Showing posts with label Tesco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tesco. Show all posts

Wednesday 27 December 2023

Trussell Trust reveals new figures on emergency food parcel needs. Learn how you can help

New figures released by the Trussell Trust showed 1.5 million emergency food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network. This is the most parcels the network's ever distributed at this point in the year and represents a 16% increase from the same period in 2022.

Low incomes, especially from social security, debt, health conditions and issues with social security payments such as delays or sanctions were the main reasons people were left with no option but to turn to food banks for help.

A record 540,000 food parcels were provided for over 265,000 children living in families who couldn't afford the essentials. That's an 11% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting the continuing rise in need for the support provided by food banks.

The new data also revealed 65% of all the parcels provided by Trussell Trust food banks between April and September this year were for families with children.

Furthermore, the charity has reported an alarming 320,000 people have needed to use a food bank for the first time in the past six months, warning food banks are at ‘breaking point’ as more people in communities across the UK find themselves unable afford the essentials.

The Trussell Trust believe the situation is unlikely to change in the coming months with this stark new data leading them to forecast that food banks in their network will distribute more than a million emergency food parcels between December 2023 and February 2024 – the equivalent of providing a parcel every eight seconds this winter.

Jess Holliday, Deputy CEO at Eastbourne Foodbank said: “At Eastbourne Foodbank, our donations are down even as need remains very high. We are deeply concerned about the alarming rise in the number of children needing our support. 

"Last month, 633 of the food parcels we provided were for children. Day after day, people tell us they simply don’t have enough money to buy the basics. A client told me, ‘I have sold my car. I have sold everything and cut everything out. But that’s still not enough. All I want is enough money to pay the basic bills and have some left to buy my own food.'”

In order to reduce these relentless levels of need, the Trussell Trust is calling on the UK Government to use the upcoming Autumn Statement to build on its work to protect households on the lowest incomes.

Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust said: “These statistics are extremely alarming. An increasing number of children are growing up in families facing hunger, forced to turn to food banks to survive. A generation is growing up believing it’s normal to see a food bank in every community. This isn't right.

“Rising hunger and hardship have devastating consequences for individuals and our communities, damage the nation’s health and hold back our economy. People in work, as well as people who cannot work, are increasingly being pushed into debt and forced to turn to a food bank to survive.

“That’s why the UK Government must build on its work to protect people from increasingly severe hardship and commit to putting an Essentials Guarantee into legislation, to embed in our social security system the widely supported principle that, at a minimum, Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials."

The Trussell Trust is encouraging people to show their support for people facing hardship by signing a petition urging UK political party leaders to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee to ensure that the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers life’s essentials, such as food and bills.

That's Christmas believes that the spirit of Christmas must be with us all year round. So if you can offer any help to your local foodbank, please do so. Even if it's buying a couple of extra items of food during your regular shopping trips and donating these, as everything helps.

Also, supermarkets such as Morrisons and Tesco offer special schemes to help to ensure food gets to people in need, so do look out for these.

To learn more about The Trussell Trust please visit them here:- https://www.trusselltrust.org

Friday 22 December 2023

Record demand predicted for no and low drinks this Christmas at Tesco

It's reported shoppers are ready to create record demands for no and low alcohol beer, wines and spirits over Christmas.

That’s the prediction from Tesco after the supermarket saw its strongest ever sales in 2023 with high demand sustained across the entire year.

Demand for no and low alcohol beer at the supermarket this year has soared by over 20%, while sales of no/low wine rose by almost 15% per and demand for alternatives to spirits grew by nearly 10% per.

To give some indication of how strong the thirst for no and low drinks has been throughout this year, during the first three weeks of the June heatwave, demand at Tesco was over 25% higher than it was for the first three weeks of Dry January.

Another massive success has been pop star Kylie Minogue’s 0% Sparkling Rosé which launched in Tesco last year and which has now become the UK’s top selling premium no alcohol wine

As a result, Tesco prepared itself for its strongest ever demand in December and ordered in extra stock.

Tesco says that the main reasons for the no and low alcohol boom are:

New found shopper confidence in the quality of the drinks, often driven by recommendations from family and friends

Greater interest in health and moderation

An increase in product choice

Ease of selection in its stores with all products sitting in their own fixture

Tesco no and low alcohol wine buyer Joe Olding said: “Based on the massive demand throughout the year we're anticipating this festive season to not only be bigger than this year's Dry January, but to be the biggest Christmas ever for no and low drinks.

