A CONVENIENCE store chain with more than 1,000 branches nationwide will start stocking items from retailer Tesco.

One Stop, which is owned by parent company Tesco Group, will start lining its aisles with products from the popular supermarket.

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The new products will be introduced in phases from later this month and roll out into next year.

These will include an expanded range of “healthier and affordable” options.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for us,” One Stop managing director Stephanie Wood said.

“The Tesco Core Own Brand range will not only elevate customer experience with high-quality, trusted products, but it will also enable our franchisees to offer a broader and more competitive range to their local communities.”

Tesco’s Core Own Brand range will also be available on all four of One Stop’s delivery platform partners – Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats and Snappy Shopper.

PULLING THE PLUG

It comes after Tesco announced it would be closing its High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire superstore between October 2024 and autumn 2025.

The store will remain closed while landlord Buckinghamshire Council reconfigures the site. 

Tesco will open a temporary Express store in the Eden Shopping Centre while the branch is closed.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our superstore will reopen in Autumn 2025 with a refreshed look and feel which we’re excited to share with customers.”

Tesco is pursuing a strategy of expansion with plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year.

The cost-of-living crisis has meant households have less money in their pockets and so are cutting back on their spending.

As a result, high street shops have seen lower footfall and less money landing in the tills since the pandemic.

That, coupled with ongoing restructuring plans and high rents, has forced many chains to close.

Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed almost 10,500 UK shops closed for the final time in 2023.

The 12-month period also saw over 119,000 jobs lost across the sector.

According to the centre’s most recent data, 1,846 stores closed and 23,982 retail jobs were lost during the first six months of 2024.

GL-EWW

Tesco also issued an urgent recall urging consumers not to buy certain mince pies because they could contain glue.

The product affected is the six pack of Tesco Finest 6 All Butter Pastry Mince Pies.

Packets with the following best before dates should not be eaten: October 4, October 26, November 2, and November 10.

The Food Standards Agency put the alert up on Thursday warning customers that the baked goods may contain pieces of dried glue from the packaging, making them “unsafe to eat”.

The agency advises customers who have bought the product not to eat it but to return it to any store for a full refund – no receipt is required.

If customers run into any further issues they have been urged to call the Tesco Customer Service line on 0800 50 5555.

The supermarket has reassured customers that no other products have been affected by this issue.

A spokesperson for Tesco said the recall was a “precautionary measure”.

They added:“The quality of our products is our number one priority and we immediately began an investigation with our supplier to understand what happened. We’re sorry for the inconvenience”.

TESCO has been accused of failing right-handed shoppers after new trolleys appear to be designed for lefties.

Customers say putting the slot for a portable barcode scanner on the left makes trolleys impractical and awkward to use for righties.

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One shopper fumed: “Please put the handheld thing back on the right.

“Or at least make a mixture of trolleys available.

“Years of it being on the right and 90 per cent are right-handed and this change is just awfully impractical.”

Another added: “It drives me nuts.”

A third moaned: “It’s so awkward when right-handed.”

One groaned: “Appreciate the new trolleys, but why the F are the holders for the scanners on the wrong side?”

But left-handed gift shop owner Stel Coombe, 60, from Saltburn, North Yorks, said: “I’m glad to see we lefties finally have a tiny corner of the world for ourselves thanks to the humble Tesco shopping trolley.

“However, because we have superior hand eye co-ordination and we’ve evolved to adapt, I’m sure we wouldn’t mind the scanners being to the right.”

North Londoner Jess Shaw, 48, owner of team-building firm Pact Creative Training, added: “I’ve always struggled to use scissors, peelers and other utensils designed for right-handers.

“When I was a kid, I even used to go to a shop that sold things for left-handed people.

“I don’t know why they’ve put the scanners on the left of trolleys but it’s nice that something works well for us for a change — even if it was a mistake.”

Prof Chris McManus, author of Right Hand, Left Hand, said: “Historically, many items have been biased so that they are easier for right-handers to use.

“Designers have though been very successful in recent years at making objects ambidextrous so anyone can use them, and that is surely the ideal.”

Tesco was contacted for comment.

It is understood the store is considering the feedback.

A SAVVY customer has shared how they managed to shave hundreds off their home insurance bill by using a nifty Martin Lewis hack.

The saver named Fiona told readers of Martin’s MoneySavingExpert about how she pocketed the hefty £423.

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“I received a renewal notice which shot up by a few hundred quid to £866 (for a standard four-bed),” she said.

“Your newsletter landed, I used your tips and which comparison websites to use, and 40 minutes later I found the exact same cover for £443!

“A huge saving of £423, woohoo!

“Thank you so much!”

Fiona was following the money-saving whizz’s advice to “combine comparison sites for 100s of quotes in minutes – don’t assume they’re all the same.”

It continues: “Never just auto-renew – there’s no guarantee your existing insurer will give you the cheapest or best cover.

“It’s always worth a check elsewhere. Comparison sites zip your info to dozens of insurers and brokers at once.

“Yet don’t just use one as a) they can cover different insurers, and b) they often have different prices for the same firm.”

It comes as home insurance premiums soared this earlier this year in a blow for households.

