Today’s news in brief-25/2/25
The UK government is set to introduce stricter measures to combat retail and street crime through a new Crime and Policing Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Commons on 25 February. The bill, expected to become law later this year, includes a new offence for assaulting shop workers and repeals a previous law that treated shoplifting of items under £200 as a less serious crime. Police will gain enhanced powers, such as entering properties without a warrant to recover stolen electronic items and seizing vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour without prior warning. The bill also introduces “Respect Orders,” allowing authorities to ban persistent offenders from town centres or public drinking spots and mandate rehabilitation programs. Additionally, online retailers selling knives will face stricter age verification checks, and bulk purchases of blades must be reported to prevent illegal sales. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasised the bill’s focus on restoring law and order and addressing rising town centre crime.
The Co-operative Group has appointed Wais Shaifta and Lord Simon Woolley as Independent Non-Executive Directors. Shaifta, a digital growth expert, brings extensive experience from roles at Just Eat and Push Doctor, while Woolley, a prominent equality activist, is Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge. Both appointments aim to strengthen the Co-op’s board as it focuses on delivering value to its member-owners. The new directors replace Lord Victor Adebowale and Rahul Powar, who are stepping down after nine and six years, respectively.
Victorian Plumbing has reported a 5% increase in Q2 sales, putting the company on track to meet its full-year profit expectations. The growth is partly attributed to the successful transition to a new semi-automated distribution centre and the expansion of its own-brand product range. The company has also improved customer service by extending the deadline for next-day deliveries and launching a free tile sample offering. Victorian Plumbing expects its tiles and décor business to grow by 30% in the first half of the year.
Global technology company Prosus has agreed to acquire Just Eat Takeaway for €4.1bn (£3.4bn), creating the fourth-largest food delivery group worldwide. The deal, which offers a 49% premium to Just Eat’s recent share price, will see Prosus take full ownership of the company. Just Eat operates in 17 international markets, connecting 61 million customers with over 356,000 local partners.
A study by Co-op Media Network (CMN) has revealed that convenience stores are significantly more effective for brand-building than larger stores. Conducted in partnership with Lumen Research, the study found that convenience store advertising generates twice the visibility, triple the attention, and quadruple the brand recall compared to larger stores. The research attributes this to higher shopper frequency and the unique layout of convenience stores, which expose customers to a wider variety of advertisements.