“A few years ago no and low alcohol drinks might have been a consideration to have on hand for special occasions but, as our latest sales data, shows they’ve become mainstream and are now popular all year round.

“We’ve also made it easier for customers to find no and low alcohol drinks as they all sit alongside each in the same aisle.”

Among the top brands driving the no and low boom are Lucky Saint, Athletic Brewing and Guinness 0% in beer; Gordons 0% Alcohol Free Gin and the Clean Co brand in spirits; and Nozeco, Not Guilty and Kylie 0% Sparkling Rosé in wine.

The rise in demand for Kylie Minogue’s no alcohol wine has been spectacular with demand rocketing throughout the year with one million bottles sold across all UK retailers.

The drink uses a unique filtration process in order to make it less sweet and retain more of the original wine taste but without any of the alcohol.

Kylie Minogue said: “When we launched our 0% Sparkling Rosé last year we knew health and wellbeing was becoming more and more important in people’s lives and so many of us are leaning toward more self-care.”

Drinkaware, an independent UK alcohol education charity which helps people make better choices about their drinking was happy to hear the news.

Karen Tyrell, CEO of the charity Drinkaware said: “It’s good people across Britain are more open to trying no and low alcohol drinks this year. 

“Drinking lower strength and alcohol-free products can be a helpful way for people to moderate their drinking and stay within the low-risk guidelines of 14 units a week. If you are unsure about how much you’re drinking, take our simple Drinking Check on the Drinkaware website."

www.tesco.com

Wednesday 20 December 2023

Tesco customers donate 2 million meals to support charities at Winter Food Collection

Generous Tesco customers made millions of food donations at the Tesco Winter Food Collection - providing much-needed support for FareShare and the Trussell Trust.

An incredible 2 million meals’ worth of long-life food items were donated at the collection between 27th November to 2nd December in all of the retailer’s large and convenience stores.

Donations to the Trussell Trust help food banks to provide emergency food parcels to people who cannot afford the essentials, while donations to FareShare support thousands of frontline local charities in communities across the country. 

This year will see both charities face their busiest winter yet as more people turn to them for support. The Trussell Trust is expecting to distribute one food parcel every eight seconds over the next three months and the charity has reported that, alarmingly, 320,000 people needed to access a food bank for the first time between April and September – the most ever for this period.

Meanwhile, FareShare has over 1,500 frontline charities on its waiting list seeking food to help them provide meals for people facing hunger this winter.

Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said: “The generosity of our customers is truly amazing. At a time when people are facing financial strain, they still went out of their way to support our charity partners in stores across the UK. 

“From a single carton of long-life milk to a whole trolley of items, every customer who donated helped us to make this one of the most successful Winter Food Collections ever.”

In addition to the donations of food, the pre-Christmas Winter Food Collection saw customers donate more than £300,000 to the charities by rounding up their bills at the till and donating through a link from Tesco’s online groceries website.

Tesco also provides its unsold food to FareShare and altogether Tesco and its customers have given the equivalent of more than 39 million meals to both charities in the past year.

George Wright, Chief Executive at FareShare, said: “With so many people struggling to afford basic essentials this winter, it’s really uplifting to see that Tesco customers have donated so much food to help people facing hunger in the community. Not only did they donate food, but many of them also donated their time by volunteering in store to help us collect much needed items this year too.

“We are immensely grateful to Tesco and its customers for the invaluable support we have received over the last 11 years and for donating more than any other food partner in our history. Thank you to everyone that donated food, money or time this year – your generosity will ensure we can continue getting vital food to the people that need it most this Christmas.”

Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust: "People’s generosity never fails to amaze me and it is wonderful to see that once again communities and Tesco stores across the UK have come together to support their local food banks and ensure that they can be there for everyone who needs them this winter.

“Everyone should have enough money to afford the essentials and when food banks in our network are expecting to provide a food parcel every eight seconds between December and February, it’s clear that something is wrong. That is why we continue our long-term work to achieve a future where no one needs to access emergency food and, while we do that, every item that is donated will make a real difference to addressing the urgent levels of need this winter.”

With both charities continuing to need support, Tesco shoppers can continue to donate food at permanent collection points at every Tesco store in the UK or make a donation after their online shop. You can also donate at https://fareshare.donr.com/tesco until February 2024.


