Consumer and retail in the news

Issue 497

Here are this week's top stories in the consumer and retail sector:

Ocado collaborates with RSPB to create recipes for birds using leftovers
(Retail Times)

Primark sees bumper Christmas sales
(BBC News)

M&S maintains price lock promise for Easter
(Retail Gazette)

UK government to introduce drinks bottle deposit scheme
(Talking Retail)

Cutbacks in Christmas spending lead to record fall in shop sales
(BBC News)

Alcohol-free beer brand Freestar reports quadruple rise in sales during Dry January
(Talking Retail)

Hotel Chocolat to exercise caution and produce fewer Easter eggs this year
(Retail Gazette)

Tesco kicks off annual global hackathon during which teams of colleagues go head to head to find a technology solution to a real retail problem
(Retail Gazette)

Retailer Jigsaw expands "Jigsaw Forever" scheme by launching a repair scheme and opening a pop-up in London
(Retail Gazette)

Currys introduces 'Quiet Hour' in its stores to improve the shopping experience of neurodiverse customers
(Retail Gazette)

Dash Water, the seltzer brand, completes £8.7 million Series A funding round 
(Food Bev Media)

Bruce Springsteen and now Justin Bieber, Hipgnosis acquires rights to Bieber's must for $200 million
(BBC News)