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☆ I'm a 26-year-old HENRY. I'm in the top 1% of earners and a homeowner — I won't be happy until I'm completely financially free.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ryan S. Gladwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Working in the tech industry as a data analyst, Ruan purchased a £450,000 apartment in London. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Ben Ruan, a data analyst living in London. Job-hopping meant I could put a house deposit down by 26Ben Ruan's living room in his central London apartment Ben RuanWhenever I work at a company, I ask myself: Am I learning? AdvertisementThe kitchen in Ruan's London apartment. AdvertisementWhile I'm not rich yet, I believe I'll be where I want to be in five years.

Persons: Ben Ruan, Ruan, —, Ben Ruan's, I'm, Banks, Ben Ruan I, Spencer, Ben Ruan I'm, homeownership, I've, HENRY Organizations: Service, Business, Coventry University, Big Tech, JD, Mercedes, Benz, Asda, Aldi, Waitrose Locations: London, Snapchat, Wavemaker, Central London, Ruan's London

☆ UK petrol station group EG to buy Tesla charging units
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Tesla electric charging point stands unused in a car park, as Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned, in London, Britain, November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - British petrol station operator EG Group will buy Tesla's (TSLA.O) ultra-fast charging units to help roll out its electric vehicle charging network across Europe, it said on Monday. The UK had just over 49,000 public electric vehicle charging devices installed as of Oct. 1, according to government figures. The "open network" Tesla chargers being bought by EG will enable all drivers to access them regardless of the brand of their vehicle, the company added. "The rapid installation of reliable, easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure is the right step towards a sustainable future," Tesla's senior director of Charging Infrastructure, Rebecca Tinucci, said.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Issa, Rebecca Tinucci, Sachin Ravikumar, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, EG, Asda, Charging, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, Europe

☆ Homesick Americans living in the UK should head to Costco for snacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Costco sells some American brands and products that aren't commonly available in the UK. Candy brands I saw at Costco included Red Vines licorice, Mike and Ike candy, and Welch's Fruit Snacks. A five-pack of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner costs £11.19 (around $2.75 per box) on the UK website, whereas on its US website, Costco charges $18.99 for 18 boxes of around the same weight – or just over $1 per box. AdvertisementAdvertisementBrits can still get their tea fixThere were, however, plenty of British products on sale, showing how it had adapted its assortment to UK shoppers. Grace Dean/Insider; Will Martin/InsiderLike many supermarkets in the UK, Costco was keen to point out the local origins of some of its own-brand Kirkland Signature produce as consumers pay more attention to food miles and supporting domestic agriculture.

Persons: —, Jerry's, Kraft, Will Martin, Candy, Red Vines, Mike, Ike, I'd, Grace Dean, Tetley, Heinz, Heinz Beanz, Jacks Organizations: Costco, Kraft, &, Service, Kraft Mac, Tesco, Asda, YouTube, Red, pretzels, San Francisco Pretzel Company, Daily, San Francisco Bay Coffee, Kraft Macaroni, Yorkshire Tea, Kirkland, Aberdeen Angus Locations: London, Puerto Rico, Canada, American, San Francisco Bay, South Croydon, Japan

☆ Sainsbury’s gain is private equity’s pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Red hot competition in the UK grocery market is favoring the largest players. Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts reckons the 6.5 billion pound group has been taking market share from rivals including discounters Aldi and Lidl. That may not be good news for Sainsbury’s smaller peers like Morrisons and Asda, owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and EG Group respectively. Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco have held their market shares relatively stable since 2021, when CD&R bought Wm Morrison. Sainsbury’s is currently valued at 5 times forward EBITDA, according to LSEG data.

Persons: J Sainsbury’s, Simon Roberts reckons, Wm Morrison, Aimee Donnellan, Aston Martin, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Aldi, Tesco, Clayton, Rice, EG, R, Asda, Morrisons, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Britain’s, Asda, Dubilier

☆ Kohl’s holiday look previews the retailer’s plans to snap out of sales slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Melissa Repko | CNBCAs shoppers head to Kohl's stores this holiday season, they will see gift ideas, Christmas ornaments and a potential glimpse of the retailer's future. Kohl's has leaned in by opening more Sephora shops inside of its stores. It'll be a bigger part of this holiday season. A year ago, roughly half of Kohl's stores had a Sephora shop. Pet merchandise is getting more square footage at Kohl's stores.