Tuesday 19 December 2023

I’m dreaming of a white poinsettia Christmas

With their delightful, vibrant scarlet colour, poinsettias have become as much a part of the festive season as Christmas trees themselves.   

But shoppers will be able to get their hands on the much rarer white variety when they go on sale at Tesco. 

The white ‘Alaska’ poinsettias have been grown for the supermarket by Lincolnshire-based horticulture experts Bridge Farm Group in order to help create a ‘wow factor’ for shoppers. 

Bridge Farm Group, based in Spalding, are one of the UK’s largest growers of poinsettias and now grow over a million a year as a result of their increasing popularity.    

Their rising popularity is also good news for British growers with Bridge Farm Group now taking over from the Dutch as the main supplier of the beautiful and vibrant house plants.  

In the last five years they have increased the supply of poinsettias to Tesco by nearly 1,000%.

Tesco plant buyer Vicky l’Anson said: “Over the last few decades poinsettias have established themselves as the number one gifting flower over the festive season and are as much a symbol of the start of Christmas as mince pies. 

“This year for the first time ever we’ll have the White Alaska which we think will create a real ‘wow’ factor with shoppers.” 

The white Alaska poinsettias originate from Sabaudia, a town 100 km south of Rome in Italy. The Alaska is recognised for its unique, large pure white bracts, making it one of the whitest varieties on the market. 

The poinsettia season is one of the shortest for house plants and they remain in stores for roughly eight weeks, from the end of October till the end of December.  

The bloom, which is also known as either the Christmas Flower or the Christmas Star in horticulture circles, is one of the birth flowers for December and represents happiness and success. 

Bridge Farm Group Managing Director David Brown added: “There are over 100 different poinsettia varieties in shades of red, pink, white, yellow, orange, purple and even multi-coloured ones so we’ll be excited to see how popular the white ones are with shoppers this year.” 

The white poinsettias, which are in a basket, go on sale at over 600 Tesco stores across the UK and cost £12 each. 

www.tesco.com.

What's new for Christmas? Tesco has the answers!

Move over cocktail sausages, mini quiche and prawn rings. Get ready for exotic bao buns, gyozas and teriyaki skewers as Pan-Asian delicacies are set to take over this season’s festive party food.

The traditional British party food classics have given way to flavour of the moment Eastern delicacies that include mainstays of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indian cuisine. 

Tesco is seeing shoppers this year turn away from traditional finger foods like chicken wings and prawn toast.

Instead, in come trendy new Asian bitesize favourites such as Yakatori chicken kebabs, Vietnamese style prawn pancakes, salmon Teriyaki skewers and Katsu chicken bites, as customers look for more exciting ways to impress their guests.

According to market-wide research from retail analysts Mintel, Pan-Asian cuisines such as Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese grew by nearly 17% in 12 months to June 2023, faster than established Indian, Chinese and Mexican food.

At Tesco demand for Pan-Asian food has grown so much this year that sushi has even replaced the smoked salmon sandwich as Britain’s favourite premium lunchtime treat. 

And since the beginning of the year, when Tesco launched its £5 Finest Meal Deal, sushi sales have rocketed by a stunning 90%. 

As a result of this growing demand, the supermarket has given its festive party food lines an Asian makeover. Among some of the exotic items that feature in this year’s Tesco party food range are:

Tesco Finest 8 Bao Buns

Tesco Finest Prawn and Vegetable Nests

Tesco Finest 9 Rainbow Gyoza Selection

Tesco Finest 10 Mini Keema Pies

Tesco Finest 6 Duck And Orange Steamed Buns

Katsu Chicken Bites

8 Vietnamese Style Prawn Pancakes

8 Salmon Teriyaki Skewers

10 Battered Crispy Sushi Rolls

Tesco party food buyer Natalie Linden said: “Pan-Asian food is very much the taste of the moment with Japanese and Thai among the fastest growing cuisines in the UK right now.

 “As a result we’ve brought some excitement and innovation to our new festive party food range, and moved away from some of the more traditional products that are no longer top of customers’ shopping lists.

 “This year we’ve seen really strong growth for our Finest Meal Deal which includes tasty treats like Poke Bowls, sushi boxes, gyozas and bao buns.

 “This has really inspired our team of chefs to develop a range of mini-bite versions of some of the most popular Pan-Asian dishes which we think will help create a real buzz at any festive party this year.”

This year Tesco have more than 90 chilled and frozen party food lines with the chilled items. The frozen ones will be handy to have around for any guests calling round unexpectedly.

