
'Incredible' number of journeys on Hereford's free green Zipper buses
A fleet of buses, offering free travel, have proven to be popular with travellers during their first year in service, a local authority has said.Hereford City Council said its three electric Zipper buses had averaged almost 500 passenger journeys per day between March and October.Their busiest single day over the past year saw more than 800 passenger journeys, the council said.The buses have been named Handsome Norman, Pilot and Green Horse have been providing free-of-charge travel across the city since November 2023.
A council spokesperson said a typical month saw more than 15,000 journeys made by passengers – with October being the best month recorded so far, with more than 17,000 journeys."These incredible figures reflect the increasing popularity of the Zipper bus," they said.They claimed journey numbers were steadily trending upwards, and said the town's Asda supermarket was the most popular bus stop, with the train station second and Maylord Orchards third busiest.
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Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
Britain's biggest pub company to slash jobs amid debt crunch
Britain's biggest pub company is set to cut a raft of jobs as bosses seek to slim down the debt-laden firm following Rachel Reeves's tax raid. Stonegate Group, which runs more than 4,000 pubs across the UK including the Slug & Lettuce and Craft Union brands, has been working with restructuring specialists at AlixPartners over recent months, The Telegraph has learnt. Up to 150 jobs are expected to be cut across the company's head office and central functions. It is understood no decision has yet been made on the exact number of roles under threat. Jobs in its pubs and bars will not be affected and no pubs will close as a result of the restructuring. It comes after a difficult period for Stonegate, which is owned by TDR Capital, the private equity house which also controls Asda. It has lost hundreds of millions of pounds while straining under the weight of a near-£3bn debt pile while higher taxes levied on employers by the Chancellor this year have added to pressures. Despite a rise in revenues in recent years, it reported pre-tax losses of £257m and £214m in 2023 and 2024 respectively as interest payments on its debts pushed it into the red. A Stonegate spokesman said the planned cuts were partly due to a shift away from managed pubs – which it owns and operates itself – towards leased and tenanted pubs, which are rented out to and operated by publicans. The latter have proved more profitable for Stonegate in recent years. Managed pubs also require more resources and head office staff to oversee, making them less appealing to run at a time when the company is trying to return to profit. The spokesman said: 'This, combined with rising costs, particularly after the recent Budget, means we must reorganise our support functions to reflect the shape of our business today. 'We recognise that this is a difficult time and we are committed to supporting our colleagues with care and fairness as we consult with the business on the proposed changes.' Hospitality firms have been lumbered with extra costs after Ms Reeves raised employers' National Insurance contributions and lowered the threshold at which they are paid this year. Bosses have argued the latter has disproportionately hurt hospitality firms because of the number of lower-paid and part-time workers they employ. It will be the second round of job cuts at Stonegate in two years following more than 250 redundancies in 2023. Stonegate has also been reviewing rents and agreements with suppliers as part of restructuring efforts. Last summer, TDR pumped £250m into the company to avoid defaulting on its debts, after the cost of servicing its borrowings rose from £301m to £450m in 2024. This included refinancing. The refinancing gave Stonegate breathing room, allowing it to push the repayment date for much of its debts to 2029. At the time, Stonegate said the deal would allow it to invest more in its pubs. The agreement saw one of its lenders, AlbaCore Capital Group, take a stake in the firm. Domiciled in the Cayman Islands, Stonegate traces its history back to 2010, when TDR bought 333 pubs from Toby Carvery owner Mitchells & Butlers. Its debts ballooned when it bought rival pub firm Ei Group – formerly Enterprise Inns – in a £3bn deal in 2019. The deal completed just before the pandemic forced the nation's pubs shut for months on end. After the pandemic, soaring interest rates heaped pressure on firms with large debts. Stonegate's troubles echo those of TDR-owned Asda, which too has been battling to bring down costs in the wake of its debt-fuelled buyout by the firm and the billionaire Issa brothers in 2021.


Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I tried supermarket wine in a can – the cheapest can tastes best and it was nicer than M&S
The winner is the perfect summer tipple costing just 95p per 100ml TOP OF THE PLONKS I tried supermarket wine in a can – the cheapest can tastes best and it was nicer than M&S Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WINE in a can is the perfect summer tipple to take to the beach or on a picnic. But which supermarket version is the best value? Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Rosie Taylor tested wine in a can ahead of summer Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures We've tested the wine cans offered by major supermarkets against the leading brand Most Wanted, to find out which is the best value for money. Here are how wine cans from Asda, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Waitrose and M&S compared. We scored them out of ten for taste and out of ten for value for money, taking into account size and alcohol content. Here's how they scored out of a total of 20 points: Most Wanted Pinot Grigio Fizz £2.65 for 200ml (11% ABV) 7 Most Wanted is a premium brand - but it wasn't the most expensive in our test Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures The Most Wanted wine in a can was gently bubbly and had a light, fruity taste. Although a premium brand, this was actually not the most expensive wine can we tried – working out at £1.33 per 100ml. It's a great wine to take on a day out. Taste: 9/10 Value: 7/10 Total: 16/20 Asda Pica Pica Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio Rose £2.48 for 250ml (11% ABV) 7 Asda's wine were not a hit among our testers Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures Asda's Pica Pica wine cans were very harsh and made our testers wince. Both the wine and the rose versions had a chemical smell and tasted like medicine. Although a bargain price, at just 99p per 100ml, you would be better off spending slightly more on another brand. Taste: 3/10 Value: 8/10 Total: 11/20 Sainsbury's Pinot Pinot Pinot Grigio Fizz & Pinot Grigio Pink Fizz £2.60 for 200ml (11% ABV) 7 Sainsbury's versions were a close copy of the Most Wanted brand Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures The Sainsbury's Pinot Pinot wine can range was fizzy with a light fruity taste that was pretty similar to the Most Wanted brand. But the rose version had hardly any colour when it was poured out of the can. At £1.30 per 100ml, these were one of the cheapest wine can versions we tried and were a close copy of the brand. Taste: 6/10 Value: 8/10 Total: 14/20 WINNER - Aldi Costellore PG Fizz Pinot Grigio Fizz & Pinot Grigio Blush Fizz £6.99 for 75cl (11.5% ABV) 7 Aldi was crowned the winner in our test Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures Working out at just 95p per 100ml, this was the cheapest wine we tested – and it was surprisingly nice. Aldi's wine in a can was gently fizzy, with a slightly dry, fruity taste. It was very light and easy to drink, making it a perfect picnic tipple. We preferred the white version to the blush, which had a harsher alcohol taste. Taste: 8/10 Value: 9/10 Total: 17/20 Waitrose Italia Pinot Grigio Rose Can £3.65 for 250ml (12.5% ABV) 7 Waitrose's wine can version was flat without any fizz Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures This was the only wine in a can we tried which was flat, without any fizz. It was relatively light and easy to drink but had a background harsh chemical taste which became stronger as it got warm. This was a larger can than most of the others we tried and also had the highest alcohol content, at 12.5 per cent ABV. But this was reflected in the £1.46 per 100ml cost. Taste: 7/10 Value: 8/10 Total: 15/20 M&S Bramble Hill Sparkling White & Sparkling Rose £5 for 200ml (11% ABV) 7 The wine at M&S had lots of light bubbles and were easy to drink Credit: David McHugh / Brighton Pictures These M&S English wines were the fanciest cans we tried. Both were fizzing with lots of light bubbles and were easy to drink. The white was more fruity and lighter than the rose, which had a harsher taste to it. But at £5 for a small 200ml can, these worked out at £2.50 per 100ml – more than twice as expensive as the Aldi version. Taste: 7/10 Value: 4/10 Total: 11/20 How to save money on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories


The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
I tried supermarket wine in a can – the cheapest can tastes best and it was nicer than M&S
WINE in a can is the perfect summer tipple to take to the beach or on a picnic. But which supermarket version is the best value? 7 We've tested the wine cans offered by major supermarkets against the leading brand Most Wanted, to find out which is the best value for money. Here are how wine cans from Asda, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Waitrose and M&S compared. We scored them out of ten for taste and out of ten for value for money, taking into account size and alcohol content. Here's how they scored out of a total of 20 points: Most Wanted Pinot Grigio Fizz £2.65 for 200ml (11% ABV) 7 The Most Wanted wine in a can was gently bubbly and had a light, fruity taste. Although a premium brand, this was actually not the most expensive wine can we tried – working out at £1.33 per 100ml. It's a great wine to take on a day out. Taste: 9/10 Value: 7/10 Total: 16/20 Asda Pica Pica Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio Rose £2.48 for 250ml (11% ABV) 7 Asda's Pica Pica wine cans were very harsh and made our testers wince. Both the wine and the rose versions had a chemical smell and tasted like medicine. Although a bargain price, at just 99p per 100ml, you would be better off spending slightly more on another brand. Taste: 3/10 Value: 8/10 Total: 11/20 Sainsbury's Pinot Pinot Pinot Grigio Fizz & Pinot Grigio Pink Fizz £2.60 for 200ml (11% ABV) 7 The Sainsbury's Pinot Pinot wine can range was fizzy with a light fruity taste that was pretty similar to the Most Wanted brand. But the rose version had hardly any colour when it was poured out of the can. At £1.30 per 100ml, these were one of the cheapest wine can versions we tried and were a close copy of the brand. Taste: 6/10 Value: 8/10 Total: 14/20 WINNER - Aldi Costellore PG Fizz Pinot Grigio Fizz & Pinot Grigio Blush Fizz £6.99 for 75cl (11.5% ABV) Working out at just 95p per 100ml, this was the cheapest wine we tested – and it was surprisingly nice. Aldi's wine in a can was gently fizzy, with a slightly dry, fruity taste. It was very light and easy to drink, making it a perfect picnic tipple. We preferred the white version to the blush, which had a harsher alcohol taste. Taste: 8/10 Value: 9/10 Total: 17/20 Waitrose Italia Pinot Grigio Rose Can £3.65 for 250ml (12.5% ABV) This was the only wine in a can we tried which was flat, without any fizz. It was relatively light and easy to drink but had a background harsh chemical taste which became stronger as it got warm. This was a larger can than most of the others we tried and also had the highest alcohol content, at 12.5 per cent ABV. But this was reflected in the £1.46 per 100ml cost. Taste: 7/10 Value: 8/10 Total: 15/20 M&S Bramble Hill Sparkling White & Sparkling Rose £5 for 200ml (11% ABV) 7 These M&S English wines were the fanciest cans we tried. Both were fizzing with lots of light bubbles and were easy to drink. The white was more fruity and lighter than the rose, which had a harsher taste to it. But at £5 for a small 200ml can, these worked out at £2.50 per 100ml – more than twice as expensive as the Aldi version. Taste: 7/10 Value: 4/10 Total: 11/20 How to save money on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.