Persons: Merchant Nick Jones, Melissa Repko, Tom Kingsbury, Michelle Gass, Levi Strauss, Kohl's, Kingsbury, Christie Raymond, Covid, Raymond said, splurge, It'll, Raymond, Sephora, it's, Nick Jones, It's, Jones, Fido Organizations: CNBC, Burlington Stores, Franchise Group, Kohl's, Marks, ASDA, Walmart, Bed Locations: Ramsey , New Jersey, Kohl's

☆ UK consumers hunker down as fuel prices climb
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A person puts fuel in their car at a filling station, at an ASDA supermarket in Birkenhead, Britain, July 3, 2023. Britain's high inflation rate has slowed but at 6.7% in August it remains more than three times the Bank of England's 2% target. The BRC's like-for-like sales measure - which adjusts for changes in store space - slowed to show growth of 2.8% from 4.3% in August. Seventy percent of consumers surveyed by Barclays said they were finding ways to reduce costs, up slightly from August. Jack Meaning, chief UK economist at Barclays, said the warning signs of wariness among consumers was filtering through into their spending decisions.

Persons: Phil Noble, Helen Dickinson, electricals, Dickinson, BoE, Jack, William Schomberg, James Davey Organizations: REUTERS, Consumers, British Retail Consortium, Bank of England's, Barclays, Rugby, Thomson Locations: Birkenhead, Britain, August's

☆ 29-year-old’s self-driving car startup was born in a garage—now it has Bill Gates’ attention and a $1 billion valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Since launching Wayve in 2017, CEO Alex Kendall has often felt like the self-driving car industry's mostly ignored little brother. In 2017, Kendall got a Ph.D. in deep learning and computer vision at the University of Cambridge. While there, he helped develop a deep learning algorithm for a computer vision concept called "semantic segregation." A delivery van outfitted with Wayve's autonomous driving software is part of the fleet of vehicles making grocery deliveries across London. When he and Kendall launched Wayve, "many of the big technology giants had just put billions of dollars of funding into building autonomous vehicles," Kendall says.

Persons: Alex Kendall, Kendall, Amar Shah, Wayve, Bill Gates, we've, it's, Shah, I've Organizations: Microsoft, Virgin, CNBC, University of Cambridge, PACE, Eclipse Ventures Locations: London, South, Cambridge, Asda, Kendall

☆ I'm a 21-year old student living in Scotland. I have no student debt, and my $900 monthly budget pays for my fitness club, nights out, and frequent travel.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Joshua is a 21-year-old from Berlin who lives in Glasgow, Scotland to attend school. We asked Joshua, a 21-year-old Berlin resident who attends the University of Glasgow, about his biggest spending categories and cost differences between Europe and America. Occupation: Student and university employeeMonthly income: £700 (about $900), plus a £200 (about $250) stipend from his parentsStudent debt: $0. Now I live in Glasgow, Scotland for school. What's the biggest cost difference you've noticed between Germany, Scotland, and the US?

Persons: Joshua, Gen Zers, I'm, we're, we'll, I've, she's Organizations: Service, University of Glasgow, Occupation, Student, University of Glasgow ., Student Enterprise, Tesco, Asda, European Union Locations: Berlin, Glasgow, Scotland, Wall, Silicon, Europe, America, Germany, Sainsbury's

☆ UK consumer group calls for government action on grocery prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

says supermarket prices have risen 25.8% in two yearsSome prices have jumped by as much as 175%, consumer group saysRetailers say they have absorbed cost increasesLONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - British consumer group Which? has urged the government to take action to support households when the competition watchdog publishes its review of grocery pricing, saying some food prices have jumped by as much as 175% since 2021. found that supermarket prices rose by 25.8% between June 2021 and June 2023. Food prices have been driven up by increased costs for animal feed, fertiliser and fuel as well as energy and labour. While the UK government has raised concerns about soaring food prices it has said it was not considering imposing price caps.

