Latest news with #Currie
ABC News
a day ago
- General
- ABC News
Churches open doors for homeless as Winter Shelter provides refuge
On a cold and rainy midweek afternoon, the hall at St Stephens Uniting Church in Toowoomba's CBD is a hive of activity. The pews have been stacked to the side, and beds with blankets sit next to a long table lined with cutlery. Every week, volunteers welcome people sleeping rough and give them a meal and a safe, warm place to spend the night. "Then, everything's packed up and the trailers are moved onto the next church, ready for them to provide the accommodation the next night, every night of winter," explained parishioner and venue coordinator Shaaron Currie. It's part of Winter Shelter, a program run by Toowoomba churches to use their facilities to offer a warm place for the garden city's homeless during the coldest months of the year. Nine churches in the city are part of the program. "It's putting my faith into action," Ms Currie said. "It's rewarding, and I see what it does to our volunteers." Her volunteers are like a small army, each doing whatever they can. Other volunteers spend all night in the hall. "There's always something you can do," Ms Currie said. This year, the program has enough resources for 10 "guest" beds. A trailer is parked outside with a washing machine, dryer, and a shower. Winter Shelter doesn't receive any funding, but fundraising has allowed the service to employ a welfare coordinator for the three months of winter. As the welfare coordinator, mental health nurse Katrina Cox spends her time linking guests to medical help and support services. She also liaises with the state housing sector in hopes of finding more permanent accommodation for those in need. "A lot of the guests always say people walk past them, or cross the road when they see them, and don't want to talk to them," Ms Cox said. "It makes them feel like they're invisible. Nobody should feel like that. "I always say, 'When our Father walked the Earth, it wasn't the businessmen that he looked after, it was the people that were doing it tough.'" Every night, guests and volunteers have dinner together. Ms Cox said it was heartening to see "church ladies" sharing a meal with people sleeping rough. "Instead of sitting there with their heads down trying to be invisible, I watch them actually engaging in conversation," she said. "They don't take for granted things we take for granted — like having a warm bed and a blanket that's not getting soaked by the rain." Five years into the program, it's now common for former guests to return as volunteers. Steven Hughes found himself living in his vehicle in 2023 and turned to Winter Shelter when his van was involved in an accident, which meant it had to be at the panel beater for a month. He still remembers the first night he spent in a church hall. "People were fussing over me, and just really wanting to look out for you," he said. Two years on, Mr Hughes is back in the church hall, this time as a volunteer. "You meet some great people that you'll probably be friends with for the rest of your life," he said. "I just wanted to give back because they gave me so much." He now has a home of his own and is grateful for the help he received, but said the help was not one-sided. "Before that, his attitude towards homeless people was, 'Why don't you get off your bum and go and get a job?'" He's got a message for anyone who still might have that same attitude. "Get off their bums themselves, come and volunteer and have an open mind, and then … you'll see what [homelessness] is all about," he said. As dinner is about to be served, another former guest arrives, guitar and amplifier in hand. "Winter Shelter did everything for me. I came every day for three months," Anthony Davidson said. It's the reason he's drawn back to the church hall to help where he can. Tonight, that means dinner is accompanied by power chords. "Rock and roll helps the soul, absolutely!" he laughs. He looks around at his surroundings and is quick to add, "Amen".
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Britain has not reached 'peak Greggs', says bakery chain boss amid fears fat jabs could hit sales
Britain has not reached 'peak Greggs', the boss of the bakery chain insisted yesterday, amid fears Ozempic could suppress appetite for its food. Chief executive Roisin Currie said she has faith in plans to expand to 3,000 shops over the next few years as there are still plenty of areas where it does not have a presence. 'I absolutely don't believe we have reached peak Greggs,' Currie said, adding the business would expand into retail parks and supermarkets. The comments came as Greggs said footfall at its 2,649 shops was hit by 'unusually hot weather' in June, dragging profits down by 14.3 per cent to £63.5million for the first six months of the year. The heatwaves deterred shoppers from buying hot pastries, a spokesman said. Currie said the company has a 'watching brief' on how fat jabs are changing what people buy on-the-go. She said: 'We have to make sure that if you are on one of these drugs, you can still shop at Greggs.' The group has expanded its ranges to include healthier options, the spokesman added.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Has Britain hit peak Greggs? Baker suffers summer sales slump
