Consumer caution over high interest rates and energy bills adds to bleak start to the year for sectorCold wet weather and caution about spending amid high interest rates and energy bills have delivered a dismal start to spring for retailers and restaurants, the latest industry figures show.Sales were virtually flat across March and April against the...

Price rise for mass-market types expected as global production falls to lowest level in more than 10 yearsOlive oil prices are set to climb further this year – heading to more than £16 a litre for a bottle of extra virgin – amid a drop in global production to the lowest level in more than a decade.Lower production in Greece, Morocco and Turkey as part...

Fish welfare campaigners say Defra decision facilitates greenwashing and will mislead consumersAnimal welfare campaigners are challenging the decision to allow producers of Scottish salmon to drop the word “farmed” from labelling.An application by the industry body claimed changing the protected name wording on the front of packaging from “Scottish...

A year after coronation, firms that were under patronage of Queen Elizabeth II or former Prince of Wales reapply, while others get in on actOn first glance the list of prestigious brands reads like the wedding gift registry of a wealthy eccentric.Moët & Chandon is one of eight acceptable champagnes for the ice bucket on the (Steinway) piano. The...

Firm aims to upgrade 612 outlets and reopen 62 this year amid signs of rising consumer confidenceHeineken is to spend £39m on reopening about 60 UK pubs and sprucing up “tired” locals in suburban areas in an effort to attract more consumers working from home.The firm, which has 2,400 pubs through its Star pubs and bars arm, plans to reopen 62 long-term-closed...

Union cites extreme wet weather and post-Brexit phasing-out of EU subsidies as main reasons for slumpFarmers’ confidence has hit its lowest level in at least 14 years, a long-running survey by the biggest farming union in Britain has found, with extreme weather and the post-Brexit phasing-out of EU subsidies blamed for the drop.The National Farmers’...