Shop price inflation, optimism, VAT, High Street, AG Barr, Punch & other:

A DAY IN THE LIFE:

Football alert. Skip if uninterested, general chatter back near the bottom. 

Well, taking a moment to peruse the Premiership Table on Saturday evening (and into at least a bit of Sunday), I couldn’t help but notice that The Mighty Hull City were second in the English professional league behind Man City on goal difference, with twice as many points as Arsenal and Chelsea and three times those of Liverpool.

And the less said about Man Utd and Spurs the better but, call me overly cautious if you must, if I had the chance, I’d bank that as an end of season result.

Because early calls that the Big Six should become the Big Seven may be a bit premature and we have work to do. We may be surrounded by three of the biggest teams in football but that may, over time, be proved to be something of a blip.

Back from the football and I do wish they wouldn’t keep putting those little stickers on fruit because I’m sure that I eat most of them and that can’t be good.

I mean those on bananas and oranges I manage to avoid because I rarely eat the skin on said fruit but, stick a label on an apple and it’ll be inside me sure as eggs are eggs.

Anyway, a short week this week. It’s September, the kids will be back at school and Uni before you can blink, the roads up this neck of the woods are clearing after the Leeds Fest, it’s time to get some work done and move on to the news.

LANGTON EMAIL:

The Free Email is now written in short form. Extended versions of many stories (after the ellipses) are in the Premium Email. Reply to this email if you would like to upgrade.

Prices for the Premium are £395 for one subscription, £695 for multiple, £995 for very large subscribers, all plus VAT. Or sign up for easy in, easy out monthly option per subscriber HERE

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=87YUG2Z5W7PSN

PUBS & RESTAURANTS:

Business optimism (or at least reduced pessimism):

The CBI has produced its latest Growth Indicator report saying that ‘pessimism fades, but momentum still weak ahead of budget.’ It says that ‘firms across the private sector expect momentum to remain weak in the run up to the new Chancellor’s first Budget in October – but businesses’ overall outlook is the least pessimistic in almost two years…’

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

VAT on hospitality:

The Daily Mail has spoken with celebrity chef Tom Kerridge and reports that he ‘has urged Andy Burnham to deliver a permanent VAT cut for hospitality – as a temporary tax break for parts of the sector ends on Tuesday.’ It notes that the temporary VAT cut from 20% to 5% for children’s meals in restaurants and tickets to family attractions ends today. Mr Kerridge says the government ‘has now recognised that VAT is the lever to pull to drive footfall, support families and back hospitality businesses through its summer VAT scheme….’

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Shop price inflation:

The BRC reports that UK shop price inflation rose to its highest level in two years last month with prices rising by 0.9% in the month of July and by 1.5% in the year to that date. The level is still below that for the CPI as a whole. The BRC reports that some price rises were linked to chip and memory shortages linked to the AI boom. Food prices rose by 2.8% in the year to August…

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Other news:

The High Street: The Times reports Loungers’ chair Alex Reilley as saying that Germany has avoided some of the structural problems afflicting British high streets and says that a part of the reason is that debt-heavy private-equity ownership across large swathes of the UK retail and hospitality industries has seen debt push otherwise viable businesses into a ‘death spiral….’

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

New Barclays Consumer Spend research suggests proposed wedding reforms by the government could see more couples choosing to get married in pubs and restaurants. The Caterer interprets the data as suggesting that over half of those planning a wedding would rethink where they hold their big day, should the proposed reforms to allow pubs to oversee the ceremonies go ahead….

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

COMPANY NEWS:

AG Barr has announced the appointment of Darren Shapland as an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Board. It reports that ‘Darren joins the Board and assumes the role of Chair as of today, 1 September 2026.  This appointment succeeds Susan Barratt, who has served as Interim Non-Executive Chair since 15 January 2026 following the departure of Mark Allen OBE….’

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Property agent Drake & Co has announced the successful off-market acquisition of The New Anglers, Handsworth, Sheffield on behalf of its long-standing client Trust Inns. It reports that ‘the New Anglers is a classic, vibrant community pub with a loyal local following, fantastic outdoor space, and a well-earned reputation for live sport, music, quizzes, and karaoke ‘

The Times updates on pub major Greene King today saying that the group is investing heavily in London, with around £15m being invested in 39 central London pubs in the current year, up around a third on last year….

Tortilla replaces Burger King. Cambridge University Hospitals have announced that ‘following feedback, we are introducing new food outlets with greater choice, healthier options and new services, including digital ordering where available’ at its Addenbrookes site….

HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL:

The Sunday Times comments on recent issues faced by budget hotel chain Travelodge saying that the chain faced serious questions after a 2022 sexual assault at its Maidenhead hotel after a man obtained a key to a woman’s room by pretending to be her boyfriend….

Gatwick Airport. The BBC reports that Gatwick passengers were left without water after a main burst in a nearby field. It says that supply has been re-established.

France-based contract caterer Sodexo has announced that it plans to cut over 1,000 jobs in France as a part of a wider move to improve competitiveness.

OTHER LEISURE:

The BBC reports that venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, who was set to be the lead investor in FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s scrapped plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup, says he now regrets joining the proposal. The brother of President Trump’s son in law adds, however, that ‘we stand behind the motivations of FFE’ and says its intention ‘was to direct more capital and equity equally’ across the football body’s 211 member associations….

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

The BBC reports on a legal case facing Amazon saying that the US Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan group of 22 states has filed a lawsuit alleging Amazon secretly overcharged more than a million advertising customers by manipulating online auctions it uses to set ad prices. The complaint alleges that ‘Amazon overrides and replaces the actual auction results with higher prices set by Amazon to increase its profits.’

Alphabet, which owns the Google search engine, YouTube and Fitbit has agreed to pay £260m to settle a class action lawsuit that claimed developers were charged ‘unfair and excessive’ amounts to sell their apps through the Google Play Store.

FINANCE & MARKETS:

US inflation & potential interest rate rises. US Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh has alluded to potential interest rate rises when he said that policymakers will ‘have work to do’ if they felt they had to do more to ease the cost-of-living pressures faced by American consumers.

The German Federal Statistical Office reports that inflation in Germany rose to an annual rate of 2.9% in August, up from 2.8% in the year to July. Expectations had been for a slightly higher rise.

Sterling lower at €1.1664 and $1.3536. Oil up on further US strikes against Iran at $91.46. UK 10 year gilt yield sharply higher, up 14 basis points, at 5.21% also on Gulf fears. Markets mostly lower on Friday & into Monday & London set to open around 18 points lower as at 6.30am.

RETAIL WITH NICK BUBB:

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.