Greggs has blamed hot weather and weak consumer confidence after the iconic bakery chain revealed a sharp fall in profits in the first half of this year. However, the chain's boss said she remains committed to plans to open 140 to 150 net new stores over the course of 2025. The FTSE 250-listed firm, which flagged a drop in footfall earlier this month, told investors a 'challenging start to 2025' had seen Greggs struggle against 'snow and strong winds in January and unusually hot weather in June'. Greggs said the weather had a 'material impact on consumer behaviour' and sales, which inched 2.6 per cent higher on a like-for-like basis over the period. Total sales were up 7 per cent to just over £1billion thanks to new store openings, but the 'phasing of cost headwinds' contributed to a 14.3 per cent fall in pre-tax profits to £63.5million. Boss Roisin Currie said: 'After a challenging start to 2025 we remain clear on the strategic opportunities that lie ahead. 'Through our disciplined estate expansion and focus on innovation, Greggs is evolving its offer further and making the brand more convenient for a wider range of customers. 'The outlook for cost inflation is unchanged and we are making great progress in building the supply chain infrastructure that will support the next phase of growth.' Are even more stores the answer? Greggs opened 87 new stores over the first half but also shut 56, bringing the total size of its estate to 2,649 shops and keeping it on track for 140 to 150 net new openings over the whole year. Currie told the PA news agency Greggs can expand to 'significantly more than 3,000' sites across the UK. Greggs shares were down 5.1 per cent to 1,556.01p in early trading on Tuesday, bringing losses since the start of the year to around 45 per cent. Recent weakness is a reversal of Greggs' performance over recent years, as the group's profits continued to beat expectations. Its shares had added almost 150 per cent between their Covid-era low and the end of last year. Robinhood UK lead analyst Dan Lane said: 'Greggs isn't the plucky market darling anymore and today's results show how hard it is to keep up with the boomtime years. 'Slowing sales growth and noticeable profit drops are a real issue but as much as Greggs talks about expansion, that's not a sure-fire way to course correct.' He added that Greggs' UK footprint 'already serves vast swathes of the country' so more stores 'won't necessarily unlock underserved customer appetites'. Zoe Gillespie, wealth manager at RBC Brewin Dolphin, said: 'This will do little to address fears the UK has hit "peak Greggs", but the company has been through significant challenges before and come through stronger on the other side. 'Sales are still heading in a positive direction, the store estate is expanding, and the commitment to innovation is delivering popular new products. 'Greggs also has plenty of cash to deploy and drive its investment programme forward.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Greggs to target customers on weight-loss drugs
Greggs is to target customers on weight-loss drugs by rolling out smaller portions and protein-rich alternatives as it battles a slowdown in sales. Roisin Currie, the chief executive, said there was 'no doubt' that the injections were changing 'what and how' people eat, and that the bakery chain was looking at adapting its range to suit these customers. It came as shares in Greggs plunged to their lowest level since the pandemic after it said weaker demand for its sausage rolls and other baked goods dealt a £10m blow to profits. Ms Currie said: 'If anyone is on a GLP-1 [weight-loss drug], we know they still need to eat, but what they need to eat starts to change and the portions that they start to eat are changing. 'That's really important for us and making sure that we have got a variety of protein-led options in our range, and also making sure that we've got some of the snack products that customers are looking for if they are on any of the GLP-1 drugs.'
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Britain has not hit peak Greggs, CEO says
LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) - British baker and fast food chain Greggs (GRG.L), opens new tab is keeping its foot on the pedal in an expansion drive, despite a slowdown in sales growth that dragged down first-half profit by 14%, its boss said on Tuesday. Greggs, known for sausage rolls, steak bakes, vegan alternatives and sweet treats, has more stores than McDonald's (MCD.N), opens new tab in Britain and opened a net 31 new stores over its first half to June 28, taking the total to 2,649. It said it was on track to open 140 to 150 new shops in 2025, saw an opportunity for "significantly more" than 3,000 shops over the longer term and ultimately saw scope for more than 4,500. However, like-for-like sales growth slowed to 2.6% in the first half versus 5.5% in 2024, which Greggs partly blamed on June's heatwave, prompting some investors to reportedly call for expansion to be slowed. "I completely do not believe we've reached peak Greggs," CEO Roisin Currie told Reuters in an interview. "There are still significant parts of the UK where you cannot access a Greggs," she said, adding that it was underrepresented in retail parks, supermarkets, roadside and transport locations. Shares in Greggs were down 4.5%, extending 2025 losses to 44%. Despite the slump, Currie, CEO since 2022, said she did not believe her job was under threat. "I'm not responsible for the share price," she said. "My job is to make sure that we continue to take every opportunity and make strategic progress." Greggs made a pretax profit of 63.5 million pounds ($84.8 million) in the six months to June 28, on total sales up 7.0% at 1.03 billion pounds, boosted by new store openings. This month, Greggs warned full year profit "could be modestly below" 2024 levels after underlying sales growth slowed in a June heatwave that boosted demand for cold drinks but reduced overall shopper numbers. Greggs' growth is also being supported by the expansion of its menu, longer opening hours into the evening, increased delivery sales through Just Eat and Uber Eats and loyalty building through the Greggs App. ($1=0.7492 pounds)
