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Virgin Media O2 pledges to waive EU roaming charges

Virgin Media O2 customers won’t face mobile data roaming charges when traveling in the EU, despite rivals Vodafone, EE and Three who have confirmed they will reintroduce charges.

This means Virgin Media O2 customers traveling in Europe will be able to use their mobile data and make calls and texts on their UK mobile plan.

This was the case before Brexit, when UK consumers could use data and make calls on the terms of their UK mobile plan across the EU. However, the post-Brexit EU trade deal of December 2020 gave telecoms companies the option to reintroduce fees.

Gareth Turpin, chief commercial officer of Virgin Media O2, said the company wanted to start the year by giving customers some certainty, adding less to worry about.

The telecommunications group told the BBC the move would represent an average saving of £ 100 for a family of four traveling abroad for two weeks, based on an analysis of tariffs from other providers.

Virgin Media’s O2 move comes as holiday bookings surged last week following the announcement of relaxed testing rules, with Jet2 reporting demand was returning to “around pre-Covid levels” and EasyJet was seeing bookings increase by almost 200%.

Unlike Virgin Media O2, other mobile operators are set to restore roaming charges in the EU. Vodafone is expected to reintroduce the fees at the end of the month, while EE will roll out the fees in March and Three will do so in May. However, these operators do offer offers for customers who upgrade or renew their contract, as well as the possibility of purchasing “roaming passes”.

READ MORE: Virgin and O2 users will not be subject to EU roaming charges

Morrisons Takes ‘Bold Step’ to Eliminate Best Before Dates on Own-Label Milk

Morrisons is removing expiration dates from its own branded milk in an effort to reduce waste, a move the brand describes as a “bold step.”

From the end of the month, the supermarket will put ‘best before’ on 90% of its own brand milk and encourage customers to use a sniff test to check quality, reports the BBC.

Morrisons is hoping the move could save 7 million quarts of his own-brand milk dumped each year, following the decision to remove expiration dates on some of its own-brand yogurts and hard cheeses.

The retailer explains that while the dates on the milk will remain the same, it is asking customers to change their behavior, adding that well-stored milk should be used and not “spilled in the sink.”

“We’re taking a bold step today and asking customers to decide if their milk is still safe to drink,” says Ian Goode, Senior Milk Buyer at Morrisons. “Generations before us have always used the sniffle test – and I think we can too.”

The response from across the industry has been positive, with Marcus Gover of the Wrap Food Waste Charity, describing Morrisons’ move as a display of “real leadership.”

READ MORE: Morrisons drops expiration date on milk in favor of sniff test

Virgin Active loses more than 200,000 customers amid fight against Covid

Virgin Active admits it will take “time” to rebuild its customer base in the face of the impact of Covid-19, as the gym group has seen its workforce worldwide drop from 1.16 million to 931,000 in 2020.

The company’s network of 40 UK gyms was closed for five months from March to July 2020 and then again during the second nationwide lockdown in November 2020, leading to a 31% drop in memberships, reports the Times. Virgin Active Gyms were then closed in Level 4 locations in December 2020 and January through April 2021.

The brand admits that the closure of its gyms had an “immediate negative financial impact” as during the lockdown customers ended their contracts and no new memberships were sold.

The company fell to a loss of almost £ 600million in 2020, with revenue down 59% year-on-year in the UK alone. The wider Virgin Active group, covering 238 fitness clubs across Europe, Asia and South Africa, saw revenue drop 51% to £ 295.9million. The company recorded a pre-tax loss of £ 583.7million in its full accounts as of December 31, 2020.

In the latest accounts posted on Companies House, Virgin Active says it is focusing on “group exercise innovation” and improving the product proposition through a “broad program” of renovation, covering new amenities, refurbished cafes, modernized studios and redesigned spaces to reflect “modern training habits”.

Praising the benefits of its “global scale”, Virgin Active says innovation is in its brand’s DNA and the company has “a solid track record” of delivering “unique products” to its members.

The gym group has been feeling the effects of the pandemic for over a year. In March 2021, Virgin Active began talks over the £ 70million restructuring of its UK gyms in hopes of avoiding administration.

READ MORE: Virgin Active floored by Covid pandemic (£)

The BBC’s Green Planet takes control of Green Park tube station

To mark the launch last night (January 9) of Sir David Attenborough’s new series The Green Planet, BBC Creative has taken over London’s Green Park tube station to immerse commuters into the incredible world of plants.

BBC Creative, the BBC’s in-house creative agency, has renamed part of the station “Green Planet”, with the aim of creating an immersive experience for passengers showcasing a wide range of plants.

The ‘Welcome to Their World’ campaign sees every display space on the platform of the Victoria Line heading south at Green Park Station transformed with images of plants featured in the series, from carnivorous underwater life forms to desert humanoid cacti.

Drawing inspiration from sci-fi movies, each poster focuses on a single plant species and is designed to resemble portraits of bizarre otherworldly creatures, says design director Johnny Ace, who describes the takeover of Green Park as “one of the BBC’s most ambitious projects. Creative never set out.

The posters are accompanied by two digital screens, which show the series trailer in five parts. The Green Park takeover also sees the platform’s signage changed to “Green Planet” to reflect the temporary new name of this metro station.

“Our goal for Welcome to Their World was to present the most otherworldly plant life from the series in the most immersive way possible. Creative Creative Leader, Stuart Gittings.

The BBC’s creative team have a habit of producing outdoor campaigns to promote major BBC programs, such as the special version of the Dracula series in 2020, which used shadow art to create a silhouette of the face of the vampire who appeared after dark. The team also developed a design that appeared to show “fire” posters to promote David Attenborough’s natural history series A Perfect Planet and the BBC’s “Our Planet Now” initiative.

Arsenal and Adidas team up for campaign against knife crime

Arsenal kicked off their FA Cup meeting with Nottingham Forest last night (January 9) in an all-white kit designed to raise awareness about youth violence and knife crime.

The Premier League club have collaborated with Adidas on the kit, which sees Arsenal removing all elements of the red color from their squad.

The single all-white stripe is part of the launch of the club’s ‘No More Red’ anti-knife crime initiative, building on Arsenal’s community outreach work to create safe spaces to play football.

Fans cannot purchase the kits, which will be donated to people or organizations making a positive difference in the community. One such organization is the Don’t Stab Your Future initiative, which uses fashion to support those working to keep children away from crime, Sky Sports reports.

The decision to wear the all-white stripe follows news last week that London has a record 30 teenage felony deaths in 2021.

The campaign is supported by actor Idris Elba and former Arsenal star Ian Wright.

“Staying safe is only part of the story, No More Red also offers educational opportunities that help individuals make better, informed choices about their future,” said Freddie Hudson, Arsenal community manager.

“It also sends a broader message that by pursuing your talent and focusing on aspirations and positive influences, there are alternatives.”

READ MORE: Arsenal to remove red from shirt and play all-white in FA Cup as part of Adidas anti-knife crime collaboration