Thursday 30 November 2023

Want to know which UK supermarket has the cheapest vegan Christmas dinner? Adventrum has the answer for you

The festive season is very much upon us, and the most prepared Brits out there will have already started planning for the big day and everything that comes with it, from the presents to the parties, and most importantly, the Christmas dinner.

With so many components to put together, it can be hard to know where the best one-stop shop is to get all your Christmas dinner ingredients. Particularly, if you are vegetarian, or are catering for a vegetarian.

While cutting expensive meat items such as pigs and blankets and a turkey crown can certainly help to cut costs, there remains a need to plan a budget, and sometimes it's less obvious how much veggie-friendly supplements will cost.

Thankfully, Adventrum has crunched the numbers and costed up the price of a veggie-friendly Christmas dinner at six of the UK’s top supermarkets. 

1. Aldi - £28.20

2. Tesco - £32.84

3. Asda - £33.22

4. Morrisons - £33.71

5. Sainsbury’s - £34.60

6. Waitrose - £53.24

There’s probably no surprise that Aldi comes in as the cheapest supermarket for a vegetarian Christmas dinner, with the total cost of the full meal being a mere £28.20. The cheapest vegetarian Christmas dinner component at Aldi is the 15-pack of Yorkshire Puddings priced at only £0.46.

In second place is Tesco, where a full vegetarian Christmas dinner came in at £32.84. For chocolate lovers, Tesco is the cheapest supermarket to pick up a Cadbury’s selection box, as they cost £1.50 with a Clubcard membership.

Not far behind in third place is Asda, where a full vegetarian Christmas dinner costs approximately £33.22. However, the Quorn Vegetarian Roast was cheaper at Asda than any other supermarket at just £3.00.

Morrisons placed fourth with a full cost of £33.71. However, this supermarket had one of the most expensive turkey crowns (£31.47), meaning the biggest savings are on offer for meat-eaters switching to the vegetarian option this Christmas.

Sainsbury’s placed fifth, as a vegetarian Christmas dinner from this supermarket was found to cost an estimated £34.60. 

Finally, Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket by some distance at £53.24. A big factor in Waitrose being so much more expensive was the vegetarian turkey supplement costing a massive £16.00. But it must be said that one surprise bargain to be found is that Maris Piper potatoes are 5p cheaper at Waitrose (£1.65) than they are at Aldi (£1.70).

The study used a Quorn Vegetarian Roast as the turkey supplement at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. For Aldi and Waitrose, the home-brand products that most closely resembled the Quorn Vegetarian Roast were used, as the Quorn product was unavailable. 

That's Christmas would like to thank Adventrum for sharing their research data with us. You can check out Adventrum at https://adventrum.com

(Image courtesy of MM from Pixabay)


 

Thursday 2 November 2023

Exciting news for Meal Deal lovers! Tesco spreads Christmas cheer with Mini Mince Pies

As Christmas approaches, shoppers can get themselves into the Christmas spirit by adding a festive treat to their Meal Deal. 

For the first time ever, customers can pick up a two pack of Tesco Mini Mince Pies as a snack with their lunchtime Meal Deal in stores now. 

Tesco’s popular Christmas sandwiches get an extra boost with the option to select a limited-edition snack to take festive feasting at lunchtime to the next level with Mini Pork & Cranberry Pies and Pigs in Blanket Flavour Sausage Rolls alongside the Mini Mince Pies.

With millions of combinations available, the Tesco lunchtime Meal Deal is unrivalled for choice and value. Clubcard members pay just £3.40 for a main, snack and drink (£3.90 without a Clubcard).There is also an exciting new festive sandwich this year - the Tesco Festive Duo - a delicious combination of one Pigs Under Blanket Sandwich and one Chicken, Bacon & Stuffing Sandwich.

For some added luxury, customers can select a Premium Meal Deal which includes premium mains such as the limited-edition Tesco Finest Spiced Duck & Pomegranate Chutney Wrap or Tesco Finest Pigs Under Blanket Sandwich with a snack and drink from the wider Meal Deal range for only £5.00 for Clubcard holders (£5.50 without a Clubcard).

Tesco Brand Manager, Violaine Barthe, said: “We know how much people enjoy adding a festive item to their Meal Deal in the run up to Christmas, it really symbolises the start of the festive season. This year the new range of festive Meal Deal snacks, including two Mini Mince Pies for the very first time, make great additions if you want to feel Christmassy or just love traditional Christmas flavours.”

