In the wake of thousands of wedding plans being thrown into complete disarray, couples have been prompted to re-evaluate what’s important in their relationships. Research from Halifax shows 18-44-year-olds are choosing to buy their first home over big weddings.

From an impressive list of family and friends to a stunning cake and a bespoke venue dress, the average cost of getting married can be eye-watering, with couples spending, on average, £18,000 — now that’s something for accounting. In comparison to a £50,000 house deposit, an extravagant wedding represents a substantial financial commitment for couples hoping to get on the first rung of the property ladder, devoting over a third of the funds required to own a home. Moreoover, people are looking into Financial Freedom 101 – Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom to further help with money.

A bigger priority

Now, nearly two-thirds (64%) say owning a home is more important than getting married. Due to the pandemic, three in ten (29%) engaged couples cancelled their weddings. More than three in five (62%) have already reallocated their wedding budget to a house deposit, or are considering doing so. In addition to the financial accomplishment of getting on the property ladder, home-buying is a significant relationship milestone, with nearly half (47%) saying that mortgage is more effective than marriage. However, not all banks are willing to see you as a customer. And, we all know that wealth is key, here is why it’s worth reading a Wealthify review to find out more about potential investment ISA’s.

Despite marriage being viewed as a more significant cause for celebration, only three out of ten (29%) think it is money well spent, compared to two-thirds (63%) who say the same about finally owning their own home. This is why professional bookkeeping solutions are key in relationships and business. The study found that people are much less likely to celebrate homeownership than to identify a wedding with their loved ones, with just two out of five (41%) saying they would.

Investing into your future is important, and thus it’s essential to read up investing company reviews before you get pushing for a better future.

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Sainsbury’s Neighbourhood Hub stores are a food-led extension of Sainsbury’s renowned convenience offer and are set up to serve longer missions due to their size and location. The vision for Neighbourhood Hub stores is to be the best “in neighbourhood” one-stop offer, with product choice and community at heart. The new format also caters to the shift seen throughout the pandemic across customer behaviour towards longer shopping missions. Customers can now enjoy a larger selection of products to choose from in a larger variety of sizes, such as more meat and fish products, wider selection of vegetarian and vegan options, new meal kit ranges, flower bouquets and cosmetics.

The renovation work and new store offerings have been rolled out to provide customers with greater convenience and choice in the villages. Most of the Hubs feature a new Argos Click & Collect facility, and by bringing together the much-loved brands of Sainsbury’s and Argos under one roof, customers will be able to collect their Argos shopping whilst picking up their groceries. Customers can enter their Argos collection number on the in-store to table to request their Argos purchase and a colleague will collect it for them.

Alongside these new Hub stores, a further four Sainsbury’s convenience stores have launched additional Neighbourhood Hub product ranges. These range improvementsat Ascot, Bishopston, and two in Hackney, also serve longer shopping missions.

Sainsbury’s Property Director, Patrick Dunne said: “Our newest hub stores look great and I’m sure our customers will enjoy doing more of their shopping closer to home. We’re continually investing in our store network and adapting our estate to ensure it best reflects our customers’ changing shopping habits and local demand. Our Neighbourhood Hubs have proved extremely popular and that has really motivated the team to open more for our customers through a combination of acquiring new sites and upgrading current stores.”

Sainsbury’s is working to open around 18 more Neighbourhood Hub stores over the next few years, in addition to investing in upgrading some of its current convenience stores into this new format and will keep customers updated on plans. Sainsbury’s now has seven Neighbourhood Hub stores: Penwortham, Whitstable High Street, Billingshurst, Melbourne Derby Road, Bishop’s Waltham, Midhurst and Woodhall Spa.

Woodhall Spa was the pilot for the new format and went live in 2019. Sainsbury’s opened both Bishop’s Waltham and Midhurst in November 2020 and refurbished Melbourne Derby Road and Billingshurst in March 2021. Whitstable High Street and Penwortham were upgraded in May 2021.

