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Delivery riders are to strike again on Friday as takeaway order numbers fell during the Valentine’s Day walkout.

There were roughly 30% fewer orders in London during the strike period last Wednesday than the same 5pm to 10pm hours on Valentine’s Day in 2022 and 2023, according to delivery rider app, Rodeo.

Across the UK the fall was 10% to 20% of normal volumes.

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Rodeo expected 750,000 to 1 million orders would have taken place across the UK throughout the five Valentine’s Day hours.

The sum is based on the 10 to 15 million average number of takeaway orders a week in the UK and Ireland, taken from delivery company results as well as previous Valentine’s Day order data.

Data from 5,000 to 10,000 delivery riders using Just Eat, Uber Eats and Stuart was used to generate this data.

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The app allows riders to track their earnings, communicate with other couriers, and see which apps, areas and times are busiest.

While Deliveroo is not included on Rodeo, the Rodeo co-founder told Sky News there’s no reason to believe the effect wasn’t consistent across delivery platforms.

Deliveroo said “Rodeo does not have any access to Deliveroo data and therefore it is misleading to suggest any read across to our business. Every single one of these data points is incorrect for Deliveroo”.

A Just Eat spokesperson said: “Just Eat disputes the claims.”

It’s understood the majority of restaurants using Just Eat have their own delivery couriers, which protects the platform from the effect of rider stoppages.

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Delivery drivers

Delivery riders typically work across platforms, delivering for more than one company at a time.

In advance of the stoppage last Wednesday Deliveroo contacted restaurants in areas it expected to be impacted and suggested they stop accepting orders if they begin to stack up, and switch delivery terminals to offline mode “to avoid a negative customer experience”.

The email, seen by Sky News, said restaurants will not be charged commission for cancelling deliveries and that Deliveroo will proactively cancel orders that are more than 45 minutes late en route to customers.

Strikes are again taking place between 5pm and 10pm on Friday 22 February as riders, organised by the Delivery Jobs UK group, say pay has fallen and they have to work longer hours for less money.

That work is often done in dangerous environments and wet and windy weather. Riders can deal with drunk people, bike thefts and racism on the job, a Delivery Jobs UK spokesperson told Sky News.

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Delivery rider on why he’s striking

Strikes are to continue if demands for a £5 minimum fee per delivery, compensation for the time it takes to get to the pick-up point, and increased pay when delivering more than one order from a given outlet are not met.

In response, Just Eat also said: “Our data shows that couriers delivering for Just Eat earn, on average, significantly over both the London and national living wage for the time they are on an order.

“We provide a highly competitive base rate to self-employed couriers and have a good relationship with the vast majority of couriers across our network. In addition, we offer regular incentives to help them maximise their earnings and continue to review our pay structure regularly.”

A Deliveroo spokesperson also said: “Thousands of people apply to work with Deliveroo each month, rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.

“We value dialogue with riders, which is why we have a voluntary partnership agreement with a trade union”.

A Stuart spokesperson commented: “We worked closely with clients to minimise disruption during the impacted period, and will continue to do so for any future instances.

“Stuart remains committed to providing competitive earnings opportunities for courier partners and delivering a courier-centric platform.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose, something we know the vast majority of couriers value.

“Couriers are also covered by our partner protection programme that provides insurance if they are injured whilst working and income protection if they are sick and not able to work, and we and we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience.”

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M&S tells agency workers to stay at home after cyberattack

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M&S tells agency workers to stay at home after cyberattack

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has ordered hundreds of agency workers at its main distribution centre to stay at home as it grapples with the unfolding impact of a cyberattack on Britain’s best-known retailer.

Sky News has learnt that roughly 200 people who had been due to undertake shift work at M&S’s vast Castle Donington clothing and homewares logistics centre in the East Midlands have been told not to come in amid the escalating crisis.

Agency staff make up about 20% of Castle Donington’s workforce, according to a source close to M&S.

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The retailer’s own employees who work at the site have been told to come in as usual, the source added.

“There is work for them to do,” they said.

M&S disclosed last week that it was suspending online orders as a result of the cyberattack, but has provided few other details about the nature and extent of the incident.

In its latest update to investors, the company said on Friday that its product range was “available to browse online, and our stores remain open and ready to welcome and serve customers”.

“We continue to manage the incident proactively and the M&S team – supported by leading experts – is working extremely hard to restore online operations and continue to serve customers well,” it added.

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It was unclear on Monday how long the disruption to M&S’s e-commerce operations would last, although retail executives said the cyberattack was “extensive” and that it could take the company some time to fully resolve its impact.

