Buckinghamshire has been named as Britain’s best county to live in, according to the Halifax Quality of Life Survey.
Buckinghamshire residents are the healthiest in the country and have every reason to believe they will live into their eighties. Nearly eight in 10 own their own homes and the average salary of £40,000 is in the top five per cent.
British consumers enjoyed over 90 million barbecue occasions in 2007, demonstrating that the UK’s love of alfresco dining has not been dampened by the weather, according to the National BBQ Association.
Although the market dipped by 18% in 2007 due to poor weather, mid-week and after work barbecues have grown in popularity, representing over 40% of all barbecue occasions. Source: DIY Week 28-03-2008
Starting a job or getting married have long been recognised as sources of great stress. But it seems they are now matched by a new, peculiarly 21st century affliction – the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.More than 13 million Britons apparently suffer from “no mobile phobia” which has been given the name nomophobia. They have become so dependent on their mobile that discovering it is out of charge or simply misplacing it sends stress levels soaring.
Keeping in touch with family or friends is the main reason why they are so wedded to their mobile. More than one in two said this is why they never switch it off. One in ten said they needed to be contactable at all times because of their jobs, while 9% said that having their phone switched off made them anxious. Source: Daily Mail 31-03-2008
by Ben Bold Brand Republic 31-Mar-08, 09:15
LONDON – Groove Armada have become the latest pop act to break out of the record company mould by signing a one-year music deal with alcoholic drinks firm Bacardi-Martini.
The British dance music duo, who recently parted ways with Sony BMG’s Jive Records label, will release music via the Bacardi brand and play live at Barcardi-branded events. As part of the recording contract, the first involving a band and a drinks brand, Bacardi will fund the production of a four-track EP, which will be released digitally and in hard-copy format.
Tesco has stores in all but one postcode area of the UK after buying three stores in the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland. The stores were bought from Somerfield and expands the supermarket giant’s reach into every postcode area of the UK except Harrogate in Yorkshire. Source: Grocer 28-03-2008
The UK has retained its status as Europe’s biggest barbecue nation, despite 2007’s summer washout which led to the number of barbecue meals falling 37% from 133.6 million in 2006 to 95.5 million in 2007, according to the BBQ Association.
In a market worth about £3 billion a year, each barbecue shopper spends an average of £35 on every barbecue, almost a third of it on alcohol, and just over a fifth on food. The rest is split between soft drinks, snacks, desserts and fuel.
By John Porter www.thepublican.com 17 March, 2008
Latest QuickBite data shows pubs losing casual dining trade: Consumers are increasingly opting for a takeaway on the sofa rather than a meal at the pub as the credit crunch continues to have an impact.
The latest QuickBite consumer eating out survey, carried out for market analyst FMCG, showed that Chinese takeaways overtook pub meals as the most popular out-of-home meal over the last quarter.
According to a poll for Fool.co.uk, many Britons are planning to cut back on takeaways as they try to save money because of the economic slowdown.
67% of the nation are set to reduce the number of Chinese and Indian delivery meals they have as well as nights out in 2008. 89% of Brits are keen to cut spending on non-essential items to safeguard against a looming recession. 67% of those surveyed are set to curb shopping sprees, while nearly half will take less holidays.Some parents are even keen to pass on frugal messages to their children with 3% planning to reduce their pocket money in 2008. 12% of Britons plan to stop smoking in 2008 for financial reasons, but this figure rises to 50% for those who are unemployed.
According to the 2008 Britvic Soft Drinks Report, soft drinks sales continued to outperform beers and spirits within pubs and bars in 2007. Soft drink sales amongst the licensed trade increased 1.3% to £2.4 billion in 2007 and are predicted to increase again in 2008 as more pubs boost their food offering.
With the smoking ban now in place, more licensed premises are offering food service as a result, and soft drinks are a popular meal accompaniment.
According to a survey by National Savings and Investments, men typically spend about £50 on a date, with 40% picking up the whole bill for an evening out.
They splash out an average of £52.51 – compared to the £32.49 which women typically contribute. About 40% of males say they would always expect to pay the whole bill for a night out, but this is something only 17% of women expect.