Beyond Meat, one of the best performing initial public offerings of the year, saw its shares rise even further into the stratosphere on Thursday, as its debut earnings as a listed company confirmed surging demand for its brand of expensive veggie burgers. (The Financial Times £)

The John Lewis Partnership has stunned the retail sector by choosing Ofcom boss Sharon White as its next chairman, the only woman to run a major British retailer (The Telegraph). John Lewis has appointed the chief executive of Ofcom as its new chairman, on a near-£1m salary (The Guardian). John Lewis has appointed the first ever female chairwoman in its 155-year history (The Daily Mail). Outgoing John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield said he recognised that Ms White was “not the conventional retail choice, but these are not conventional retail times, nor is the Partnership a conventional company” (Sky News).

The Telegraph talks of the “formidable challenges” ahead for Sharon White at John Lewis Partnership. “The public glare of the John Lewis Partnership and the urgency of the threats faced by the high street are alien to White and a challenge even to someone of her talents.” (The Telegraph)

The number of people employed in high street retail jobs has fallen in every region except London in the past five years. According to a joint analysis of data by the Office for National Statistics and Ordnance Survey, employment is falling as rising online competition adds pressure on bricks-and-mortar retailers, whose presence on the high street fell by 2% over the same period. (The Times £)

Britain’s booming labour market is weakening as employers take a more cautious approach to hiring in the face of Brexit uncertainty. A jobs survey for May by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found a fall in permanent staff placements and the slowest increase in temporary billings in over six years. (The Times £)

No end in sight for China’s swine fever outbreak, writes The FT. More than 1m pigs have been culled across China since last August in an attempt to stop African swine fever from spreading further through the world’s largest producer and consumer of pork. (The Financial Times £)

Arcadia’s landlords have told Philip Green they want better terms on break clauses and rent reductions before they are prepared to back efforts to restructure his ailing British retail group. (The Financial Times £)

The owner of the Monsoon and Accessorize retail chains has delayed plans for a restructuring to rescue the business after landlords failed to back similar plans by Philip Green’s retail empire. (The Guardian)

Cash spending in the UK moved a step closer to being obsolete last year, as millions of adults moved away from notes and coins in favour of cards. According to research from UK Finance, the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector, 10% of the adult population - around 5.4 million people - made either one or no cash payments per month in 2018. (Sky News)

Pub group Mitchells & Butlers was in demand after being branded “cheap as chips” by a broker, sending investors scurrying to bag a bargain. Berenberg upgraded the operator of the Harvester and All Bar One brands to “buy” with a 360p price target. (The Times £)

Germany’s minister for food and agriculture has been accused of allowing her office’s social media channels to be used as a springboard for a “PR event” for Nestlé. (The Guardian)

US food producer JM Smucker said it expects revenue growth to slow in its current fiscal year as it reported lower prices for its coffee and peanut butter products that led it to fall short of its own guidance for net sales in 2019. (The Financial Times £)

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