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The one-year pay deal has been developed in partnership our elected Usdaw colleague representatives and Usdaw and is above inflation rates. It is focused on what colleagues have said is most important to them – a higher basic hourly rate. Since July 2014 our hourly rate has increased by 29.2%

Tesco is also increasing Night Premium Payments for eligible colleagues from the current rate of £2.21 to £2.30 from 5 September 2021 – an increase of 4.1%

It is important that we reward our colleagues for all they do, particularly after the last year when colleagues worked harder than ever to serve customers safely through the pandemic. We recognised their heroic efforts with separate, additional bonus payments through the year, and today, we are pleased to share a further investment in base salary.

Jason Tarry, Tesco UK CEO, said:

 “We’re delighted we have been able to reach this agreement giving our colleagues a well-deserved pay increase. Over the last year our colleagues have gone above and beyond to continue to serve our customers throughout the pandemic. Together with our other colleague benefits, it makes our total reward package more competitive than ever before.”

We are committed to working in partnership with our unions, and will continue to review and invest in our colleagues’ reward to ensure we remain an employer of choice.

The post Tesco Invests in Colleagues with New Pay Deal Taking its Hourly Rate to £9.55 appeared first on Financial Mark.

This change will see the supermarket give customers advice based on the principles of the government’s Eatwell Guide³, and comes as it is revealed that, currently, only a quarter of people in the UK manage to eat five pieces of fruit or vegetables a day¹ , with many families relying on just six go-to recipes².

Kicking off with an advertising campaign, voiced by Stephen Fry, Sainsbury’s is encouraging customers to mix it up and try recipes that are made up of more fruit and vegetables over the summer, such as strawberries, kale, broccoli, peas, and beetroot.

For each of these ingredients, Sainsbury’s is providing a delicious recipe to help customers incorporate them into their diets, including a broccoli frittata, a kale filo pie, strawberry pancakes, pea pesto pasta, and a beetroot burger. These recipes lend a hand to deliver realistic changes that will help customers have a greater proportion of fruit, veg and starchy carbohydrates.

The new focus reflects Sainsbury’s belief that healthy and delicious food should be available to everyone and will see the retailer make it easier and more accessible for customers to incrementally improve their diets while helping to reduce their impact on the environment.

More than a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from food production⁴ and research shows that shifting the nation from the current UK average diet towards those more in line with the Eatwell Guide that’s made up of more fruit, veg and starchy carbohydrates, could deliver reductions in greenhouse gases of approximately 30%⁵.

As well as continuing to reformulate its own products to cut calories, sugar and salt and introduce more plant-based innovations, shoppers will also be given incentives to up their own intake of fruit and veg, one plate at a time, via challenges in the Nectar app.

Mark Given, Chief Marketing Officer at Sainsbury’s said: “At Sainsbury’s, we believe everyone should have access to healthy, tasty food that is better for them and the planet too. With our new brand commitment, we want to help our customers shake up their approach to food, by actively helping everyone make healthier choices. From providing recipe information and offering incentives for eating more fruit and veg, we have a lot in store and can’t wait to bring the nation on this journey with us”.

The new commitment to help everyone eat better builds on the retailer’s rich 150-year history of democratising good food. From February until August 2021, Sainsbury’s is topping up Healthy Start Vouchers with a fruit and veg coupon to help families in need have access to nutritious food. In 2019 it collaborated with Disney to incentivise healthy choices for kids, and over the years the retailer has increased the number of healthier and plant-based choices on its shelves.

Sainsbury’s was recently named Principal Supermarket Partner for the United Nation’s international climate change conference, COP26, taking place in Glasgow in November.

The retailer was also the first supermarket to disclose its healthy and better for you sales, as well as vegetable sales, as part of its Peas Please Pledge, with 12% of sales coming from fruit and veg in 2019/2020.

Sainsbury’s is launching its new brand commitment ‘Helping Everyone Eat Better’ with an advertising campaign, featuring a rousing 60’ TVC voiced by Stephen Fry.

To learn more, visit about.sainsburys.co.uk/helping-everyone-eat-better

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Running from Tuesday 1st June to Monday 28th June, the challenge uses fun, interactive targets to encourage customers to purchase more fruit and vegetables when shopping at Sainsbury’s, by rewarding them with bonus Nectar points that can be spent at partners including Sainsbury’s, Argos and Habitat.

