Amazon is to create a further 10,000 permanent jobs this year, cementing the online retailer’s status as one of Britain’s largest private sector employers (The Times £). Amazon will create another 10,000 jobs in the UK, bringing its total workforce to 55,000 permanent staff this year as its aggressive hiring spree showed no signs of slowing down (The Telegraph). Amazon is creating 10,000 permanent jobs in the UK as the company bolsters its workforce in response to the pandemic boom in online shopping (The Guardian). Amazon is creating thousands of jobs and investing in skills training in the UK (The Daily Mail). Amazon’s latest recruitment drive was ailed by the government as a “vote of confidence in the British economy” (Sky News).
Reckitt Benckiser has reportedly shortlisted bidders for its infant formula business in China as it looks to exit the country. Potential buyers of its Mead Johnson’s Chinese division include Bain Capital, Carlyle Group with CITIC Capital and dairy producer Yili. (The Daily Mail)
Ocado non-executive director Jörn Rausing – a member of the Swedish Tetra Pak dynasty — was in the buyers’ circle back in March, when he snapped up £16.3m-worth of shares. (The Financial Times £)
Warburtons, Britain’s biggest baker, is spending £56m on new plants and depots as shoppers swap sliced bread for crumpets and bagels. (The Telegraph)
Poundland’s owner Pepco Group has been valued at a massive €5bn (£4.3bn) ahead of its initial public offering on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. (The Daily Mail)
Sales at Daylesford Organic, run by Carole Bamford, the wife of JCB billionaire Lord Bamford, soared 27% to £43.1 million as orders via its online delivery arm almost quadrupled. (The Daily Mail)
Shoppers are preparing to spend £40bn of lockdown savings in a huge boost for Britain’s post-Covid recovery, research has found. (The Telegraph)
A tenth of Britain’s restaurants lost during pandemic. Across Britain, there are 9.7% fewer restaurants to choose from, compared with before the pandemic, while mid-market “casual dining” venues have fallen by 19.4%. (The BBC)
Small breweries work flat out for the UK’s grand pub reopening – the return of indoor service on 17 May promises a sorely needed fillip for craft brewers fighting for survival amid Covid crisis. (The Guardian)
Grant Thornton has rejected responsibility for the collapse of Patisserie Valerie, arguing that the chain’s directors were reckless and that it did not have a duty to detect fraud. (The Times £)
Britain’s employers are struggling to hire staff as lockdown lifts amid an exodus of overseas workers caused by the Covid pandemic and Brexit, industry figures reveal. (The Guardian)
Is lab-grown meat the answer to the chicken shortage, asks The Times? The price of boneless, skinless breast has doubled in a year to just over $2 in America amid an acute supply shortage. (The Times £)
India’s tea harvest is at risk as Covid-19 infections spread across plantations already struggling with a torrid drought. (The Financial Times £)
The Daily Mail’s share column tips Greggs, noting that if the economy continues to soar ahead, the stock should show further growth. But it also suggsts long-term investors could hedge their bets, sell some shares and bank a bit of profit. (The Daily Mail)
The former boss of Greene King is said to be running the rule over a group of 700 pubs worth £200 million, as the leisure veteran makes his return to the sector. (The Times £)
Covid rules leave pubs and restaurants in England fearing the great indoor reopening. Hospitality industry worried social-distancing restrictions will make most venues unprofitable. (The Financial Times £)
A row over a huge potato processing plant has exposed flaws in Belgium’s reliance on a single crop. In Frameries, campaigners call for farmers to diversify. (The Guardian)
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