Luke Traynor Apr 08, 2014 Mirror UK Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch aims to be first smoke free village in Britain The village with Britain’s longest name will leave visitors out of puff – by banning smoking in public. People in the tongue-twisting village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is aiming to be the country’s first smoke-free village by asking people not to light up in public places. Signs will be put up in the the village on Anglesey, north Wales, calling on people not to smoke anywhere in public – even outside pubs and shops. Visitor Darren Humprhreys, 26, said: “I used up all my breath just trying to say the name – no wonder they want to stop people smoking. “It has been famous for years for the name so it would be great to be known for fresh air too.” The no-smoking scheme will apply to entrances to pubs and shops – as well…

9th April 2014 Inside Retail 7-Eleven has confirmed it will be expanding into Western Australia this year, making the first time the company has entered a new market in 32 years. More than 10 stores are projected to open in WA over the coming year, including standalone convenience stores and fuel stores, with plans for as many as 75 stores over the next five years. “Economic and population growth in Western Australia, and boosted demand for convenience stores in the state, has helped make this expansion a reality,” Warren Wilmot, 7-Eleven CEO, said. “Consumers have been asking us for some time when we were coming to Perth, because they are desperate for a great fuel and convenience offer. I’m pleased to be able to tell our fans that we’ll see them in WA soon,” Wilmot said. Core offerings in new stores will remain including fresh food products, Slurpee ranges, Krispy…

Ashley Armstrong 09 Apr 2014 The Telegraph UK MARS, the maker of M&Ms and Snickers, yesterday spent $2.9bn (£1.7bn) buying pet food brands Eukanuba, IAMS and Natura from consumer giant Procter & Gamble. The trio of brands will be added to Mars’ existing pet food business which includes Whiskas cat food and Pedigree Chum. The deal is the biggest in five years for the Mars bar maker since its $23bn Wrigleys gum deal in 2008. The US conglomerate is buying the rights to the brands in North America, Latin America and other selected countries which account for 80pc of Procter & Gamble’s global pet food sales in total. Procter & Gamble, which also owns Gilette razors and Fairy Liquid, said that it could sell its European pet care business to different buyers. The company said it “is developing alternate plans to sell its Pet Care business in these markets”. Analysts…

Graham Ruddick 10 Apr 2014 The Telegraph UK Tesco’s scale remains an advantage, yet the company seems reluctant to use it Tesco’s share price is at the lowest level in a decade, Sainsbury’s is the most shorted stock in the FTSE 100 and Morrisons has warned that profits in 2014 will be half what they were last year. Britain’s biggest supermarkets are facing a crisis. This challenge to the “big four”, which also includes Asda, has not suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It is the result of the discounters Aldi and Lidl growing in confidence over the past few years, the leading grocers focusing on protecting their bottom line rather than growing sales, a lack of trust in big business since the financial crisis and the loss of highly-rated management such as Sir Terry Leahy. According to Moody’s, over the past four years, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have lost…

Ruki Sayid Apr 07, 2014 The billionaire Topshop boss, who bought BHS for £200million in 2000, has pledged to be 10% cheaper on food and drink than the major players High street tycoon Sir Philip Green has vowed to take on the big four supermarkets by launching 50 discount BHS Food shops. The billionaire Topshop boss has pledged to be 10% cheaper on food and drink than the major players. Sir Philip, who bought BHS for £200million in 2000, said: “There’s no point in opening up and getting torn apart because we haven’t got competitive prices. “We know what we’re going into – the most competitive landscape for some time. “If you don’t buy a ticket, you can’t win the lottery.” We put his price pledge to the test at the first BHS Food store in Staines, Surrey, and it proved the cheapest. Our shopping list included 18 like-for-like staple…

EWIN HANNAN APRIL 08, 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN A QUEENSLAND restaurant worker who was told he would be sacked on his 65th birthday has been awarded $10,000 in compensation and the restaurant’s operators fined almost $30,000. The case is the first time the federal workplace watchdog, the Fair Work Ombudsman, has taken legal action against a company on the basis of age discrimination. After raising questions about his pay, Cheng Peng Lee was informed by his employers that it was company policy to sack workers once they reached retirement age. The company, Theravanish Investments, operate Thai restaurants on the Gold Coast. A letter from the company accountant said it was “the policy of the company that we do not employ any staff that attain the retirement age, which in your case is 65 years”. Mr Lee, 64-years-old at the time, had worked full time for the company for 15 years until…