Signals

UK – Department store group Fenwick and popular high street bakery chain Greggs have collaborated on a Bistro Greggs pop-up restaurant at the Fenwick store in Newcastle, from 1 to 31 December 2023.

Celebrating two powerhouse brands founded in the northeast of England, Bistro Greggs’ Parisian-inspired venue will serve bespoke iterations of Greggs’ favourite menus, paired with Fenwick Food Hall wines and a signature The Pink Jammie Fizz cocktail – inspired by Greggs’ hard-to-resist iconic Pink Jammie doughnut.

The menu – designed by Fenwick executive head chef Mark Reid in collaboration with Greggs – includes items such as a Greggs Festive Bake served with duck-fat roasties, smoked pancetta, chestnuts and sprouts, a Greggs Benedict (Greggs Sausage, Bean and Cheese Melt re-imagined with smoked ham, poached Cacklebean eggs and a velvety Hollandaise sauce), and a Greggs Yum Yum with caramel sauce and macadamia brittle.

In a celebration of humble everyday food, the collaboration uses the cultural hype around Greggs to provide instant credibility and ‘cool’ to Fenwick’s new French-inspired fine dining experience, while simultaneously feeding into Food’s Fashion Strategy, merging fashion and food to attract the attention of a wider audience.

Global – Dr Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, has told Fortune that the economic toll of depression is immense, costing the global economy some £795.4bn ($1 trillion, €925.6bn) annually, which shows the severity of the issue. Furthermore, he highlighted the crucial link between the growing loneliness epidemic and rising depression rates. The World Health Organization estimates that 280m people globally suffer from depression. Murthy urges workplaces to adopt supportive environments to mitigate these mental health issues.

Dr Murthy’s advisory suggests that such environments not only combat loneliness but also enhance employee satisfaction and productivity. This is supported by an Ipsos survey, which found that 88% of US workers reported increased productivity when they felt a sense of belonging, underlining the significant impact of workplace wellbeing on both mental health and economic productivity. This is an important concern that businesses should consider tackling when developing their Work States Futures plans.