Persons: Phil Noble, Jeremy Hunt, Helen Dickinson, James Davey, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Markets Authority, CMA, British Retail Consortium, Thomson Locations: Altrincham, Britain, British, Morrisons, Aldi, Europe, Hungary

☆ Britain's Waitrose joins forces with Uber Eats for rapid delivery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - British upmarket supermarket group Waitrose has teamed up with rapid delivery firm Uber Eats (UBER.N) to provide its groceries to shoppers' homes in as little as 20 minutes, the companies said on Tuesday. Waitrose, part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, said the "multi-year" partnership launched on the Uber Eats platform in five London stores and will roll out to over 200 stores by the end of August. It peaked at about 15% during the pandemic but has since come off to 10.4%, according to market researcher NIQ. Waitrose said the deal with Uber Eats builds on its existing partnership with Deliveroo (ROO.L) and its own online shopping business. Uber Eats already partners with UK supermarkets Sainsbury's, (SBRY.L), Asda, Morrisons, the Co-op and Iceland.

Persons: Uber, Online's, James Davey Organizations: Waitrose, John Lewis Partnership, Deliveroo, Asda, Morrisons, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Iceland

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. The findings show that support for China has gradually risen over the years as Beijing expands its footprint in the region. Of those polled, 61% said they support US disengagement from the Middle East, with most support for this being recorded in North Africa and the Levant. It also ranks third among those countries Arabs consider an enemy this year, replacing the US which held that position last year, but now ranks fifth. Russia’s involvement in conflicts across the Middle East may be responsible for the drop in its popularity, said Jacobs.

Persons: UAE CNN —, ASDA’A, ”, Anna Jacobs, ” Young, Charles Dunne, “, ” “, Jacobs, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, “ Biden, Dunne, – Organizations: UAE CNN, Group, Israel, CNN, EU, Palestinian, White House Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, China, United States, Dubai, Beijing, Russia, Turkey, North Africa, Levant, Ukraine, multipolarity, Gulf, Saudi Arabia, East, Iran, Israel

☆ Britain's M&S the latest supermarket to cut prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies M&S cuts prices of 70 products, holds prices of 150Morrisons cuts prices of 47 productsMoves follow other reductions across sectorBank of England keeping close eye on food inflationLONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) on Monday became the latest supermarket group in Britain to cut food prices, adding to signs that a surge in inflation is set to abate. M&S cut the price of 70 staple products, such as beef mince, Greek style yoghurt, salmon fillets, chickpeas and tortilla wraps, by between 3% and 25%. Also on Monday, Morrisons, Britain's fifth largest supermarket group, said it was cutting the prices of 47 products by an average of over 25%. On Friday, market leader Tesco (TSCO.L), said Britain's food inflation has peaked. EXPLAINER-Why is UK food inflation so stubbornly high?

Persons: Spencer, Rishi Sunak's, Kantar, James Davey, Kylie MacLellan, Susan Fenton Organizations: Bank of England, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ British supermarket Morrisons cuts prices of nearly 50 products
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - British supermarket Morrisons said on Monday it was cutting the prices of 47 products by an average of over 25%, in another sign that a surge in inflation might be set to abate. Morrisons, Britain's fifth largest supermarket group, said products subject to the latest price cuts included beef mince, ham, tomatoes, spinach and wholemeal pittas. On Friday, market leader Tesco (TSCO.L), said Britain's food inflation has peaked. 2 Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) reduced the price of toilet paper, and upmarket grocer Waitrose reduced the price of over 200 products. EXPLAINER-Why is UK food inflation so stubbornly high?

