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Asda expands ‘Smart Price’ range to all stores to help with cost of living crisis

Jack Monroe called upon the supermarket to bring back its budget range as the cost of living continues to rise

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Asda has announced that its Smart Price value range will be rolled out across every UK store to help with the cost of living crisis.

The supermarket’s Smart Price selection – which includes items such as a fifteen pack of eggs for £1.18, a can of peas for 21p, carrots for 20p and a 500g bag of pasta for 29p – is currently made up of 200 items, 150 of which are available in just 300 out of the 581 Asda stores.

However, Asda recently came under pressure to expand the budget range after poverty campaigner Jack Monroe highlighted how the cost of inflation is affecting financially vulnerable households across the country.

In a lengthy Twitter thread, which has since gone viral, Monroe highlighted the cost hike in a number of common supermarket items such as a bag of rice, which cost 45p for kilogram bag last year – today it’s £1 for 500g, a 344% price increase. 

Monroe also pointed out that a loaf of bread, which once cost 45p, now costs 58p, a price increase of 29%.

Her Twitter thread came after the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the consumer price index measure for inflation has increased from 5.1% in November to the highest level in nearly thirty years.

Read More: The everyday essentials we’ll be paying more for as the cost of living continues to rise

Monroe, who started her career writing cheap recipes she’d made as a single mum, said the index measure ‘grossly underestimates the real cost of inflation’ and what it means for people in poverty.

But now, Monroe has experienced one victory in her campaign for change with Asda confirming it will be expanding the Smart Price range to all of its UK stores by March 1st. 

The supermarket has already added 100 Smart Price and Farm Stores products to its website this week, increasing the total online range to 187 products, something that will rise to 200 by the end of February.

Meg Farren, Asda’s Chief Customer Officer, credited Monroe’s campaigning to the decision, saying in a statement: “We want to help our customers’ budgets stretch further and have taken on board the comments about the availability of our Smart Price range made by Jack Monroe.

“We are taking steps to put our full Smart Price and Farm Stores ranges in store and online to make these products as accessible as possible.”

Jack Monroe has since confirmed on Twitter that ‘talks are on the table’ to implement a similar move at Sainsbury’s. 

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Wetherspoons to close 11 more pubs across the country with 33 already gone

Is your local Spoons up for sale?

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JD Wetherspoon

After 33 closures already this year, Spoons have announced 11 more sites are to call last orders too.

The newest list of closures will affect a number of areas across the country including Todmorden, Moreton and Doncaster.

The budget pub chain previously announced it would be putting some of its pubs up for sale – that were in nearby locations to another existing site – due to the pressure of rising costs and inflation.

JD Wetherspoon

But punters don’t need to panic just yet, as the pubs won’t close until they have been sold.

Despite the closures Spoons has also opened branches, including The Square Peg in Birmingham and The Lord Palmerston in Southsea – after undergoing major refurbishments. The chain is also redeveloping pubs in Wakefield, central Cardiff and Glasgow, to the tune of around £8 million. 

Wetherspoons currently boasts around 822 branches across the UK and recently announced its busiest-ever Saturday was during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

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The 11 Wetherspoons pubs now up for sale:

  • The Pontlottyn, Abertillery
  • The Ivor Davies, Cardiff
  • Spa Lane Vaults, Chesterfield
  • The Gate House, Doncaster
  • The Market Cross, Holywell
  • The Regent, Kirkby in Ashfield
  • The Mockbeggar Hall, Moreton
  • The Hain Line, St Ives
  • The Sir Norman Rae, Shipley
  • The Sir Daniel Arms, Swindon
  • The White Hart, Todmorden

These are just the Wetherspoon locations recently announced to be closing by the chain, but there are dozens more that have already closed this year.

JD Wetherspoon

The list of Wetherspoon locations that have closed are:

  • The John Masefield, New Ferry
  • Angel, Islington
  • The Silkstone Inn, Barnsley
  • The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
  • Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Southampton
  • The Colombia Press, Watford
  • The Malthouse, Willenhall
  • The John Masefield, New Ferry
  • Thomas Leaper, Derby
  • Cliftonville, Hove
  • Tollgate, Harringay
  • Last Post, Loughton
  • Harvest Moon, Orpington
  • Alexander Bain, Wick
  • Chapel an Gansblydhen, Bodmin
  • Moon on the Square, Basildon
  • Coal Orchard, Taunton
  • Running Horse, Airside Doncaster Airport
  • Wild Rose, Bootle
  • Edmund Halley, Lee Green
  • The Willow Grove, Southport
  • Postal Order, Worcester
  • North and South Wales Bank, Wrexham
  • The Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Glasgow
  • The Knight’s Templar, London
  • Christopher Creeke, Bournemouth
  • The Water House, Durham
  • The Widow Frost, Mansfield
  • The Worlds Inn, Romford
  • Hudson Bay, Forest Gate
  • The Saltoun Inn, Fraserburgh
  • The Bankers Draft, Eltham, London
  • The Sir John Arderne, Newark

