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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With LV= Doctor Services, policyholders can access six expert medical services through a single app or by calling Square Health. The following six services will be available to spouses and partners of policyholders:

• Remote GP – Policyholders and their spouse/partner can now get unlimited 24/7 consultations with a UK doctor.
• Prescription Services – A private or repeat prescription service is available. Where the GP recommends a private prescription the private prescription is free and the private medicine needs to be paid for. For repeat prescriptions, the same applies unless an NHS England exemption is available
• Second Medical Opinion – An expert specialist can review a diagnosis, help with any unanswered questions and go through the treatment options available.
• Remote Physiotherapy – Remote access to up to five free sessions (shared between policyholder and spouse) with a UK trained physiotherapist and receive a bespoke treatment plan.
• Remote Psychological Services – Access to up to five sessions (shared between policyholder and spouse) of mental health support from a network of highly trained therapists.
• Discounted health MOTs – Provides an assessment of overall health, identifying any health risks and areas of improvement.

Square Health provides expert medical services using the latest online technology. With one of the largest networks of over 5,000 UK medical professionals, including doctors and healthcare specialists, each Square Health practitioner is highly trained and experienced, as well as being registered with the GMC (General Medical Council). All Square Health professionals are based in the UK.

LV= Doctor Services is a non-contractual benefit and can be changed or removed at any time. Information on eligibility is available at: https://www.lvadviser.com/supporting-your-client/doctors-services.

The changes are the latest in a series of improvements LV= has made to protection policies.

In April 2021, LV=  updated its underwriting approach for those living with chronic medical conditions  – such as severe respiratory conditions, heart and lung diseases, and cancer  – to enable it to consider more applicants for life insurance.

Also offered to 31st December 2021 are payment breaks, reduced premiums and cover options. Aimed at helping LV= policyholders who are struggling financially, the payment break and premium and cover reduction supports policyholders unable to pay their premiums due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Debbie Kennedy, the director of Protection at LV=, said:“This is the latest in a series of improvements LV= has made for its protection policyholders. Protection is more than about just paying a claim; it’s about providing support to policyholders and their families when they need it most.

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The latest findings in the LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor indicate that:

Women’s mental health has been affected more than men’s by the Covid-19 crisis

• 41% (11m) of women admitted that they feel exhausted, compared to 24% (6m) of men.
• Over half of women (56%) were feeling stressed or anxious, compared to a third of men (35%).

Women’s mental health has continued to worsen throughout the pandemic

• Between September 2020 and March 2021, the proportion of women feeling stressed increased by 5% to 56%.
• The number of women feeling exhausted rose by 9% in the same period and 6% more women surveyed were feeling lonely and isolated.

Women are more worried about money and about contracting Coronavirus 

• 35% of women say they are worried about money, compared to 25% of men.  The proportion of women worried about money increased by 6% between Sept 2020 and March 2021.
• Overall concern about getting coronavirus has dropped from 32% in December to 23% in March. Women are more worried than men about getting the virus (27% of women vs. 19% of men), despite the lower risk compared to men.

Debbie Kennedy, Protection Director at LV=, said:

“More people than ever are experiencing emotional pressures triggered by the uncertainty of the virus. Women have tackled the stresses of extended lockdowns, juggling parenting and caring responsibilities with working from home. Those who are self-employed or work in the retail and hospitality sectors have felt the burden of supporting families on reduced incomes. Over a quarter of women surveyed (28%) admitted that their finances have worsened over the last three months.

“The impact of national lockdowns and social distancing has affected the health of millions, with nearly one in three (31%) feeling lonely and isolated. These concerns are taking its toll on the public and we should be doing more collectively to look after our mental health.”

The ABI Mental Health Standards reflects an industry-wide effort to ensure that applicants get the right cover that they need. We must continue to provide our most vulnerable customers with increased access to insurance and support, ensuring that the right mix of services are accessible to women.”

In April, the ABI launched a CII accredited e-learning module on mental health in collaboration with Rightsteps to improve knowledge and understanding within the insurance industry.

The post 11 Million Women are Exhausted Due to Added Pressures of the Pandemic appeared first on Financial Mark.

Research from pensions and retirement specialist LV= highlights how consumers are frightened of falling victim to pensions scams.

The LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor* – a quarterly survey of 4,000 UK adults – reveals:

• 7.6m (14%) of adults have been contacted by someone other than their pension provider  encouraging them to move or transfer money from their pension
• (4.4m) 8% says then know someone who has fallen victim to a pension scam
• Mass affluent people – those with assets of between £100,000 and £500,000 excluding property –.are especially worried about pension scams and one in four say they have been targeted by pension scammers. Nearly a third (31%) fear falling victim to a scam, more than half (55%) say scams are hard to spot and 41% want to learn more about preventing them.

Clive Bolton, Managing Director of Savings and Retirement at LV=, said:

“The LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor highlights just how fearful people are of pensions scams

“Pension scammers bombard the public with scam calls, texts and emails and it can be easy to fall victim to a scam. One of the best defences is to understand how and where fraud can occur.  People should be wary of unexpected contact that comes out of the blue such as cold calls, letters or emails, and they should be sceptical of unusually high or unrealistic returns. If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.  They should also be wary they come under pressure to quickly withdraw money from a pension or complete a transfer.

“The best option for people considering transferring a pension or withdrawing money as they retire is to speak to a qualified financial adviser. Consulting a qualified financial adviser is one of the best ways to secure the retirement you want because they will be able to find the most suitable investments for a client.”

LV= highlights how consumers can minimise the risk of pension scams

• Hang-up if you have concerns straight-away. If you receive a cold-call, the safest thing to do is to hang up, as chances are it’s a scam.
• Make sure you’re aware of the warning signs. This includes unsolicited approaches by phone, text, email or even at your door.
• Can you call the firm back? If you’re forced to make a quick decision this is a sign of a potential scam. Contact details on their website may only be mobile numbers which is another red flag.
• Understand the salesperson. Check whether the caller, or their firm, are licensed to sell. Check the FCA register of regulated companies, or the FCA warning list.
• Make sure you ask questions. Most scammers don’t want you to investigate their ‘offers’ so make sure to do your own research and look into the company, including their financial statements.
• And remember, if it sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Fraudsters like to offer low risk investments with a high return.

Useful links

• Cyber aware
• FCA register of regulated companies
• FCA warning list
• Find a financial adviser with Unbiased
• The Pensions Regulator

The post 14 Million Britons Fear Falling Victim to Pension Scams appeared first on Financial Mark.