The in-app tracker will set each customer personalised fruit and vegetable targets to purchase in store and online throughout the 28 days, based on their typical shopping habits and the average portions of fruit and vegetables they normally buy. This will enable customers to earn points throughout the month as they head towards their grand total target, with the opportunity to earn over 750 points.

In this year’s challenge, each customer will also have the chance to collect up to eight product badges by purchasing a number of portions of specific fruit and vegetables, such as strawberries, tomatoes, and broccoli. By earning a badge, customers will also receive additional bonus points.

In 2020, Over 450,000 customers signed up to take the challenge and a whopping 52.5 million portions of fruit and veg were purchased by participating customers during the 4-week challenge.

Analysis conducted in partnership with the Leeds institute for Data Analytics and School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds showed that Nectar card holders who took part in the challenge took home an extra 3.6 portions of fruit and veg per week during the challenge. In the weeks after the challenge those who took part continued to purchase more vegetables, with weekly portions up by 2.7 compared to before.

The return of the challenge follows Sainsbury’s new brand commitment to ‘Help Everyone Eat Better’ one plate at a time, which has replaced its longstanding ‘Live Well for Less’ motto. This change will see the supermarket encourage people to eat more in line with the principles of the government’s Eatwell Guide¹, in response to findings that just over a quarter of people in the UK manage to eat five pieces of fruit or vegetables a day².

This new focus reflects the supermarket’s belief that healthy and delicious food should be available to everyone and will see the retailer make it more accessible for customers to incrementally improve their diets while helping to reduce their impact on the environment³.

Mark Given, Chief Marketing Officer at Sainsbury’s, commented: “As part of our new brand commitment to Help Everyone Eat Better, we are bringing back The Great Big Fruit and Veg Challenge and giving customers the opportunity to earn bonus Nectar points when they purchase fruit and veg throughout June. We hope that by participating in the challenge, customers are inspired to pack in more nutritious food, while getting more out of their points balance. As a supermarket serving communities across the country, we have a responsibility to encourage our customers to eat delicious food that is healthier for people and better for the planet, and the challenge is one of the many ways we are doing this.”

The challenge is available exclusively on the Digital Nectar app, allowing customers to monitor their progress through personalised updates in the app’s dashboard. Those opting to take part will also receive inspiring recipe ideas, food waste and storage tips, sustainability and recycling information and much more.

To sign up to Nectar’s ‘The Great Big Fruit and Veg Challenge’ and for more information about where to collect and spend points, visit https://www.nectar.com/

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It’s the first time that Beyond Meat, which is known for its restaurant-quality vegan food, has collaborated with another food manufacturer in the UK.

Plant-based food continues to be the biggest culinary trend this century with current demand for chilled meat free food growing by nearly 40 per cent in the last year at the supermarket, according to latest Kantar data (March 2021).

But now Tesco is looking to further develop its frozen plant-based food offering with the launch of a new range of protein-packed meat free exotic dishes from around the world which will be offered through its exclusive Wicked Kitchen brand.

The move follows the supermarket’s pledge, last autumn, to grow its plant-based meat-free alternatives by 300 per cent by 2025.

Tesco Director for Plant-Based Innovation Derek Sarno said:

“Both Wicked Kitchen and Beyond Meat have worked hard to create excitement in the world of plant-based food in the UK and we are thrilled to be working with them on this new range.

“We hope that the launch of these new meals will encourage more people togive plant-based food a try. Early feed back from people who took part in food trials for the new range was that they did not believe the meals were vegan.”

“I brought Beyond Meat to Tesco a few years ago so it’s great to be collaborating again and working with them on these new Wicked Kitchen frozen plant-based meals.”

Chuck Muth, Chief Growth Officer at Beyond Meat said:

“As consumers are increasingly looking to include plant-based meals in their diet, Tesco’s new ‘ready meals’ featuring Beyond Meat, offer a simple and delicious solution without having to sacrifice on flavour or convenience.

“We are proud to be the best-selling chilled plant-based burger at Tesco and look forward to continuing our partnership with one of the UK’s top retailers as we work to satisfy consumers’ growing demand for delicious, nutritious and sustainable plant-based meat across Europe.”