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Police issue update in search for missing grandad, 81, from Oldham

Officers are supporting Ronald’s family while they continue the search

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Greater Manchester Police

Greater Manchester Police have issued an update on Ronald Webster, 81, who went missing from Oldham last Thursday.

The news comes after Ronald’s grandchildren made an appeal to the public asking for help to find their beloved grandad and to ‘keep him safe’ until they, or the police can get there.

It was believed the last sightings of the grandfather-of-five were at 10.52 am on Walkers Road, in Limeside, Oldham and again at 3.45pm as he got off the 184 at Huddersfield Bus Station, on September 14th.

Family submit / ITV

However, police have confirmed a new sighting of the pensioner, known by loved ones as ‘Ronnie’, just minutes later at 3.53pm, as he entered Huddersfield Train Station.

It is believed he may have links to the Bridlington, Whitby and Scarborough areas, although officers have said they are ‘not ruling out that he may have travelled elsewhere’.

Ronald’s family shared that he had recently undergone a triple heart bypass and had medication for his heart and for epilepsy, but that he had not taken any of his medicine with him when he went missing.

His grandchildren said that this is the first time he has not come home.

At the time of his disappearance, Ronald was wearing a blue and black coat with grey trousers.

He is described as 4’11 ins with grey hair around the sides, bald on top, and uses a walking stick.

In an update, a spokesperson for GMP said: “Since Ronald was reported missing, officers have been working closely with his loved ones to understand where he might have travelled to. 

Greater Manchester Police

“It is believed he may have links to Bridlington, Whitby and Scarborough, although officers are not ruling out that he may have travelled elsewhere.

“Whilst officers are continuing to review CCTV from locations of significance, they are also working with colleagues from other forces to ensure everyone is on the lookout for Ronald so we can help him return to his family safe and well.”

Anyone with information about Ronald’s whereabouts should call 101 quoting 1013 of 16/09/2023.

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H&M Home is opening in Manchester city centre this weekend

The first 100 members in the queue will receive a free H&M Home gift

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At long last, H&M Home is opening up a store selling its interiors range in the city centre.

Shoppers were delighted when the Swedish fashion retailer, full name Hennes & Mauritz, decided to branch out and launch a homeware range in 2009, following in the footsteps of the likes of Zara.

At first, it teased us with a small concession in Selfridges at the Trafford Centre back in 2015, where shoppers and home decor enthusiasts could find affordable pieces that looked as good as those sitting on their Pinterest boards.

H&M Home

But then it closed for a long while and for many shoppers, it left a void that couldn’t be filled, with its home stuff only being available online. No more could you wander into the shop, pick up cute pieces and admire stylish bedding sets to decorate your home.

Recently, it opened up a H&M Home shop within the Trafford Centre which sells everything from cushions to lamps, candles, vases, bed linen, towels, dried flowers and a whole selection of homeware accessories you didn’t even know you needed.

And now a H&M Home shop is coming to the city centre too.

H&M Home

The retailer recently closed the majority of its Market Street store while it undergoes a refurbishment, leaving just a small section open for fans to continue to shop at the high street favourite.

This week, H&M announced that the small section will now become its H&M Home showroom so decor lovers can ‘scratch that interior design itch’ once again.

In a newsletter distributed to its members, H&M said: “You may have seen that our Market Street store is temporarily closed whilst we work on our new look and feel. 

@hmhome / Instagram

“But from 23rd September, you can head down to our H&M HOME showroom in the same location where you can scratch that interior design itch by shopping our latest home decor collection.

“The first 100 members in the queue will receive a free H&M HOME gift and an exclusive offer for the full launch in winter 2023.

“There’s even some exciting new AR technology to help you visualise your living space and enhance your shopping experience just that little bit more.

@hmhome / Instagram

“If you’re looking for the rest of our assortment, you can find your nearest store in the Trafford Centre and we’re always open at hm.com.”

The H&M Home showroom located on Market Street will open this Saturday, September 23rd. The shop will fully launch in winter this year.

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