for certain deep-sea stocks in the EU and international waters in the North-East Atlantic, for 2019 and 2020. The Council decided to raise the TACs for the two stocks and to reduce the TACs for ten stocks, as was proposed by the Commission
Coca-Cola has scaled back its annual Christmas truck tour after protests from public health campaigners. The drinks giant will stop at a third fewer locations on this year’s tour, which has been welcomed by councils and shopping centres since 1995. Pressure has grown on Coca-Cola and other drinks manufacturers over the level of sugar in their products which campaigners say contribute to rising levels of diabetes and childhood obesity.
Protests are to be staged outside Amazon warehouses to highlight complaints about working conditions at the retail giant. The GMB is organising demonstrations at five sites on Friday, claiming some conditions are “inhuman”. General secretary Tim Roache said: “We’re standing up and saying enough is enough. You’d think making the workplace safer so people aren’t carted out of the warehouse in an ambulance is in everyone’s interest, but Amazon seemingly has no will to get around the table with us.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