The four meals in the new range, which cost £2.75 each, are as follows:

• Wicked Kitchen – Korean Inspired Bowl made with Beyond Meat
• Wicked Kitchen – Naked Burrito made with Beyond Meat
• Wicked Kitchen – Bangin’ Biryani made with Beyond Meat
• Wicked Kitchen – Cowboy Chilli made with Beyond Meat

The post Tesco and Plant-based Meat Brand Beyond Meat Launch New Ready Meal Range appeared first on Financial Mark.

Tesco has today announced that it is taking care of the VAT on sun protection, by permanently reducing the price of these products in its own label range, Tesco Soleil, by 20 per cent³.

Cases of skin cancer are increasing despite up to 90 per cent of cases being preventable by being sun safe. However, research by Tesco reveals that over half (57 per cent) of UK adults said they think sun protection is expensive, with 29 per cent of those surveyed stating that they would wear sun protection daily if it was more affordable.

What’s more, the cost of sun protection can be a particular challenge when having to take care of the whole family. Nearly a third (31 per cent) of parents said they can’t always afford to apply sun cream to the whole family, often forcing them to make tough decisions – 44 per cent of those who cannot always afford sun cream stated that the cost of the product has resulted in them applying it on their children, but not on themselves or their partner.

Alessandra Bellini, Chief Customer Officer, Tesco said: “At Tesco, we believe sun protection is essential, and know that the cost of using it can add up. With the events of the past year especially, money may be tighter than ever for many families.

“We believe the safety of the nation’s skin should not be treated as a luxury, which is why we have permanently reduced the price of the sun protection products in our Tesco Soleil range by 20 per cent to cover the cost of VAT.”

It is also clear, however, that there is a need to continue to educate on the importance of proper sun protection, as it is estimated that over 19m UK adults don’t wear sun protection even when it’s sunny². Of those that do wear sun protection every day, 41 per cent claim they only apply it to their face or face and neck, despite the fact any part of the body exposed to UV rays can be at risk.

In addition to taking care of the VAT, therefore, Tesco is also launching a partnership with national skin cancer charity, SKCIN, who will work together with Tesco to raise awareness of the importance of sun safety in the UK. As part of the initiative, they will support Tesco by training its pharmacy colleagues⁴, enabling them to confidently advise customers about UV exposure, skin cancer prevention and early detection, in addition to signposting customers to further information. The first part of this training will begin this week, with 60-70 Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy colleagues across Hertfordshire, Essex, East Anglia and the North West, before being rolled out to an additional 3,000 colleagues later in the year.

Marie Tudor, CEO of SKCIN said: “Skin cancer statistics are compelling and with rates rapidly increasing, we are delighted that Tesco has chosen to prioritise the health of its customers with this initiative.

“Millions of people visit Tesco every day, so by equipping its pharmacy teams with this knowledge, Tesco can help educate customers on skin cancer and the importance of protecting their skin, while also helping to make sun protection more accessible by reducing the cost. We hope that together, through this initiative, we can significantly increase awareness of skin cancer prevention and early detection to help protect the health of the nation.”

To find out more about skin cancer and prevention visit www.skcin.org.

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The 4-pack, launched by Manchester independent brewer, Cloudwater, is go on sale exclusively at Tesco stores this week.

The move follows a huge increase in sales of low and no alcohol beers in the last two years at Tesco, with growth up by more than 40 per cent.

During the same time period demand for craft beer at Tesco has rocketed by 75 per cent with ranges being renewed twice a year to bring customers the most exciting new developments from craft brewers.

Tesco craft beer buyer Luke O’Connor said:“Both craft and low/no beers are massively popular at the moment so it makes sense to trial offering customers both in one four pack right now.

 “We think the 4-pack will prove popular with households where one member is abstaining from alcohol or those who fancy a midweek beer but don’t want to drink alcohol.

“While demand for other beer types is also growing right now, nothing has come close to the interest we are currently seeing for craft beer.

 “That’s down to the fantastic innovation coming from British craft brewers right now which has made this a very exciting time for beer enthusiasts. 

 “There are outstanding brews being created on a daily basis across the UK with a large variety of style profiles to suit every taste – from sours, sweet and even salty tasting stouts, smoothie style fruit beers, and crisp, hoppy IPAs.

“At the same time the quality of low and no beers has also improved greatly with craft brewers now getting involved and increasing the overall taste and choice available.”

