Boots’ sales secure 16% growth over last quarter
Busy Christmas trading and a record-breaking performance for beauty delivered retail sales growth of 16% for Boots.
The business reported its eighth consecutive quarter of market share growth with gains across all categories, led by beauty – the stand-out performer of the quarter. Footfall, basket size and the number of Advantage Card customers all increased, as more people chose to shop at Boots. The Christmas period was particularly strong with retail sales in the five weeks to 31 December up 17.4% and outperforming the market.
The beauty category delivered a record January, and premium beauty saw its biggest ever sales week in December. Skincare reported three consecutive weeks of record sales in December driven by the ‘expert skincare’ category in which brands including No7, La Roche-Posay, CeraVe and Eucerin proved popular. Boots beauty transformation strategy continued with 19 new beauty halls opened in Q2 and the 170th store to receive a beauty makeover opening at Westfield White City post-period end. Boots now stocks over 500 big name and cult beauty brands and exclusively sells the UK’s leading skincare brand, No7.
Saying that customers continue to return to stores – with footfall increasing 16% in the quarter, and they are also buying more – Sebastian James, MD of Boots UK & ROI, said: “More people are choosing to shop with Boots, largely thanks to our focus on value and our market leading beauty offer. This is reflected in our strong retail sales performance and our continuing market share growth, particularly in terms of Christmas trading. We also delivered an increase in pharmacy sales, despite the challenging sector backdrop.”
British Retail Consortium respond to government’s energy security plan
Responding to the Government’s ‘Powering Up Britain – Energy Security Plan’ (released 30th March), Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said:
“Climate change poses a very real threat to people across the world and it is vital we take action without delay. This is why 85 retailers have pledged to make their operations, including supply chains, net zero by 2040 through the BRC Climate Action Roadmap. Today’s announcement contains some positive measures to increase renewable energy, move to zero carbon logistics and build green skills, but with the clock rapidly ticking towards retail’s clean energy and transport deadlines, Government needs to go further, faster.
“Retailers need to make urgent investment decisions on vehicles and infrastructure to reach net zero transport by 2035, but there is a lack of detail on how new models and technologies will be brought to market at-scale, putting investment decisions on pause. The industry also stands ready to work with Government to drive renewable energy generation, including through solar panels, and welcomes action to speed up planning, but Government must do more to incentivise retail investment in this area. The race to net zero must be a collaborative effort and retailers look forward to working with Government harnessing the industry’s scale to drive down emissions and stimulate green growth.”
Devolution plans win backing from East Midlands city and county councils
City and county councils in the East Midlands have agreed to move forward with devolution plans for the region worth at least £1.14 billion.
Nottingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Derby City Council have all now agreed to proceed with the plans.
Agreement means that new local powers and funding to improve the environment, skills training, transport, housing, and the economy could be in place as soon as next year.
For that to happen, new legislation is needed, so that a new form of Combined County Authority can be created. With new legislation in place, proposals for devolution could be sent to the Government for approval and Royal Assent, meaning that devolution in the East Midlands could be a reality from spring 2024, with the first ever election for a regional mayor, covering Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby, and Nottingham, taking place in May 2024.
Local leaders are backing devolution to promote economic growth, secure more investment in our area, for more and better jobs, and for better transport, skills training, housing, and an enhanced greener environment.
Historically, the East Midlands has often been an area of low Government funding, compared to many other areas of the UK. If the proposals for devolution go ahead, a guaranteed funding stream of £38 million a year for 30 years could help to reverse this trend.
The votes follow a public consultation which took place from November 2022 to January 2023. The consultation showed substantial support for the improvements that devolution would make possible. While slightly more disagreed than agreed with proposals for governance, with comments tending to centre around the regional mayor, having a regional mayor is a condition set by the Government for a level three deal, which offers the most powers and highest funding, which many respondents supported.
The mayor would lead the new combined authority, which would also include representatives from local councils, with decision making powers and resources moving from London to the East Midlands. Local businesses would also have a voice, as well as other organisations.
The devolution deal would not mean scrapping or merging local councils, which would all continue to exist as they do now and would still be responsible for most public services in the area. The mayor and combined authority would instead focus on wider issues like transport, regeneration, and employment across both cities and counties.
Millions in funding for local improvements in the East Midlands has already been approved by the Government. The funding which has been given the green light is part of an early investment offered to our area as part of devolution negotiations and is not dependent on devolution proposals going ahead.
