Camelot, the outgoing UK national lottery operator, has warned that players have “tightened their belts” in the face of soaring living costs, as it reported lower sales of tickets and instant win games (The Guardian).
Abuse and violence towards shop workers and service staff is on the rise again, research shows, with a quarter of those reporting hostility blaming the cost of living crisis putting increased stress on customers (The Guardian).
Food standard watchdogs on Monday warned the UK government that it must not delay the introduction of post-Brexit border checks on food coming from the EU, citing the risk of safety incidents (The Financial Times £).
Fuel retailers have faced accusations of profiteering as petrol prices hit new highs despite easing wholesale costs (The Guardian).
Private equity’s hunt for cheap British companies looks set to continue, according to analysts at Canaccord Genuity, who have drawn up a list of 100 businesses whose value and growth potential could make them takeover targets, including Greggs and packaging firm DS Smith (The Times £).
PZ Cussons, the maker of Imperial Leather soap and Carex handwash, has said trading is on track, despite rising inflation and the squeeze on household budgets making conditions “challenging” (The Times £).
The consumer products group said on Monday that revenues for the three months ending 31 May had increased by 7% on a like-for-like basis when compared to the equivalent period last year (The Mail).
Cake Box plans to open more stores as it reported a pre-tax profit of £7.7m for the latest financial year (The Mail).
The devastating impact of rising energy, goods and labour costs on hospitality businesses has been laid bare in a survey showing that only 37% are still profitable (The Times £).
About 1,500 Post Office workers are to stage a further one-day strike in a dispute over pay, adding to a wave of national industrial action causing disruption in the UK this summer (The Guardian).
The Financial Times (£) has an article about the cultivated meat firm Eat Just’s difficulties in scaling up production. “Chief executive Josh Tetrick says boosting capacity will take years as sector reaches commercial scale.”
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