Premiums increased by 19% between the first three months of 2023 and the same time period this year, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The body, which represents industry, said the average combined buildings and contents premium was £375 at the start of the year.

What is home insurance?

Home insurance is designed to cover you in the event of fire, flood, or theft or loss of any item inside it.

It’s not a legal requirement, unlike car insurance, but it can be useful if something goes awry.

There are two types of home insurance policy – contents and buildings.

Buildings insurance covers the cost of repairing any damage to the structure of your property which might have been caused by a fire or flooding.

The “building” includes elements like your roof, walls and floors as well as permanent fixtures such as windows or fitted kitchens.

Contents insurance says what it does on the tin – it covers you in case the contents of your home are damaged, lost or stolen.

How else to save money on home insurance

There’s a few other ways you can save money on your home insurance…

Ceri McMillan, insurance expert at Go Compare previously told The Sun renewing your policy 27 days ahead of it expiring could save you £60.

And at the very least, don’t wait for your policy to auto-renew as you’ll likely pay more than if you shop around for a cheaper deal.

If you’ve got the money up front, it’s worth paying for your premium in one lump sum as well.

Ceri previously told The Sun you can save around 10% on your premium using the trick.

The ABI said the average home insurance premium was £341 in 2023, which means you could save around £34.

Combining contents and buildings policies rather than paying for them separately could save you £100 a year as well, according to Confused.com.

Installing a burglar alarm can help drive down your premium price as well, albeit after the initial up front cost.

Consumer group Which? says you can get an alarm for around £100, and install it yourself to save extra cash.

You can buy either buildings or contents policies separately, or combined so you are covered across all scenarios.

Not all home insurance policies cover the same things though, so it’s worth shopping around.

You can use price comparison websites like Compare the Market, GoCompare and Uswitch.

JUST in case it’s not ingrained in your memory – Porridge Week starts tomorrow.

Oats are a versatile, good-value food, and there are many different ways to enjoy them.

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Give these delicious recipes a try . . . 

WEIGH IT UP: Gram for gram, porridge oats make one of the best value breakfasts at under 5p a serving — half the price of supermarket own-brand cornflakes.

A morning bowl can be jazzed up with syrup, brown sugar, thawed-out frozen ­berries, banana, seeds or nuts.

SMOOTHIE OPERATOR: Use frozen berries and oats to make a tasty, healthy smoothie. Blend with milk and yoghurt for a filling drink that will release energy throughout the morning.

OH CRUMBS: Make a spicy, crispy crumb to coat around 400g of chicken or fish fillets for four people.

Use a mixer to whizz up 150g oats with two tablespoons of oil and a teaspoon each of herbs and spices — try oregano, paprika and garlic granules.

Dip the fillets in a dish of flour to cover, then in whisked egg, and follow with the oat crumb, before frying.

FLIP DON’T FLAP: For a simple flapjack swap, make some easy oat biscuits.

Use 100g each of oats, flour, sugar and butter. Mix the oats and flour with a teaspoon of mixed spice. Melt the sugar and butter with a tablespoon of honey.

Mix together and cool slightly before shaping into balls. Place on a baking sheet, press down slightly, then bake at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes.

BURGER BOOST: Beef up your burgers by adding some oats. You can mix around 400g of minced beef or turkey with 80g oats. Stir in a finely chopped and fried onion, then add a dash of salt, pepper and garlic granules.

Bind the mixture together with a beaten egg — add a bit at a time until you get the right consistency, where the mixture holds together without being too wet. Form into patties and gently fry.

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A MAJOR cinema chain will shut its doors for good tomorrow, devastating locals.

Cineworld‘s site in Glasgow Parkhead is set to permanently shutter on October 6.

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In a Facebook post Cineworld said: “After years of providing movie lovers with a place to feel more, we have made the difficult decision to close Cineworld Glasgow Parkhead.

“Thank you to all of you movie-loving customers for choosing us over the years. We hope you continue to enjoy watching movies at our local cinemas”

Locals were quick to chime in and share their heartbreak at the popular cinema’s closure.

“I am so saddened by this news, I love this cinema, I go at least once a week and find all the staff very nice and helpful,” said one.

Another said: “Gutted I’ve been going to this cinema since I was young.”

While a third described the news as “brutal”.

Cineworld confirmed this week it would close five locations across the UK.

Bosses at the troubled entertainment group have been pushing for the closures since July, but the move needed to be approved by the courts first.

The reduction in its portfolio forms part of a major restructuring plan to keep the company’s head above water.

Just this week, a judge gave the go-ahead for £16million to be injected into Cineworld’s four companies which form the business.

The cash came from the business’s parent company, with an extra £35million to also be made available.

Its four companies. Cine-UK Ltd, Cineworld Cinemas Ltd, Cineworld Cinema Properties Ltd and Cineworld Estates Ltd, will also negotiate leases for each of their 101 sites across the UK.

The five sites will shut for good on these exact dates:

• Glasgow Parkhead (closing October 6)
• Bedford (closing October 6)
• Swindon Regent Circus (closing October 6)
• Loughborough (closing October 13)
• Yate (closing October 13)

It comes as the chain is also said to be renegotiating rent agreements for around 50 of its sites.