University of Leicester experts set to launch global health research project in Nepal
A £10 million project led by the Public Health Foundation of India and working in collaboration with experts from the University of Leicester to improve healthcare in the subcontinent has taken a step forward with a launch planned in Nepal next month.
The funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) will allow the University of Leicester and the Public Health Foundation of India, based in Delhi, to collaborate with the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Jodhpur, Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), Delhi, and Kathmandu Medical College (KMC), Kathmandu, to establish the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Multiple Long-Term Conditions.
The five-year project to improve the care outcomes of people living with multiple long-term health conditions or multimorbidity was kick-started in India in December 2022.
The launch in Nepal will mark the beginning of the first stage of the research implementation where the researchers will review existing evidence, generate new data as required and talk to people living with these conditions to identify the best care approach for people with multimorbidity. The launch will also kickstart the student recruitment efforts through a week-long research facilitation workshop to identify PhD student candidates.
In addition, using the concepts of ‘co-design and community engagement/involvement’ they will conduct studies to assess what type of integrated, technology-enabled, patient-centred, high impact, equitable health system intervention designs could most benefit individuals with two or more long-term conditions.
In the long-term, the university will work with the UK, Indian and Nepal governments to improve the health outcomes of those with multimorbidity, as well as create a self-sustaining international Centre for improving management of multiple long-term conditions and disseminate outputs globally.
The NIHR’s Global Health Research Centres provide funding to support research-driven partnerships between institutions in ow and middle income countries (LMICs) and those in the UK. The funding is for the direct and primary benefit of people in LMICs but also will have lessons for the UK and other high income countries.
As part of the project, 17 places on master’s degrees, 19 on PhDs and 14 post-doctoral placements will be available in Leicester, Birmingham or Brunel, covering applied health research, medical statistics, quality and safety in healthcare, health data science and diabetes.
In addition, University of Leicester staff supported by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands including members of the Real World Evidence Unit and the Centre for Ethnic Health Research with colleagues from India will deliver short courses to approximately 400 participants. These will be across a range of topics, including epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioural sciences, implementation science, health economics, qualitative methods, health systems research, community and patient engagement, leadership and management as well as other areas depending on identified needs.
Professor Abhinav Vaidya, from the Kathmandu Medical College Public Limited, who is leading the Nepal arm of the project, said: “From Nepal’s perspective, the NIHR GHRC for MLTCs has a huge potential of refocusing the way MLTCs are dealt with at the moment – at population, primary care and policy levels.”
Speaking back in the Autumn, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: “Making a global impact from world-class research at Leicester is key to our mission. Our cutting-edge work across clinical medicine research, which is ranked second in the UK, is making a real difference in tackling health problems not only locally, but across the world. This funding provides a fantastic opportunity to work alongside colleagues in India and Nepal, provide places for candidates on Master’s, PhD and post-doctoral programmes and deliver short courses in areas that make a real difference to people’s lives and their wellbeing.” Professor Faith Osier, President of the International Union of Immunological Societies and Chair of the NIHR Global Health Research Centres Funding Committee, said: “These new Centres are truly ground-breaking – it’s the first time we’ve seen anything like this level of investment in non-communicable disease research in low and middle income countries. The potential for this truly equitable partnership working between researchers in LMICs and in the UK is immense and we’re so excited to see the advances that the next five years will bring.” Professor Kamlesh Khunti CBE, Director of NIHR ARC East Midlands and the Real World Evidence Unit and Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, and Co -Lead of the award said: “It is an honour to be awarded this international funding as it allows us to make a difference globally. Research into this area is crucial as people in India are living longer with long-term conditions so it is vital to provide them with the right care, at the right time. To achieve this, healthcare workers need to be trained to deliver high-quality care which is of good value and based on evidence.” Professor Prabhakaran Dorairaj, the Lead of the proposed NIHR Centre and Distinguished Professor of Public Health at the Public Health Foundation of India, spoke about the significance of the investment: “We are very excited in winning this centre funding. This collaboration will help us in furthering our decade-old work on task shifting and using frugal digital technologies to redesign health systems for improving the health of Indians. Given the burgeoning chronic disease burden and multimorbidity, the research and capacity building to be undertaken by the proposed centre is timely and will have far reaching implications for India, Nepal and other LMICs facing similar health challenges.”East Midlands farmers urged to check insurance during lambing season
An agricultural expert has warned farmers they risk heavy financial losses if temporary employees taken on during the busy lambing season are inadequately insured.
Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn, of rural insurance broker Lycetts, also emphasised the need to insure new additions to flocks, with livestock rustling incidents having risen during the ‘cost-of-living’ crisis.
“Having the correct insurance in place is vital to safeguarding livelihoods,” he said.
“This is one of the busiest periods of the farming year and extra staff are often employed to help manage the increased workload.
“The demands of lambing may dominate farmers’ minds, and time, but they can ill-afford to forget the importance of Employers’ Liability insurance. Farming, after all, can be one of the most dangerous of occupations.”
The Health and Safety Executive found that 25 people were killed in the agriculture sector in 2021/22. The highest cause of fatalities involved people being struck by farm vehicles such as quad bikes – often used during lambing season.
“Apart from the trauma for all concerned, claims for accidents – even non-fatal incidents – can cost thousands of pounds,” said Wailes-Fairbairn.
“The assumption shouldn’t be made that having a farm insurance policy offers adequate protection – Employers’ Liability insurance is not automatically included. Moreover, it should be remembered that part-time, casual, seasonal, temporary and voluntary workers all constitute employees.”
To help prevent incidents that lead to claims, Wailes-Fairbairn advises temporary workers to be given a thorough induction and comprehensive training, while all health and safety procedures should be carefully observed. Toolbox talks are a useful additional resource that can be used.
“It is also important to check that new lambs are included in your farm insurance policy. Not all policies will cover this, and with flock sizes often doubling during lambing, and livestock theft on the rise, underinsurance could cost you dear. Progeny should be insured under the loss of revenue section of the policy, which provides wider cover than purely insuring under the livestock section.”
East Midlands business confidence up again
Lloyds Bank’s Business Barometer for March 2023 shows:
- East Midlands business confidence has risen for a second consecutive month from 18% to 23%
- Region’s businesses identify top growth opportunities as evolving their offer (46%), investing in their team (30%) and investing in sustainability (30%)
- Overall UK business confidence in March reached its highest level since May last year, with eight out of 11 regions and nations reporting higher levels of confidence than February
East Midlands Freeport given final sign off today
The East Midlands Freeport has received final government signed off today, with the prospect of new jobs and investment..
The Freeport will now receive up to £25m seed funding from government and potentially hundreds of millions in locally retained business rates to drive growth in the UK’s advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, logistics, and low carbon industries, says the Government.
It will help encourage investment into sectors including automotive, space, and satellites sectors, generating thousands of jobs and boosting the local economy.
This is the seventh Freeport in England to become fully operational, with just one more expected to get final government sign off in due course. Four new Freeports have recently been named in Scotland and Wales.
The East Midlands Freeport is uniquely positioned as the only inland Freeport in England, with connections to major regional transport hubs, such as the East Midlands Airport.
Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison said: “The East Midlands has a thriving manufacturing sector and we want to capitalise on those strengths while also developing new green growth industries.”
Taking full advantage of the freedoms of leaving the EU, businesses in Freeports are offered generous tax incentives and a simplified customs procedure, unlocking much-needed investment and high-quality jobs.
East Midlands Airport MD Steve Griffiths said: “As the ‘port’ within the Freeport, we welcome today’s news. The Freeport will provide a focal point around which the public and private sectors can collaborate to shape the future economic success of this region. We look forward to working as part of the East Midlands Freeport to make the most of this opportunity and to build on our role as a key gateway for facilitating global trade.”
East Midlands Freeport estimates that it will generate over 28,000 new jobs and is already home to multinational companies, like Toyota Manufacturing UK, and East Midlands Airport – the UK’s busiest ‘pure’ cargo airport.
- The Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station site will focus on low-carbon energy and advanced manufacturing, and be redeveloped to become a zero-carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands, helping to meet the region’s decarbonisation goals.
- East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC), home to the East Midlands Airport, will advance the nation-leading advanced logistics market in the East Midlands.
- East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP), located adjacent to the nationally significant Toyota manufacturing plant, has the potential to become the next generation of rail connected business parks. The proposed investment will also enable a significant modal shift, from road to rail freight, reducing carbon emissions for businesses within the region and increasing connectivity.
BID Leicester introduces national scheme aimed at safer nights out
A nationally-recognised scheme to improve standards and promote excellence in licenced premises has been launched in Leicester.
