QUALITY Street is making a permanent change to two flavors in its iconic chocolate cubes.

The treats are a favorite among the British, so any change is sure to please and disappoint some fans.

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In October, Quality Street changed the shape of both The Purple One and Orange Crunch candies.

Now Nestle has confirmed that the move will be permanent and that shoppers will now see them in tubs and cartons of chocolate milk.

shapeshifter

It means both flavors will be in the form of the Caramel Swirl – another popular choice for Quality Street fans.

The chocolate has a more round shape and functions a swirled pattern on top.

The Orange Crunch has also permanently switched from foil packaging to paper packaging.

But don’t worry, the recipe for the chocolate milk has not changed.

Both treats are still in the purple or orange packaging, so choc fans can tell which is which.

They won’t replace the caramel crunch, so if that’s your favorite, don’t worry.

The price of tubs containing the newly formed candies will remain the same.

‘Beloved sweets’

It comes after a successful trial in late 2023, which saw The Purple One released in a small number of The Purple One Bags.

Some chocolate fans may have also noticed the new Orange Crunch in a limited number of tubs, boxes and tins in the run-up to Christmas.

Jemma Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Quality Street, said: “Following a successful trial at Christmas, we will be rolling out new shapes for two of our much-loved sweets on a permanent basis.

“We know how iconic Quality Street sweets are and we’ve put a lot of care and attention into making sure they’re the same great-tasting The Purple One and Orange Crunch that people know and love in their iconic colored wrappers.”

The plot chickens…

This year, Nestle is also venturing into Easter and offering its Quality Street Golden Collection Incredible Egg.

An eagle-eyed shopper spotted it in B&M and posted it on social media, with one user saying: “I know which egg I want!”

The egg combines fudge and caramel pieces in a milk chocolate caramel flavor shell.

Plus, you can also get a pack of Quality Street caramels, fudge and toffees.

The Quality Street egg costs £12 in B&M, but it’s not listed online so you’ll have to head to the shops.

It follows an eventful Christmas for chocolate milk fans.

After a successful trial at Christmas, we are permanently rolling out new molds for two of our beloved sweets

Jemma HandleySenior Brand Manager for Quality Street

John Lewis brought back its pick ‘n’ mix stands, much to the delight of shoppers.

In addition, Nestle launched a new chocolate bar that combines two iconic Quality Street flavors: the Purple One and the Green Triangle.

The chocolatier also revealed that the Coffee Creme flavor made a welcome return at Christmas.

The popular brand will ditch its iconic glossy wrapping paper in 2022 in a move to become more eco-friendly.

What other foods are on the shelves?

In addition to the permanent change to Quality Street chocolate milk, there are still a number of food items on the shelves.

Australian favourites

An iconic chocolate biscuit branded “Aussie gold” has been launched in British supermarkets for the first time.

Chocolate fans are rejoicing because Tim Tams are finally on sale nationwide.

It’s not the first time British consumers have loved Australian snacks they’ve seen on the shelves.

In November they went all out on a Cadbury selection box full of Australian chocolate favorites not normally available in the UK.

They include Dairy Milk white chocolate Freddos, Scorched Peanut Bars, Snickers Butterscotch, Caramilk Twirls and regular Dairy Milk milk chocolate bars.

B&M bargains

Earlier this year, others shouted “It’s a party in my mouth” when B&M rolled out a new M&M flavor normally only seen in the land below.

The retailer is stocking a Mocha Mudcake version of the classic snack after launching it in July last year.

Now the quirky flavor has made its way to B&M, and shoppers are keen to take advantage of it.

Instagram page Newfoodfindsuk posted a photo of the 130 gram bag of candy online and almost 150 people liked the post.

Cadbury Twirl Bites in Caramilk and Strawberry were also launched last year.

Eagle-eyed foodies spotted the treats, titled “Aus Twirl” in B&M.

‘Nostaglic’ snacks

Retro food fans will also be happy to know that some of their favorite “nostalgic” snacks are back on the shelves.

Most people have a favorite chocolate bar or crunchy flavor they’d like to see again – and we can now reveal a few that do.

Aldi made biscuit lovers’ dreams come true when it revealed it would be bringing back the much-loved Elkes Sports Shortcake biscuits.

Cadbury’s iconic gold coins returned to supermarket shelves last September.