Limited Edition Christmas snacks and mains will be available as part of the lunchtime meal deal until 8th January 2024.

Festive Meal Deal Mains:

Tesco Festive Duo Sandwich (NEW)

Tesco Finest Spiced Duck & Pomegranate Chutney (Premium Main – NEW)

Tesco Finest Pigs Under Blanket Sandwich (Premium Main – NEW)

Tesco Turkey & Trimmings Sandwich

Tesco Brie & Cranberry Sandwich

Tesco Smoked Ham & Wensleydale Sandwich

Tesco Gluten Free Chicken, Stuffing & Cranberry Sauce

Tesco Yule Hog Wrap

Tesco Plant Chef Bright Spiced Butternut Squash & Chestnut

Tesco Chicken Stuffing & Cranberry Sauce Sub

Festive Meal Deal Snacks:

Tesco 2 Mini Mince Pies (NEW)

Tesco Pigs in Blanket Flavour Sausage Rolls (NEW)

Tesco 2 Tesco Pork & Cranberry Pork Pies  

Fridge Raiders Chicken & Stuffing Bites 

In time for Christmas, Paperchase launches in Tesco stores

Tesco is excited to announce the relaunch of the popular Paperchase brand in its stores and online, bringing a range of cards and stationary products to existing Paperchase fans, and to new customers.

The products, including greetings cards and gift-wrapping materials; party decorations and accessories; notebooks, calendars and diaries; and home accessories, will be landing in over 250 Tesco stores from today, as well as being available online in selected areas.

In addition, a selection of Christmas products will also be landing in stores this week, including greeting cards, gift wrap, decorations and crackers.

The launch of Paperchase in Tesco stores is part of its ambition to make shopping at Tesco Easily the Most Convenient, making it quick and easy for customers to pick up stationary items for work and school, or grab a last-minute greeting card, as part of the weekly shop. 

The introduction of Paperchase in stores will offer customers an even wider range of cards, gifting and stationery, to complement Tesco’s existing range.

The news comes following the announcement earlier this year that Tesco had bought the Paperchase brand and related IP.

Speaking about the relaunch, Jan Marchant, Managing Director of Home and Clothing at Tesco said:

“Paperchase is a well-loved brand by so many, and we’re proud to bring it to Tesco stores across the UK. We know many customers will be excited to see Paperchase products returning to stores, and we also hope to introduce the brand to many new customers. We look forward to exciting and delighting stationary fans with new products and some old favourites – look out for them in your local store”.

Customers can check if their local store stocks Paperchase using the store locator function on Tesco.com

Saturday 14 October 2023

Huge festive recruitment drive launched by Tesco as it looks to fill 30,000 jobs

Even more opportunities for employment over the Christmas season as a huge festive recruitment drive has been launched by Tesco ahead of the busy holiday period this year.

And that should be good news for job-hunting students and families looking to offset increasing bills or anyone wanting to return to the workforce.

This year Tesco is recruiting 30,000 temporary Colleagues across the UK to help customers during the busy Christmas period.    

The jobs will mainly involve working in Tesco’s Superstores and Extra stores for either early morning, day or evening shifts, so that prospective applicants can find an opportunity that fits around them.

James Goodman, Tesco People Director said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to boost their earnings over the festive period or who needs to find a route back into the workplace. 

“We’re looking for people who enjoy working as part of a team and are prepared to go that extra mile in order to help our customers.  

“Our festive roles are a fantastic way to become part of the Tesco team, with roles working on checkouts to picking orders for home delivery or replenishing the store. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to meet great people, learn new skills and be part of a diverse team where everyone is welcome. 

“We had a great response for festive roles last year and we would love to hear from anyone who worked with us then.  

“With part-time, temporary roles available across the UK, there are a variety of different shift patterns on offer, making sure these roles fit around different individual needs and lifestyles.”  

The new colleagues will help the supermarket meet high demand as customers look to make Christmas savings – especially as Tesco has just locked low prices on more than 1000 products until 2024 – as well as helping shoppers get exclusive deals on Clubcard Prices at the checkout.

Once the seasonal period comes to an end, there may be opportunities for Christmas colleagues to apply for any permanent roles available in Tesco stores.   

One person who did that last year is Kenzy Talbot, 28, who joined Tesco last November as a festive colleague and worked in the fresh food sales area.

