Greggs is opening a Champagne bar
Anime, China's economy and plastic packaging
Hello,
Rachel Reeves is giving the NHS a load more money on the proviso they sort out productivity by investing in new buildings and technology.
It made me think of my local GP practice which is essentially in a terraced house and has IT systems from the late 90s but my god is it efficient? Andreia the practice manager has just decided one way or another they’re going to get shit done and the whole team are on board.
It just goes to show that when it comes to down to it, leadership and culture are really what underpins success. A strong team will figure things out whatever they’ve got to work with. As my GP put it “AI sounds great but I just wish my computer would work” before she tried to phone reception and then just resorted to shouting down the corridor.
Good work team,
Hugo
Chief Cheerleader
The Business of Stuff
The Stuff
A quarter of teens are already struggling with burnout 😵💫 - productivity is getting pretty out of control and it’s not just adults who are relentlessly trying to optimise their time spent on planet Earth. 53% of teenagers in a survey felt pressure to have some sort of “game plan” with more than a quarter saying they were burned out. Pair this with the pressure of social media and it's becoming increasingly tough just to play World of Warcraft and get drunk in a park like a normal teenager.
Anime is going absolutely gangbusters 📺 - the format generated $2.26bn last year, up a massive 22.9% from 2022. I won’t lie I saw some bloke watching on the train and judged him pretty hard but people do seem to love it.
Boohoo is contemplating selling some of its brands 👗 - the CEO is stepping down as they plan a potential restructure which may include selling off brands like Debenhams and Karen Millen so they can focus on pumping out clothes via their big hitters like Boohoo itself and PrettyLittleThing. John Lyttle who came from Primark attempted to move them away from their fast-fashion image but has struggled to do so.
The economy isn’t going so well in China 🇨🇳 - they’ve posted their slowest economic growth in 18 months as their big house-building Ponzi scheme grinds to a halt. There is an estimated 65 - 80 million vacant homes which is bad news for everyone, particularly the construction sector which has underpinned a lot of the growth. At 4.6% this is still miles ahead of any G7 country.
Boston needs to find a new identity 🌆 - the Lincolnshire town is struggling, with a quarter of shops lying empty. Local leaders like Anne Dorian believes they need to pivot hard, becoming a cultural centre focussed on its history as a market town. The council is investing £39m on regeneration projects which includes rejuvenating the town centre.
World’s biggest coke bottler is close to joining the FTSE 100 🫗 - Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is currently valued at £36billion and wants to upgrade its listing category which would massively increase its exposure to investors. A number of different companies produce Coca-Cola from the eponymous business which itself has a 19% stake in CCEP. The Uxbridge-headquartered company employs 44,000 people and flogs 22.3 billion litres of sugary water per year.
Shares in Future drop as the CEO plans to leave 👋 - it’s been a mixed few years for the media company that owns publications such as Tech Radar, Marie Claire and PC Gamer. They had a record year in 2022 and then saw profits decline 19% in 2023. They’ve said Jon Steinberg is departing in order to relocate to the US which is pretty opaque as reasons go. The news caused the share price to drop more than 10%
Greggs is opening a champagne bar in Newcastle 🥂 - the Christmas pop-up will launch in the Fenwick shopping centre, serving £75 a glass Champage alongside its usual fare. As has been described in The Business of Greggs they have not been shy about marketing stunts to ensure it remains on our social media feeds. Long live doing silly stuff to sell sausage rolls.
A charity is pushing for a ban on some plastic packaging 🥕 - I’m fully behind this one to be honest. It’s mental how much plastic you can end up with buying vegetables. Bananas literally come in their own wrappers so what’s the point in then putting them in another non-biodegradable one? Even the packaging giant DS Smith has said that 51% of products in UK supermarkets come in unnecessary packaging. I might write to my MP.
NFL is attempting to expand its global audience 🏈 - it is already the most revenue-generating sport in the world and it wants to continue to expand the number of games played internationally. Currently the NFL visits England and Germany, it is soon to add Brazil and Spain but would like to take this number to 16. It’s a good thing for football clubs with the right infrastructure as hosting these games is incredibly lucrative.
Quote of the week
“Improvise adapt overcome” - Sergeant Thomas Highway, Heartbreak Ridge