Breakfasts, back to work and pubs
5 things we learned yesterday
1 Greggs has been forced to double down on its £2 breakfast range after strong demand from customers.
The baker said that growing popularity for its morning deal, which offers a sandwich and a coffee for £2, led the firm to invest in higher volumes of the meal.
In a trading update Newcastle head quartered Gr eggs said total sales had increased by 7.5% during the first 19 weeks of 2017.
But the company has issued a cautious note about its short-term future, with a squeeze on consumers’ incomes likely to hit the firm.
2 One of the region’s top companies hopes to reach gender equality in its workforce after launching a programme to help people who have taken a career break return to work.
Newcastle bank Virgin Money has launched its ReCareer programme, which is open to anyone who has had a break of 18 months or more from work.
The 13-week programme – which is expected to be particularly attractive for women who have taken time out from their careers – aims to offer permanent jobs with Virgin Money at the end of the programme.
Virgin Money, whose boss JayneAnne Gadhia led a Government review calling for an increase in women taking senior managerial roles in the financial industy, is aiming to get an equal gender balance in its workforce by 2020 and hopes the re-training programme will help it achieve that goal.
3 A number of firms with significant North East bases have made a list of the companies in the UK that people most want to work for.
The John Lewis Partnership, including Waitrose, was the most sought-after employer for the second year in a row in a list compiled by networking service Linkedin. Also featured were the Arcadia Group – which owns Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Miss Selfridge, with a number of shops in the North East – Sainsbury’s, The Co-op, Lloyds Banking Group, BT and the accountancy firms KPMG,
Deloitte and PwC, all of whom have offices in Newcastle.
4 A North East law firm has stepped in to help fans of 1980s TV show Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in their mission to save a country pub which featured in the comedy drama.
Stalwart fans of the show are desperate to save the Windmill Inn and buy it for themselves.
The country pub, in Redmile, Leicestershire – better known as The Barley Mow to Auf Wiedersehen aficionados – figured prominently in the second series of the popular show when the seven lead characters stayed there while renovating ‘Thornley Manor’.
Now, as a gesture of Geordie goodwill, Newcastle law firm Muckle LLP has teamed up with the fans’ consortium to provide vital legal advice on a pro bono basis and help save the future of the pub.
5 Royal Mail has reported rising full year profits, but warned that increasing levels of business uncertainty pose a risk to future prospects. The group said that pre-tax profits rose 25% to £335 million in the year to March 26, with revenue rising 1% to £9.78 bn.