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Kantar, James Davey, Alistair Bell Organizations: British, Morrisons, Bank of England, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Thomson

☆ Morning Bid: The UK consumer is feeling the heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Vidya RanganathanIt's not just the heatwave. UK consumers are paying through their noses for fish and chips too, and Friday brings the next quarterly survey of their views on inflation and rates. As Britain contends with one of the highest inflation rates among major advanced economies, the BOE seems set to hike rates a lot more. The stock has soared 17% this year, but pared some gains as grocers across Europe cap some prices. St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President Bullard speaks in Oslo, NorwayEarnings/updates: Tesco (TSCO.L)Editing by Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vidya Ranganathan It's, BOE, Bullard, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of England, Reuters, Tesco, Asda, June University of Michigan, Louis Federal Reserve Bank, Thomson Locations: Vidya, gilts, Europe, Brussels, Italy, Oslo, Norway

☆ UK's Sunak scraps plan for supermarket price cap after backlash - Telegraph
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has abandoned plans to ask supermarkets to impose a voluntary price cap on basic goods after a backlash from retailers, the Telegraph reported on Wednesday. British ministers are pursuing other measures to deal with the country's sky-rocketing food inflation, and officials had reassured retailers there would be no intervention in prices, the Telegraph said on Wednesday, citing sources. Britain's competition regulator told supermarkets in late May it was looking at their earnings to identify which supply chains it needed to examine more closely as part of efforts to tackle food price inflation. Asda, Britain's third largest supermarket group, this week froze prices of over 500 products until the end of August, adding to signs that a surge in food inflation is set to abate and even reverse in the coming months. Reporting by Anusha S and Bharat Govind Gautamin Bengaluru; Editing by Diane Craft and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Anusha, Bharat Govind Gautamin, Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: British, Telegraph, British Retail Consortium, Asda, Thomson Locations: Bharat Govind Gautamin Bengaluru

☆ UK supermarket Asda freezes prices of 500 products
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has set a 2023 target to halve overall inflation but the goal has been undermined as inflation has remained stubbornly high, particularly food inflation. Overall UK consumer price inflation ran at 8.7% in April, the most recent official data showed, while food and drink inflation was 19.1%, just below a 46-year high. Food retailers have said they expect prices to rise in 2023 overall but with the rate of inflation declining through the year. Last week the French government secured a pledge from 75 top food companies to cut prices on hundreds of products. Last month, British finance minister Jeremy Hunt met food manufacturers to raise concerns about the surge in food prices, but no formal price controls were proposed.

Persons: cornflakes, Rishi Sunak, Clive Black, Jeremy Hunt, Kantar, James Davey, Sarah Young, Mark Potter Organizations: Grocers, Asda, Tesco, Foods, Waitrose, Shore Capital, Thomson

☆ UK's Asda to buy EG petrol stations unit in $2.9-bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asda, Britain's third-largest grocer, and EG are both owned by brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa and private equity group TDR Capital. The unit of around 350 petrol stations and over 1,000 food-to-go locations will be valued at 2.27 billion pounds. The deal will help spur Asda in its drive to overtake Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) and become Britain's No. 2 supermarket as it rolls out the Asda Express across the EG petrol estate. The Issa brothers bought Asda in 2021 and have already converted 166 EG sites to the "Asda on the Move" format.

☆ UK supermarket Asda to buy petrol stations operator EG Group UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British supermarket group Asda said it would buy petrol station operator EG Group's UK and Ireland business to accelerate its move into the convenience sector, creating a company with combined revenues of nearly 30 billion pounds ($38 billion). Asda, Britain's third-largest grocer, and EG are both owned by brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa and private equity group TDR Capital. The deal, which includes around 350 petrol stations and over 1,000 food-to-go locations, values EG at 2.27 billion pounds, including debt, the groups said on Tuesday. 2 supermarket and the deal will enable it to roll out Asda Express across the EG petrol estate. Since the Issa brothers bought Asda in 2021, 166 EG sites have already been converted to the "Asda on the Move" format.

This is weighing on how much the private equity firms are offering to buy companies. So far, bids for Subway have ranged between $8.5 billion and $10 billion, one of the sources said. This is a more expensive route that private equity firms may not opt for, three of the sources added. To be sure, Subway is allowing bidders to use any financing route they want, as long as they can show they can secure committed financing. TPG and Bain were part of a group that owned Burger King when John Chidsey, who is now Subway's CEO, headed that burger fast-food restaurant chain.