Struggling businesses often do this to help lower their operating costs and help retain more of their brick-and-mortar estate.

However, landlords don’t need to accept what’s put forward in these discussions

This means that up to 50 additional Cineworld complexes could also be at risk of closure if the chain and its landlords cannot reach an agreement.

What else has happened at Cineworld?

This development follows a long period of trouble at Cineworld.

Just last year the business emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US.

Filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy means a company intends to reorganise its debts and assets while remaining in business.

The company’s shares plunged almost 99% in the five years to 2023, as it was hit particularly hard by the pandemic and the enforced closure of its cinema sites.

Shortly after, Cineworld’s UK arm collapsed into administration on July 31.

The cinema chain was delisted from the London Stock Exchange a day later.

When a company enters administration in the UK, all control is passed to an appointed administrator, who must be a licensed insolvency practitioner.

A lot of major cinema chains have struggled following the pandemic, as customers got used to streaming films from home. 

Big blockbusters such as the Barbie Movie and Oppenheimer drove punters back to the movie theatre last year, but it has not been enough to keep some venues afloat. 

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The scorching rally in Chinese stocks over the past week or so underlines one of the key rules of markets: always keep an eye on the crowd.

Shortly before an extended market holiday, authorities in Beijing sent a forceful message that enough was enough. The economy is stuck (by Chinese standards — most western economies would be delighted with growth rates of a bit above 4.5 per cent) and the stock market had been bleeding out for months.

So the central bank and other authorities unleashed a volley of turnaround measures, ranging from interest rate easing, to lighter demands on banks to stuff reserves away, to direct stock market-boosting efforts and the promise of fiscal support to come. Are these fiscal measures super detailed? No. Will a sliver of a percentage point off interest rates turn the long-suffering property sector around? Also no. But do traders care about that? Again, no.

The result, then, is a rip-your-face-off rally for the ages. The CSI 300 index of Chinese stocks added more than 20 per cent in less than a week. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is now the best-performing major market in the world this year, having added 30 per cent, compared with a relatively puny 19 per cent in the US S&P 500.

Timing played a role here — the broad assumption was that Beijing would hold out for longer before taking anything like this kind of action. Scale matters, too; Deutsche Bank says the fiscal stimulus is a “big deal” that, when measured against the size of the economy, is the third biggest of its kind for the country ever — a Mario Draghi-style “whatever it takes” moment.

It could take months until we know the real economic impact. But markets are not hanging around to find out. That is because before this injection of support, investors were just allergic to China. Bank of America’s regular survey of fund managers found last month that “macro pessimism was centred on China” with growth expectations at the lowest point in the three years the bank has been tracking them in this form. 

At around the same time, I spoke to Amundi’s chief investment officer, Vincent Mortier, who said he had “never seen such a big pushback” from clients against the idea of putting money to work there. He was making the case that it was unwise to avoid China entirely, but the conversation was a non-starter. The bet was “totally, totally dead”, he said.

Pity the hedge fund manager who told me this week he almost took that as a trigger to buy China, but backed out. As any good professional investor will tell you, when everyone seems to hate a particular corner of global markets, it is time to buy. But it can be hard to pluck up the courage. 

It is not the first time this year that the power of positioning has been made clear, with the other prime example being Japan. In its quarterly markets review earlier this month, the Bank for International Settlements noted that “concentrated hedge fund positions” played a key role in the speed and size of the Japanese “turbulence” in early August.

Carry trades — selling currencies with low interest rates and buying those with higher rates — were unusually popular with hedgies in the run-up to August’s shake-out, the BIS said. Over the period from 2022, that meant there was a lot of speculative money buying dollars at the expense of yen — a force that helped cram the yen down to its lowest point in decades. Carry trades, and related bets around US stock market volatility, became an unusually weighty influence on hedge fund returns.

At the same time, speculators gravitated towards buying Japanese stocks too. This was all fine until, in early August, it abruptly wasn’t. A scare over US growth that raised expectations of interest rate cuts hit these strategies on several fronts, denting the dollar, particularly against the yen where it was especially stretched, and fuelling volatility in stocks. The exits from this correlated set of trades proved to be crowded on the way out.

Cue an alarming drop in the dollar-yen exchange rate and, on one especially scary Monday, a double-digit decline in the Japanese stock market — the biggest fall since the great crash three decades ago and leaving a shadow over the “buy Japan” thesis that had become popular. “Crowdedness, combined with high leverage, set the stage for the amplification of stress and cross-asset spillovers,” the BIS report said. 

Other examples are easy to find, such as the massive accumulation of bets on US chipmaker Nvidia — a stock that became overcrowded over the summer and shed a third in value in six weeks.

With all that in mind, it is worth looking for the points of greatest consensus among investors now, just in case it makes sense to take the other side. For instance, the same survey from BofA that said China was a contrarian buy also pointed to buying commodities, which investors are avoiding on the greatest scale since 2017.

Thematically, the biggest point of consensus is for a soft landing in the US economy — an expectation held by nearly 80 per cent of fund managers. That many clever people can’t all be wrong about something, right?

katie.martin@ft.com