NEWS
12 ASIAN TRADER 17 OCTOBER 2025
An agreement struck between
Britain and the EU in May to
reduce friction on the trade of
agricultural produce could be
implemented within a year
with “good political will,” EU
trade chief Maros Sefcovic told a
conference on Thursday.
Sefcovic was responding to a
question by the Ireland and NI
head of Marks & Spencer’s, who
called for speedy adoption,
citing persistent challenges to
its Irish operations impacting
the retailer’s confidence to
invest there.
May’s sanitary and phy
tosanitary (SPS) deal, part of a
wider reset in UK-EU relations,
will reduce paperwork and
remove routine border checks
on plant and animal products
moving between the UK and
EU, while maintaining high
food standards.
The deal is yet to be imple
mented as details are still being
negotiated.
“Based on the trust we have
rebuilt over the last years, I’m
convinced that we can proceed
with the SPS negotiations very
quickly. We are now very well
advanced in getting the
mandate from the member
states to do that” said.
“Probably the most optimis
tic assessment would be that we
can, we can do it in less than a
year, if there is a good political
will.”
While a separate 2023 deal
covering trade between Britain
and Northern Ireland has been a
“game changer” for M&S,
importing food into EU-mem
ber Ireland remains very, very
complex, adding substantial
costs, cutting the product range
and leading to higher food
waste, the country head Eddie
Murphy said.
“We could fill Croke Park
with all the paper we’ve been
filling in,” Murphy said,
referring to the 82,000-seat
Dublin stadium.
UK and EU close to inking agreement to cut import-export red tape
Food trade deal to be implemented
Food trade deal to be implemented
within a year – EU trade chief
within a year – EU trade chief
The Bestway Group has
reinforced its legacy of
giving, raising millions for
charities through its
flagship Ascot Race Day
The Bestway Foundation,
the charitable arm of
Bestway Group, has donated
£250,000 to the British
Asian Trust, further
cementing Bestway’s
reputation as one of the UK’s
most philanthropic business
groups.
The donation was
presented at Bestway Group’s
Head Office in Park Royal,
London, by The Lord
Choudrey CBE SI Pk,
Chairman of Bestway Group,
alongside members of the
Bestway Board including
Group Chief Executive, The
Honourable Haider
Choudrey, and Dawood
Pervez Managing Director,
Bestway Wholesale Limited.
The funds were raised at
Bestway’s 32nd annual Ascot
Charity Race Day – one of
the UK’s most successful
corporate charity events.
Since 1994, the Race Day
has raised millions of
pounds for more than 30
charities, supported by over
800 of Bestway’s business
partners, suppliers and
colleagues each year.
Founded by His Majesty
King Charles III in 2007, the
British Asian Trust is a
diaspora-led international
development organisation. It
focuses on creating large-
scale, sustainable change
across South Asia in areas
such as education and
livelihoods.
Bestway Foundation £250,000
donation to British Asian Trust
Co-op holds firm after
Co-op holds firm after
cyberattack
cyberattack
Co-op has reported a £206m revenue
hit from a major cyberattack in the
first half of 2025, with profitability
also dented by around £80m. The
group said its strong balance sheet
enabled it to keep investing in
growth.
Group revenue for the 26 weeks to
5 July 2025 came in at £5.48bn, down
2.1% year on year from £5.60bn.
Excluding the cyber impact, revenues
would have risen 1.5%.
“Our balance sheet strength and
the magnificent response of our
53,000 colleagues enabled us to
maintain vital services,” chair Debbie
White said.
Allwyn scoops Snappy
Allwyn scoops Snappy
Shopper award
Shopper award
Allwyn, operator of The National
Lottery, won “Brand Campaign of the
Year” at the Snappy Shopper Summit,
held in Glasgow.
The award was in recognition of
Allwyn’s National Lottery Scratch
cards campaign for Father’s Day. This
featured across a suite of Snappy
Shopper assets and promoted
Father’s Day Gifting to home delivery
customers – achieving a 47% increase
in sales.
This concept will now be
replicated for future seasonal gifting
opportunities. The accolade comes
as nearly 200 independent National
Lottery retailers are now selling
Scratchcards online through the
Snappy Shopper platform.
Vodka ad pulled for
Vodka ad pulled for
targeting minors
targeting minors
TikTok and Facebook posts for vodka
brand Au Vodka ad have been banned
by the UK’s advertising regulator for
targeting under-age teenagers.
The Advertising Standards
Authority (ASA) investigated a
complaint about the ad, claiming it
was inappropriately aimed at people
under 18.
Under advertising rules, ads for
alcoholic drinks must not be directed
at people if more than 25% of the
audience is under 18.
Further, people shown drinking or
playing a significant role in ads for
alcoholic drinks must not seem to be,
under 25.