Joshua Searle

The UK is preparing for another heatwave, with temperatures potentially reaching 36C in parts of England and Wales, particularly on Thursday. The Met Office is considering rare extreme heat warnings because of possible disruption to railways and power networks and risks to vulnerable people. Drought conditions already affect half of England and all of Wales, while water restrictions impact more than 25 million people. Health authorities warn of significant pressure on health and social care services and a possible increase in heat-related deaths, following an exceptionally hot summer that has already produced record temperatures and more than 2,800 excess deaths.

Lloyds Banking Group reported a 23% rise in first-half 2024 pre-tax profits to £4.3 billion and said it remains on track to achieve its 2026 financial targets. The bank expects to deliver more than £2 billion in gross savings by 2026 and is targeting an additional £2 billion by 2030 through digital transformation, technology modernisation and greater use of artificial intelligence. Chief executive Charlie Nunn said AI could enable personalised investment advice and more efficient internal operations, but acknowledged that it would affect work and require staff retraining and new hiring. Lloyds plans to invest more than £13 billion over four years under its Accelerate 2030 strategy, including the Lloyds Smart Wallet, while replacing the Halifax brand with Lloyds and continuing its broader digital, wealth-management and branch-closure programme.

pladis, the company behind McVitie's, GODIVA and Ülker, aims to double the sales volume of products with lower sugar, salt and saturated fat and higher fibre or protein by 2030. The company plans to meet the target through recipe reformulation, new products and wider distribution, guided by a global nutrition framework based on systems including Nutri-Score, the Health Star Rating and the UK's Nutrient Profile Model. Better-balanced products currently represent about 10% of pladis's sales volume. The company also cites previous reductions in sugar and fat and says the pledge is part of its Happy People, Happy Planet sustainability strategy.

Asda introduced a new Grocery & Fuel Bonus allowing Rewards scheme members to receive 5p off each litre of fuel after spending £40 in-store. The discount is available at 321 Asda locations until July 31, with plans for expansion. A fuel coupon is automatically added to the Asda Rewards app and can be redeemed at participating filling stations. The update marks the first time the scheme has included fuel savings and follows recent enhancements to the app’s personalised Missions.

John Lewis is considering closing in‑store foreign currency exchange and gift‑wrapping services, putting about 200 jobs at risk across 30 stores due to shifting customer behaviour toward online transactions. The company is consulting affected employees before confirming any closures and says it intends to make gift wrapping more accessible. The proposal follows a £21 million pre‑tax loss despite a rise in sales.