Harry Holmes

Brighton, London

Contributor at Freelance

Freelance journalist

Featured in: Favicon

thegrocer.co.uk Favicon

theguardian.com Favicon

occrp.org

thebureauinvestigates.com Favicon

geneticliteracyproject.org Favicon

redpepper.org.uk Favicon

cityfarmer.info Favicon

feednavigator.com

Articles

Can B Corp’s updated standards address credibility concerns?

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

B Lab’s update to standards outlines seven key areas for companies to address. Has it done enough to ward off ‘greenwashing’ accusations? When you buy a Nespresso coffee, an Evian water or a Vivera plant-based burger, you should feel confident in supporting a business that’s a force for good. These brands all carry B Corp certification – a symbol of “high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability”.
Food exporters struggle amid confusion of Trump’s tariffs

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

Food exporters are battling “uncertainty, confusion, and disappointment” as they look to devise a strategy to deal with Donald Trump’s increasingly erratic tariff policy. The White House has said it now seeking 90 trade deals in 90 days after Trump placed blanket tariffs of at least 10% on nearly every country, before issuing a 90-day pause on most of them last week.
City snapshot: Sainsbury’s shares up 4% after ‘record year’

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

Sainsbury’s share price is up around 4% this morning after the supermarket posted a ‘record year in grocery’. Its sales excluding fuel grew 4.2% to £26.7 bn in the year to 1 March, while profits were up 7.2% to £1bn. The supermarket warned, however, that profits would fall this year as it spent to “maintain its competitive position”. Full story here Pernod Ricard has reported a larger than expected decline in sales for its fiscal third quarter.
WH Smith travel profits jump ahead of high-street sell of

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

WH Smith saw profits in its travel arm rise 12% in the first half of the year as it prepares for life as a “pure play travel retailer” later in the year. The retailer is keen to reassure investors of its growth plans after jitters over its exposure to the US sent its share price down 27% since the end of January.
Food inflation falls to 3% in March led by confectionery

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

Food inflation dropped to 3% in March, helping to bring down the headline rate by more than expected. The overall UK inflation rate fell to 2.6%, according to the Office for National Statistics, below analysts’ forecasts of 2.7% and down from 2.8% in February. It was led by the price of fuel falling 5.3%, including a drop between February and March of 1.6p a litre for both petrol and diesel.
City snapshot: WH Smith looks to shake off tariff concerns ahead of high-street sale

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

WH Smith saw profits in its travel arm rise 12% in the first half of the year as it prepares for life as a “pure play travel retailer” later in the year. The retailer is keen to reassure investors of its growth plans after jitters over its exposure to the US sent its share price down 27% since the end of January. As a pure travel business, about a quarter of WH Smith’s revenue will come from the US.
Retail sales see “green shoots” of recovery in March

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

Retailers saw some “green shoots” of recovery in March as the warmer weather and Mother’s Day led Brits to buy more, according to two separate reports. Monthly retail sales were up 1.1% year-on-year, despite a later Easter distorting the figures, according to KPMG and the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Last year, sales rose by 3.5% in March due to the earlier Easter holiday. Food sales were up by 1.6% in March this year, coming off an 8.3% rise in the same month in 2024.
City snapshot: B&M looks to shore up sales after another weak quarter

1 week ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

B&M is taking steps to improve its performance after a period of falling sales in its existing UK stores continued into its fourth quarter. Like-for-like for sales at B&M UK were down 3.1%, offsetting a stronger performance in France, where they were up by 2.6%. B&M UK opened 45 new stores in the year, in line with previous guidance. The retailer said these were performing in line with expectations and generating strong returns, with another 45 new stores expected this financial year.
City snapshot: Distil defies tariffs to bring vodka back to US

2 weeks ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

Spirits group Distil is bringing its vodka back to the US despite Donald Trump’s tariffs as it looks to fight back from a major downturn. The AIM-listed supplier has agreed a new partnership with US distributor Aiko that will see its Blavod Black Vodka return to the US after several years. It was pulled during the pandemic after a previous distributor withdrew.
Vegan Food Group to bring bestselling vegan eggs in US to Europe

2 weeks ago | thegrocer.co.uk | Harry Holmes

Vegan Food Group is pumping £5m into bringing the US’ bestselling vegan egg product to Europe as part of a new partnership with food tech unicorn, Eat Just. ‘Just Egg’ currently dominates the US plant-based egg market but until now has not ventured across the Atlantic. To aid the launch, Vegan Food Group (VFG) will spend £5m on a fully automated production line dedicated to making Just Egg at its factory in Lüneburg, Germany.