Articles by Levi Winchester

World

Greggs customers fuming after chain puts up price of popular Christmas menu item

Greggs has quietly hiked the price of its mince pies by almost 25% since last Christmas . Disgruntled shoppers have branded the bakery chain “greedy” after it increased the cost of the popular pastry treat from 65p each to 80p. The Sun first reported the rise after comparing prices in Greggs shops in Doncaster, Middlesbrough, Glasgow and Tiverton, Devon compared to last year. The newspaper also noted how some Greggs branches in London have hiked the price of mince pies from 80p to 95p. In a post on Facebook , one person complained: “Greggs are getting greedy.” Another said: “We can’t have anything nice in this country.” The Mirror has contacted Greggs for comment and we'll update this article when we get a response. It comes after Greggs raised the price of its two-part breakfast deal, which includes a roll and drink, last month from £2.95 to £3.15. The three-part breakfast deal, which also includes a side such as a yoghurt pot or hash browns, has gone up from £3.95 to £4.15. Greggs has also hiked the price of some of its baked goods, such as the empire biscuit, by 5p. Greggs increased the price of its sausage roll earlier this year by 5p, to £1.30. Speaking last month following the increase in price of its breakfast items, Roisin Currie, the chief executive of Greggs, said the high street chain “still offers exceptional value”. Ms Currie also urged Labour to avoid any “surprises” in the autumn Budget , which will take place on November 26 and will see Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out her tax and spending plans. Ms Currie added that she was hoping business owners would be given “reasonable notice” over any changes. Greggs said the previously announced higher rate of employer National Insurance, plus higher minimum wage, has put pressure on its costs. Ms Currie said: “I guess what’s not helpful is when it’s something that comes out that surprises us and that’s what happened with the national insurance last year – we weren’t expecting that and it came in very quickly. ”It’s quite hard to plan and manage a business when you have a £20 million hit that you hadn’t predicted or weren’t aware was coming.” Greggs has more than 2,600 shops in the UK and previously revealed it was now expecting 120 net new openings for the year as a whole, slightly lower than its previous target. It has continued to open new shops recently in Tesco and Sainsbury’s as part of a partnership with the supermarket chains, as well as relocating smaller shops to better locations.

Technology

Full list of 16 new Aldi stores opening before Christmas in new expansion

Aldi has announced it will open 16 new stores before Christmas - with the full list of locations confirmed. The supermarket will open the new branches between November 6 and December 12, in areas including Kirkintilloch in Scotland , Cheadle in Staffordshire, Billericay in Essex and Kentish Town in London. Aldi said it is investing £650million through its store opening and refurbishment programme in 2025, with each new site creating around 40 jobs. The budget retailer also recently announced it would be doubling down on its investment with a £1.6billion commitment over the next two years, opening 40 stores each year. To prepare for the Christmas rush, Aldi has launched a recruitment drive to hire more than 4,500 store colleagues across the UK. The roles will include helping restock shelves and assisting customers during one of the busiest periods of the retail calendar. New store colleagues will earn from £13.02 an hour nationally and from £14.35 inside the M25. Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “At Aldi, we’re focused on making affordable, high-quality food accessible to as many people as possible - and opening new stores is at the heart of how we do that. “Launching 16 new stores in just over five weeks is a significant milestone for our business and a clear demonstration of the pace and ambition behind our growth plans. “It means more communities will benefit from Aldi’s value and choice in the weeks ahead and beyond.” It comes after Aldi dropped its first Christmas advert teaser - and its beloved mascot Kevin the Carrot is back for his tenth year. The first of three clips shows Kevin waiting in the snow outside the house of his partner Katie. He is joined by new character, Caulidog, which is a cauliflower dog. With a diamond ring attached to its collar, Kevin and his veggie companion hold up a sign that reads: “To me, you are 24 carat.” He then lifts the sign to reveal another card that says: "Marry Christmas?" The heartwarming moment mimics the iconic cue-card scene from Love Actually. Viewers will have to keep their eye out for the following two episodes launching over the festive season to find out Katie's answer.