The juicy, thirst-quenching beers in the four-pack are collaborations between Cloudwater and four fledgling UK brewers whom they are working with in order to raise awareness of their work within their own local communities.

Rock Leopard and Eko Brewery are believed by Cloudwater ‘to be the only 100 per cent black-owned breweries currently operating in the UK’.

Queer Brewing, meanwhile, was founded in early 2019 to provide visibility for LGBTQ+ people in and around the beer industry, helping to raise money for various LGBTQ+ related charities.

And Good Karma is a brand focused on alcohol-free beer that is also vegan, with social responsibility at its core.

Cloudwater founder Paul Jones said:“These breweries that we have worked with represent communities that are currently underserved within the craft beer industry and we hope this platform will help to raise awareness of their work, grow appreciation for them and, ultimately, change the face of our industry.

“For the collaboration four-pack, we worked with all of these breweries to select a hop varietal they’re passionate about and brewed a single-hop IPA – in Good Karma’s case, an alcohol-free IPA – with each.”

The four beers in the new 4-pack are as follows:

Embracing Otherness (Cloudwater x Eko Brewery)

A juicy IPA brewed with Simcoe, a long-established hop that has become a mainstay in modern craft beer, providing flavours of succulent pineapple, apricot and pine. A smooth body that’s high in oats and our aromatic house yeast accentuate the rich, juicy flavours.

Our Love Fills The Air (Cloudwater x Queer Brewing)

Another IPA juice bomb brewed with perhaps the most famous hop in craft beer, Citra, delivering flavours of ripe mango, bright tangerine and lychee.

One Way Or Another (Cloudwater x Rock Leopard Brewing)

An IPA brewed with one of the boldest and most distinctive modern hop varietals, Mosaic, which is known for flavours of overripe tropical fruit and blueberry, alongside earthy, resinous notes.

Free Your Mind (Cloudwater x Good Karma Beer Co)

New hop variety, Talus, provides vibrant flavours of pink grapefruit and tropical fruit, creating an alcohol-free IPA beer that’s bursting with modern, juicy flavours but low in alcohol, perfect for those days off.

The 4-pack, which goes on with other Cloudwater beers, will be available exclusively at Tesco and is priced at £10.

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The store is supported by a colleague team of 17, including seven new recruits to the business. Most of the colleagues live nearby to the new store and are very excited to be working locally and serving the community.

The Sainsbury’s team will play an active role in the local area and support Sainsbury’s nationwide community programmes and charity partners. In January Sainsbury’s also announced an additional £1 million community fund for stores to donate to charities and other good causes in their local areas. This follows Sainsbury’s ‘Help Brighten a Million Christmases’ campaign that raised £6 million in December for over 800 charity partners, including local charities Brent Food Bank, Centrepoint – Llanover Road and The Felix Project.

Sainsbury’s Wembley Place Local store features over 2,600 products, including an excellent range of fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, fresh bakery and other household grocery products. Customers can also pick up a coffee from the instore self-service Costa machine.

The convenience store was officially opened by Brent Council Mayor, Cllr. Ernest Ezeajughi and will be open to customers every day of the week from 7am until 11pm.

Mayor of Brent Council Cllr. Ernest Ezeajughi said: “This is a growing community and it’s wonderful to see it get the investment and services it needs to thrive. This new store brings more convenience and jobs, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to mark the opening day with the Sainsbury’s team.  We all know Sainsbury’s remains committed to feeding the nation throughout COVID-19 and it’s fantastic that even more people will be able to do their essential shopping as safely and efficiently as possible.”

Sainsbury’s Property Director Patrick Dunne said: “We’re excited to offer the local community a fresh and convenient shopping experience alongside Sainsbury’s renowned colleague service. This new edition to our store estate looks fantastic and I’m so proud of the hard work everyone has put in to get the store launch ready. It’s very rewarding seeing a new store come to life and I’m very pleased to welcome customers through the doors.”

Sainsbury’s Wembley Place Store Manager Jaber Mia said: “We are looking forward to becoming an essential part of the community in Wembley and providing employment for local people. We have a great team of colleagues who are really looking forward to meeting and serving our customers. This store gives residents convenience, quality and great value.”

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