Kenzy said: “I'm a working mum with a young child, as you can imagine trying to fit work around school times in the past was very difficult.

“Tesco has been amazing and with their flexibility this has meant that I have been able to fit my working hours around my family commitments.

“I was delighted to become a permanent member of the team in January 2023. I have progressed and learnt other areas of the store, currently working most of my hours on groceries along with picking up extra shifts on other areas such as checkouts and fresh areas.”

Anyone interested in a festive job at Tesco should apply to: www.tesco-careers.com/festive    

Wednesday 20 September 2023

Barbie and Hot Wheels included in Fantastic Tesco half-price pre-Christmas toy sale

Parents, grandparents and older siblings should take note! Tesco is launching a half-price sale exclusively for Clubcard holders, featuring some of the most current and popular toy brands.

There will be nearly 100 toys included in the sale and featured brands will be children’s favourites such as Barbie, Pokemon, Fisher Price, Peppa Pig, Bluey, 5 Surprise, Marvel and Hot Wheels.

Alongside the half-price sale, Clubcard holders will also see reductions on Lego toys, with up to 40 per cent off licensed specials such as Marvel Hulkbuster, Star Wars Tie Bomber, and Minecraft Abandoned Village and Lego Speed Champions McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM  and Lego Technic Nascar Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Tesco Toy Category Manager Anne Borrett said: “There will be exciting toys for children of all ages with plenty of choice in the most popular categories including pre-school items, dolls, collectables, vehicles, plush and games.

“We hope the sale will help parents not only find some toy bargains for their kids but also spread the cost of Christmas.

“There are great offers on many toys in our stores, including all the top brands such as Barbie, Lego, Disney, Hot Wheels, 5 Surprise and Fisher Price, with something for kids of all ages.”

The Half-Price Sale runs until November 1. The sale for selected Lego toys at 40 per cent off runs from Sept 14 until October 25.

Thursday 14 September 2023

Tesco supports the Morocco earthquake and Libya floods humanitarian response

Tesco has combined forces with the British Red Cross to provide urgent, vital assistance to people who have been impacted by the devastating earthquake in Morocco and the sudden flooding in Libya.

The £250,000 donation from the Tesco Group will be critical to the charity’s Disaster Fund, which helps the British Red Cross respond to disasters in the UK and also around the world.

In the next few days, customers across the UK will also be able to support via text to give donations of either £5, £10 or £15. 

Customers will also be able to donate online at Tesco.com or with their Clubcard vouchers, using the Clubcard app.

Ken Murphy, who is the Group CEO at Tesco said: “We were obviously deeply shocked and saddened to see the pictures and stories from Morocco since this disaster occurred on Friday night and now the tragic extent of the situation in Libya."

“I know many Tesco colleagues are already looking to provide support and assistance, and we're very pleased to be able to work with the British Red Cross to give financial support that directly helps local teams on the ground."

Richard Blewitt, Executive Director of International for the British Red Cross, said: “On behalf of the British Red Cross I would like to thank everyone at Tesco for their generous donations that will go towards supporting people in a disaster, such as the devastating earthquake in Morocco and the terrible flooding in Libya."

He went on to say: “Thousands of people have lost their lives in these disasters, and many more have lost loved ones, their livelihoods and their homes. Sadly the full scale of the destruction in both countries is only likely to become apparent in the coming days. 

"We're really pleased and delighted to have Tesco colleagues and customers by our side to help those most in need. We could not do this without you. Thank you once again for your kindness and generosity.”

For more information on the partnership click here www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/partner-with-us/tesco 

Tuesday 12 September 2023

Tesco join forces with Hasbro and Wastebuster to trial in store toy recycling that also gets books into schools

Tesco has become the latest member of Wastebuster’s Recycle to Read toy recycling initiative, which is designed to educate and promote toy reuse and create a new infrastructure for the recycling of plastic toys.

Recycle to Read collection bins will be trialled in selected Tesco stores from this week.

Customers can deposit broken plastic toys in-store for recycling and at the same time collect points for books.

The initiative is backed by global toy and games company Hasbro, alongside the founding partners of Recycle to Read, children’s magazine publishers.

Tesco and Hasbro have combined forces with top not-for-profit environmental education company, Wastebuster, to test out a new in-store campaign, which aims at turning broken plastic toys into books and reading resources for schools in the UK.

