Daily Newsletter

15 November 2023

Daily Newsletter

15 November 2023

Signal: major retailers to be hit by pre-Christmas DS Smith LGV driver strike

Major retailers, including Amazon, Cadbury and Haribo and Direct Wines, will be affected by the strikes set to start next week.

Eve Thomas November 14 2023

British and Irish trade union Unite announced last week that DS Smith LGV drivers would be striking from 20-27 November after a 5% pay rise offer was rejected.

DS Smith drivers deliver packaging cardboard and paper to its clients, which include major retailers including Direct Wines, Cadbury, Haribo and Amazon. The strike comes ahead of an expected increase in mail orders for companies during the busy festive season.

The striking drivers are based in Launceston in Cornwall, Sittingbourne in Kent, Avonmouth in Bristol and Tuxford in Nottinghamshire, and are employees of DS Smith Logistics, a subsidiary of DS Smith. In its full-year results published in June, the company reported a 75% increase in pre-tax profits in 2022-23, and adjusted operating profit growth of 35%.

According to GlobalData's jobs analytics database, this growth has been reflected in the company’s hiring trends. There has been a notable overall increase in active roles at the company in the UK, particularly over the 2022-23 period.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “DS Smith profits have shot up in the last year and the company is making an absolute fortune. Meanwhile, its LGV drivers are expected to put up and shut up with a significant real terms pay cut during a cost of living crisis. This is pure greed on the part of the company.

“Our members are absolutely right to strike for a fair pay rise and they will receive Unite’s full support.”

Unite also specified that strike action would intensify throughout December if the dispute was not resolved.

Unite national officer Adrian Jones added: “DS Smith can avoid strike action but for this to happen they must properly engage in negotiations and put forward an acceptable pay offer. DS Smith is certainly not short of profits and can fully afford to pay these workers a fair wage increase that takes into account rising living costs.”

Our signals coverage is powered by GlobalData’s Thematic Engine, which tags millions of data items across six alternative datasets — patents, jobs, deals, company filings, social media mentions and news — to themes, sectors and companies. These signals enhance our predictive capabilities, helping us to identify the most disruptive threats across each of the sectors we cover and the companies best placed to succeed. 

In 2022, flexible packaging was the most used pack material in the global household product packaging industry

The packaging volume in the global household products industry was 199 billion units in 2022, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of >3% by 2027, per GlobalData estimates. Flexible packaging was the most used pack material in 2022 accounting for a share of 68.6%, followed by rigid plastics. Flexible packaging offers ease of use and storage, allowing customers to access and store household and pet care products conveniently. The lightweight nature of flexible packaging reduces transportation costs and increases efficiency throughout the supply chain.

Newsletters by sectors

close

Sign up to the newsletter: In Brief

Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Thank you for subscribing

View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network.

close