It has been launched by BID Leicester, Leicester’s Business Improvement District, in partnership with Leicestershire Police, Leicester City Council and Leicester City Watch. The scheme is also sponsored by De Montfort University and PPL PRS.
The Best Bar None scheme aims to support efforts to:
The Best Bar None accreditation scheme, supported by the Home Office and drinks industry, aims to help provide a safer night out for all visitors to the city centre by recognising well-run licensed premises which meet national standards of best practice.
- Reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder
- Build positive relationships between the licensed trade, police and local authorities
- Improve knowledge and skills in the responsible management of licensed premises
- Recognise and reward responsible premises
- Champion ongoing improvement in the management of licensed premises
- Enable the sharing of good practice among licensed premises.
Nottingham man named as joint MD at Wright Vigar
The man responsible for the Nottingham office of Wright Vigar has been named as one of two Joint MDs for the firm.
He’s Kevin Shaw, who will work alongside James Sewell in the role as they take over from Pete Harrison, who steps down after five years as MD.
Kevin became a Director of the firm in 2013, and his specialities focus on medium and large owner-managed businesses, ranging across many industries. However, his passion and experience lie within the construction and property development sectors. As well as responsibilities for the Nottingham office, he looks after clients in Lincoln.
James joined Wright Vigar in 2007 and became a Director in 2010. He is responsible for teams at the Sleaford and Lincoln offices who support a wide range of clients in a variety of industry sectors. James is experienced in all areas of business advice from tax planning, growing a successful business, to sales, mergers and acquisitions.
Wright Vigar has grown significantly over the past few years to become a regional firm and James and Kevin have played a significant role in that growth. They look forward to continuing the development of the practice across the East Midlands in their new roles. They will continue with their respective client responsibilities.
Pete Harrison said: “It has been my great pleasure to be MD for the past five years and for the growth we have achieved during that period. I am delighted for both James and Kevin. They both bring different qualities to the table and their knowledge and experience will be vital as we continue to grow and develop.”
Innovative project launched to accelerate crop harvesting
The University of Lincoln is part of an innovation to deliver an accelerated programme of robotic crop harvesting for horticulture and is one of just three projects to be chosen for a share of £9m funding from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ Farming Innovation Programme.
The project, called Agri OpenCore, aims to tackle the lack of seasonal labour in the UK horticulture industry and is looking to accelerate the delivery of robotic crop systems for horticulture.
Many crops have gone unpicked this year, leading to large amounts of unnecessary waste. President of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Minette Batters has said that the waste in the food sector is an ‘absolute crisis’.
The Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) at the University of Lincoln, UK, is partner in Agri-OpenCore alongside project lead APS Produce Ltd with Dogtooth Technologies Ltd, Wootzano Ltd and Xihelm Ltd.
There is currently no robotic harvesting system that can match the speed of human picking. Agri-OpenCore aims to make progress in this area by cutting the time and cost of developing a robotic harvesting system that achieves parity with human picking.
To deliver this, Agri-OpenCore will develop the world’s first open development platform for agri-robotic harvesting, aiming to develop commercial robotic systems for tomato and strawberry harvesting that achieve human-picking-cost-parity in two years.
Dr Grzegorz Cielniak, Associate Professor at the Lincoln Agri-Robotics Centre and Principal Investigator for the University of Lincoln, said:
“The University of Lincoln robotics team, together with the agri-robotics industry, is working on Agri-OpenCore, a project targeting an open development platform for robotic crop harvesting. The platform will facilitate standardised access to the core robotic software and hardware components enabling rapid adoption by the industry and academia.
“The University of Lincoln team will work on the standardisation of the framework as well as on the development of the autonomy, perception and safety components.
“The core functionality of the platform will enable further development and customisation which can be privately exploited by the industry. The project will lead to faster adoption of more reliable robotic technology in agriculture which will be demonstrated by developing robotic tomato and strawberry harvesting systems. Such a strategy will lead to step changes in farming productivity and help to alleviate global problems with the availability of a workforce in the sector.”
Phil Pearson, Group Development Director, APS Group, said: “The Agri-OpenCore robotics project is an exciting, and vital project for the fresh produce industry. It promises to deliver the significant progress required to automate fresh produce harvesting in the UK.
“As this work brings leading technology providers, Dogtooth, Xihelm and Wootzano, with the academic excellence of the University of Lincoln team, we can expect significant progress towards autonomous harvesting.”
