Ed Devlin
Ed is The Grocer's finance editor
Contact info
- Mobile:
- 07936 685 375
- Email:
- ed.devlin@wrbm.com
NewsBabease ceases trading as organic babyfood brand’s owner calls in liquidators
It is not the first time the business has been forced to call in insolvency practitioners, with Babease previously saved in a pre-pack administration deal in 2019
NewsCharlie Bigham’s profits soar from growing brand awareness
Revenues at the company rose 8.8% to £144.3m in the year to 31 August 2024 as volumes jumped by the same amount
NewsHumantra set for Boots rollout following investment from JamJar
British entrepreneur Charlie Wright founded the brand in Dubai in 2022, entering the UK market the following year with its range of electrolyte and antioxidant drink sachets
NewsShoppers to tighten belts as grocery inflation ramps up in May
Kantar’s monthly grocery sales figures also revealed M&S maintained strong growth levels despite being hit by a high-profile cybersecurity incident. The retailer generated a 12.3% rise in spending on groceries in the 12 weeks to 18 May 2025
NewsTennent’s and Bulmers owner C&C Group back in black as Roger White takes helm
This morning’s annual results are the first for the company under the leadership of former AG Barr boss Roger White, who took the helm in January.
NewsCBD drinks brand Trip racks up losses amid global expansion
The business, launched by Olivia Ferdi and Dan Khoury in 2019, accumulated losses of £5.6m in the year ended 28 February 2024, according to unaudited accounts filed at Companies House. It comes on top of a similar deficit in the prior year and takes total losses at the business to £13.9m
NewsThis improves margins as meat-free brand halves losses
The business has slashed the total number of SKUs produced from 100 to 44 as part of its strategy to become profitable
NewsFood & drink M&A momentum continues as UK activity hits eight-year high
Volumes in the sector for the first quarter matched the 40 recorded in the final three months of 2024, data from professional services firm Grant Thornton showed
Comment & OpinionCranswick’s new animal welfare review is money well spent
It’s understandable that Cranswick’s trading update focused on its impressive financial details – but it was, perhaps, short-sighted not to make animal welfare more central
NewsCranswick to review animal welfare as it posts record revenues and profits
Cranswick announced the ‘new, fully independent, expert veterinarian review’ this morning as it reported record annual revenues and profits over the past year
NewsValerie completes six-figure pre-seed round for perimenopause supplement
A group of angel investors led the £514k pre-seed round, with backing coming from serial investor and former Innocent director Giles Brook
NewsPremier Foods eyes M&A push as sales of brands pass £1bn
CEO Alex Whitehouse called the 52 weeks ended 29 March “another strong year” for the group and highlighted further M&A as a central pillar of the growth strategy
NewsHeura secures €20m EIB loan to boost plant-based innovation
The fresh capital will also help the business scale up production capacity as it invests in equipment at its laboratories and co-manufacturer facilities in Spain
NewsCity snapshot: Consumer confidence remains fragile ahead of spring budget
Consumer confidence has made a marginal improvement ahead of next week’s spring budget but there were no signs of any real recovery, according to a closely watched survey out this morning
NewsUnilever to sell The Vegetarian Butcher brand to Vivera
Unilever has agreed to sell The Vegetarian Butcher to Vivera for an undisclosed sum
Analysis & FeaturesWhat a mega-merger would do for Bakkavor, Greencore and own label
Will Bakkavor founders sell to Greencore, what are the benefits of the proposed mega-merger - and would the CMA clear it?
NewsInspired Pet Nutrition confident after transformative Butcher’s deal despite widening losses
Losses have widened at Inspired Pet Nutrition ahead of the transformative acquisition by the private equity-owned petfood group of Butcher’s Pet Care
NewsPepsiCo acquires gut health soda brand Poppi for $2bn
PepsiCo said the brand’s ‘consumer-first approach, cultural cache and nutritional profile’ had ‘nurtured a loyal fanbase and driven rapid growth’
NewsCheesegeek sold in pre-pack administration deal as backer Steven Bartlett loses out
Artisan online cheesemonger Cheesegeek has been rescued from administration by the Albex Group, The Grocer can reveal. However, the pre-pack deal means Steven Bartlett and other backers, including the crowd, won’t see a return on their investment
NewsCity snapshot: Eagle Eye confident of hitting £100m revenue goal
Eagle Eye is aiming to propel revenues towards £100m following a reset of the business to focus more on its software as a service operation