☆ Britain's Sainsbury's expects to beat market forecasts this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It said on Thursday underlying pretax profit was 690 million pounds ($861 million) in the year to March 4, at the top end of guidance but down from the 730 million pounds made in 2021-22. For the 2023-24 year Sainsbury's forecast profit between 640 and 700 million pounds, ahead of analysts' average forecast of 631 million pounds. Earlier this month, market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) reported a 6.3% fall in annual profit and forecast a flat outcome for 2023-24. Sainsbury's spent over 560 million pounds over the two years to March 2023, funded by cost savings, to keep a lid on prices, taking a hit to profit. Its 2022-23 statutory pretax profit fell to 327 million pounds from 854 million pounds, impacted by non-cash asset impairments.

☆ Walmart’s US chief marketing officer stepping down as retailer warns of tough year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Walmart’s chief merchandising officer for its US operations is stepping down from the job as the retailer faces a tougher year ahead, an internal memo shared to US associates Friday said. In a memo viewed by CNN Business, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said Redfield wants to spend more time with his family. Redfield held his position at the retailer for a little more than a year, beginning in January 2022. Its strong holiday sales were fueled by groceries. “There are merchants, and then there’s our Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield,” CEO John Furner said in a memo viewed by CNN Business.

☆ Lack of electric vans opens door for Chinese, other EV makers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] Tristan Thomas, CEO of Packfleet, demonstrates charging an electric van made by Chinese brand Maxus at the fully-electric package delivery firm's headquarters in London, Britain, October 27, 2022. Packfleet grew tenfold in 2022 and CEO Tristan Thomas said most of the company's 53-vehicle fleet are Maxus vans. SAIC said it sold 18,000 mostly electric Maxus brand vehicles in Western Europe and Scandinavia last year, including buses and pickup trucks. Fleet manager Sean Clifton has 50 additional Ford vans and 20 Maxus vans on order, but will need more soon as Asda electrifies its 1,300 delivery vans. There is no difference in delays for conventional and electric vans at Renault, said commercial vehicle marketing director John Cleworth.

☆ Britain's Sainsbury's offers lower prices to loyalty card holders
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Illuminated signage is seen at a branch of the Sainsbury's supermarket in London, Britain, January 7, 2022. Sainsbury's' "Nectar Prices" scheme offers discounts on items including household products, pet food and confectionary when members scan their Nectar app or swipe their card at the supermarket checkout, or if shopping online link their Nectar and Sainsbury's accounts. "We will keep refreshing Nectar Prices and increasing the variety of products on offer," said Sainsbury's CEO Simon Roberts. Nectar members will continue to earn points for purchases which can be spent either at Sainsbury's or with partners. The new initiative builds on a scheme launched in 2021 that saw Sainsbury's offer lower prices to Nectar members using its "SmartShop" self-scanner service.

☆ Profit at UK supermarket Asda slumps on inflation hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - British supermarket group Asda on Wednesday reported a 24% fall in annual earnings after it decided not to pass the full impact of cost inflation onto consumers, taking a hit to profits instead. Asda, owned by brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa and private equity firm TDR Capital, said core earnings, or adjusted EBITDA, were 886 million pounds ($1.1 billion) in 2022, down from 1.17 billion pounds in 2021, on flat sales of 20.45 billion pounds. Grocery inflation in March hit a record high of 17.5%, according to market researcher Kantar. The group said it was making progress towards achieving its long-term goal of becoming the number two supermarket in UK grocery. In January, the Times reported that the Issas and TDR were exploring a merger of EG and Asda.

☆ Advent International joins list of suitors for sandwich chain Subway - Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Buyout firm Advent International is among a list of firms that remain in contention to buy sandwich chain Subway, Sky News reported on Monday. The firm joins rival bidders including Goldman Sachs' asset management arm, Bain Capital, TDR Capital - the joint owner of Asda - and TPG, according to the report. Advent had previously invested in entertainment retailer HMV and currently has investments in companies such as Laird International and McAfee Corp, among others. Advent International and Subway did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The Wall Street Journal in January reported that a potential sale could value Subway at more than $10 billion.

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