In an important development for the Recycle to Read campaign, the trial, which will run from now until December 4th,  will encourage children and families to recycle their broken, hard plastic toys via toy recycling bins placed in a number of specially chosen Tesco stores. If the scheme proves itself  to be a hit with parents and children, it will then be rolled out to further stores.

Backed by global toy and games company, Hasbro, the initiative aims to drive a circular solution for unwanted or broken hard plastic toys. Families are first encouraged to rehome toys through charitable giving to friends, family, school toy sales or local charities. Broken toys can be recycled in store, where they are collected, cleaned and turned into plastic pellets, before being used to create new items including coat hangers, chairs and coffee machines. 

Rehomed and recycled plastic toys can be registered via the Wastebuster website to earn Planet Care Points for any schools attended by children from 2-11 years old in the Sussex area. Eligible schools can register for free to earn points for books at www.jointhepod.org/toys,

The Recycle to Read scheme will then reward the fifty highest point-scoring schools in the area with book vouchers from a prize fund of £5,000, to spend on a wide range of discounted books by children’s publishing house, Harper Collins. Participating schools could also win fantastic book bundles, provided by publishing houses Farshore and Ladybird, in a special weekly prize draw. 

The Recycle to Read campaign was launched by Wastebuster in association with Products of Change and is powered by members of the toy industry and all major children’s publishers and distributors,  including Immediate Media Company; Story House Egmont; Redan; Kennedy; Signature; DC Thompson; Frontline and Seymour. The campaign aim is to drive new infrastructure for notoriously hard-to-recycle plastic toys, plus providing reading materials to support literacy in UK nurseries and primary schools across the UK.

Katy Newnham, who is the founder of Wastebuster said: “Recycle to Read supports families in learning about the environmental benefits of toy rehoming and recycling, while rewarding them with books for taking part. 

"What better way can we inspire and empower children to make pro-environmental choices, than by storytelling with their favourite characters and giving them an opportunity to send their unwanted toys on a new adventure that is good for the planet?”

Helena Mansell-Stopher, who is the founder of Products of Change said: “The Recycle to Read platform is the result of the tireless work of an industry coming together with cross-sector stakeholders around the need to find more sustainable solution for unwanted or broken toys.

"After so many years in the making, it’s amazing to see the campaign come to life via this Hasbro and Tesco partnership. This is a really hugely exciting moment that I believe represents a turning point for circularity in toys, and a wonderful example of what can be achieved when industry demonstrates sector leadership and comes together, in the pursuit of sustainability”.

Ally Rose, who is the Tesco Category Director for Toys said: “We are always looking for new ways to remove, reduce, reuse and recycle plastic in our business, so we’re really delighted to be able to support the Recycle to Read campaign as a way to help our customers do more of this at home. As well as trialling a new way we can work together on hard-to-recycle plastics, it also helps to give children greater access to reading”.

Sara Westby, Director of Marketing at Hasbro, added: “At Hasbro, we know kids and families everywhere share our passion for protecting our planet, which is why we’re so proud to partner with Wastebuster on the Recycle to Read campaign. We encourage everyone to keep their memories, but recycle their broken toys – doing good to the planet and to people”. 

For more information on Recycle to Read, visit:https://www.recycletoread.org or contact Katy@wastebuster.co.uk.

That's Christmas believe this scheme is a fantastic idea for the pre-Christmas period.

Monday 26 December 2011

Don't Yell for Yodel!

Don't yell for Yodel! That's the message that many customers are sending to mail order firms like Amazon, Littlewoods, Early Learning Centre, Homebase, Tesco, etc.

Yodel appear not to acknowledge that they have a problem, diverting attention from problems by saying that they made many successful deliveries.

However, there have been far too many examples of deliveries not being made to the intended recipient for utterly ludicrous and dubious reasons. Typical claims are that people were not in to receive the parcel when they were at home. That a card was put through a letterbox, when it wasn't. That because the home they were to deliver to was in a remote rural location they could not find it. Even though the address was, in reality, quite close to the centre of a very busy town!

If you cannot get any sense from Yodel or the firm that you have bought the item from (after all it is THEIR responsibility to ensure that you receive the goods you buy from them!) you can try contacting Consumer Direct http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Consumerrights/index.htm who will be able to help tell you either get your goods or your money back.

Complaints to Yodel can be made at http://www.yodel.co.uk/contact-us.aspx.

Also if you bought your goods by credit card then under the current laws you can get your money back from the credit card company.