Shares in M&S slid a further 2.4% on Monday morning, following a sharp fall last week, as investors reacted to the absence of positive news about the incident.

M&S declined to comment further.

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Deliveroo shares surge 17% as £2.7bn takeover looms

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Deliveroo shares surge 17% as £2.7bn takeover looms

Shares in meal delivery platform Deliveroo have surged by 17% as investors react to news of a £2.7bn takeover proposal.

The company revealed after the market had closed on Friday that it had been in talks since 5 April with US rival DoorDash.

Deliveroo suggested then it was likely the 180p per share offer would be recommended, though full terms were yet to be agreed.

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At that price, the company’s founder and chief executive, Will Shu, would be in line for a windfall of more than £170m.

Deliveroo further announced, before trading on Monday, that it had suspended its £100m share buyback programme.

The opening share price reaction took the value to 171p per share – still shy of the 180p on the table – and well under the 390p per share flotation price seen in 2021.

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Deliveroo’s shares have weakened nearly 50% since their market debut.

The deal is not expected to face regulatory hurdles as it provides DoorDash access to 10 new markets where it currently has no presence.

But a takeover would likely represent a blow to the City of London given the anticipated loss of a tech-focused player.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “If the deal is done at that price, the company will fail to shake off the ‘Floperoo’ tag it was saddled with after its disastrous IPO debut in 2021.

“Even though Deliveroo has finally broken through into profitable territory, the prolonged bout of indigestion around its share price has continued.

“The surge in demand for home deliveries during the pandemic waned just as competition heated up. Deliveroo’s foray into grocery deliveries has helped it turn a profit but it’s still facing fierce rivals.”

She added: “The DoorDash Deliveroo deal will be unappetising for the government which has been trying to boost the number of tech companies listed in London.

“If Deliveroo is purchased it would join a stream of companies leaving the London Stock Exchange, with too few IPOs [initial public offerings] in the pipeline to make up the numbers.”

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US trade deal ‘possible’ but not ‘certain’, says senior minister

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US trade deal 'possible' but not 'certain', says senior minister

A trade deal with the US is “possible” but not “certain”, a senior minister has said as he struck a cautious tone about negotiations with the White House.

Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips there was “a serious level of engagement going on at high levels” to secure a UK-US trade deal.

However, Mr McFadden, a key ally of Sir Keir Starmer, struck a more cautious tone than Chancellor Rachel Reeves on the prospect of a US trade deal, saying: “I think an agreement is possible – I don’t think it’s certain, and I don’t want to say it’s certain, but I think it’s possible.”

He went on to say the government wanted an “agreement in the UK’s interests” and not a “hasty deal”, amid fears from critics that Number 10 could acquiesce a deal that lowers food standards, for example, or changes certain taxes in a bid to persuade Donald Trump to lower some of the tariffs that have been placed on British goods.

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And asked about the timing of the deal – following recent reports an agreement was imminent – Mr McFadden said: “We’ll keep working with the United States and keep trying to get to an agreement in the coming weeks.”

As well as talks with the US, the UK has also ramped up its efforts with the EU, with suggestions it could include a new EU youth mobility scheme that would allow under-30s from the bloc to live, work and study in the UK and vice versa.

Mr McFadden said he believed the government could “improve upon” the Brexit deal struck by Boris Johnson, saying it had caused “an awful lot of bureaucracy and costs here in the UK”.

He said “first and foremost” on the government’s agenda was securing a food and agriculture and a veterinary agreement, saying it was “such an important area for the UK and an area where we’ve had so much extra cost and bureaucracy because of Brexit”.

He added: “But again, as with the United States, there’s no point in calling the game before it’s done. We’ve still got work to do, and we’re doing that work with our partners in the EU.”

The Cabinet Office minister also rejected suggestions the UK would have to choose between pursuing a trade deal with the US and one with the EU – the latter of which has banned chlorinated chicken in its markets – as has the UK – but which the US has historically wanted.

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On the issue of chlorinated chicken, Mr McFadden said the government had “made clear we will not water down animal welfare standards with either party”.

“But I don’t agree that it’s some fundamental choice beyond where we have to pick one trading partner rather than another. I think that’s to misunderstand the nature of the UK economy, and I don’t think would be in our interests to put all our eggs in one basket.”

Also speaking to Trevor Phillips was Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who said the government should be close to closing the deal with the US “because we got very close last time President Trump was in office”.

She also insisted food standards should not be watered down in order to get a deal, saying she did not reach an agreement with Canada when she was in government for that reason.

“What Labour needs to do now is show that they can get a deal that isn’t making concessions, so we can have what we had last month before the trade tariffs, and we need serious people doing this,” she said.

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