Nestle brought back a Quality Street fan favorite for Christmas last year.

The Hazelnut KitKat Chunky is back on the shelves after three years and shoppers can’t get enough of it.

More Moorish Morrisons

In addition, Morrisons began stocking Marmite crisps in February this year, after Walkers announced it would be discontinuing the flavour.

Cookie lovers rejoiced at the return of the McVities white chocolate cookie after nearly 20 years.

The tea break favorite was last on shelves in 2005 as a limited edition and made its return in July last year.

Elsewhere, Happy Faces were axed around 2015 and spotted back on shelves last year.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing squeezeteam@thesun.co.uk.

Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.

BOOT shoppers are say goodbye to even more branches from the health and beauty giant while still dealing with a wave of closures.

Boots is one of many high street retailers set to close their doors permanently before March 31.

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Boots is closing a total of nine sites this month as part of wider plans to get rid of 300 sites.

This will reduce the retailer’s total number of stores from 2,200 to 1,900.

The health and beauty chain has said that where stores close, there is an alternative store less than three miles away.

Now Rainham in Kent will close on March 20, while Castlecroft in Wolverhampton will close on March 21.

On March 23, shoppers will say goodbye to the Rhos on Sea store in Wales.

North Kenton, Newcastle recently closed, along with Welwyn Garden City and the East Parade store, Heworth, York.

The branch in Pool, Redruth, Cornwall closed at the start of this month.

Shoppers have reacted to the news with dismay on social media.

One user said: “I hardly ever go to Boots or the city these days but it’s sad to see it end like this!”

Another wrote: “The big pharmacies have lost so much turnover to the likes of Pharmacy 2U that this is no surprise at all. Soon you won’t have anywhere to go to pick up the medicines you need that day, antibiotics etc.”

More than twenty branches have closed since last year, including in Leicester, York, Plymouth and Exeter.

Boots last closed more than 200 stores for 18 months in 2019.

This resulted in around eight per cent of Boots high street stores being closed.

Many stores closed because they were loss-making and two-thirds of the stores were within walking distance of each other.

In 2020, Boots announced that 48 opticians would close, causing the loss of 4,000 jobs.

They said the decision to close stores was not taken lightly.

Here’s the full list of stores closing this year.

According to the latest research by the Local Data Company and accounting firm PwC, approximately fourteen points of sale were lost every day by 2023.

Even more have closed – a total of 39 stores per day – but it is estimated that another 25 stores will open their doors for the first time, meaning fewer stores have been lost overall.

According to the research, companies that have fallen into administration as more and more businesses switch to online are causing the losses.

There were a total of 14,081 store closures in 2023, up from 11,530 in 2022.

The rising cost of living has made households much more careful with their spending.

Due to a change in purchasing behavior, more and more people have started shopping online.

At the same time, higher energy and housing costs have put further pressure on the retail sector.

And it’s not just shops that are closing, pubs, cafes and restaurants are also closing.

Coffee lovers also said goodbye to more branches of a major chain.

Costa Coffee, which has more than 2,000 locations, said it will close two more of its cafes.

The coffee giant said it would close its store on Chiswick High Road on February 6.

The nearest Costa Coffee for locals is now King’s Street in Hammersmith.

However, it doesn’t look like the city will be without a coffee hit for long. Local media reports that two new coffee shops will soon open in Chiswick.

Meanwhile, Costa Coffee at Bruntsfield Place in Edinburgh served its last latte on February 14.

The big favorite has already closed the doors of dozens of locations in recent months.

Costa says it regularly reviews its stores in the UK to ensure it is suitable for its communities and teams.

This includes the closure or renovation of existing stores, or the opening of new stores.

The following locations have already closed in the past year, although a few will return to their local areas.

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In view of the protest march, Noida police on Thursday warned commuters about the possibility of traffic slowdown on the Noida-Delhi routes.

Farmers’ protest Latest update: Massive traffic jams are expected in Delhi, Noida and also on the Yamuna Expressway as farmers called for a Mahapanchayat in the national capital on Thursday. The farmers allied under BKU’s Tikait faction said they will join Sanyukt Kisan Morcha’s protest march in cars, buses and tractor-trolleys, creating possibilities of traffic jams on Noida and Yamuna highways on weekdays.

Ahead of the protest march, the Delhi-UP and Delhi-Haryana borders have seen significant police barricades and police have also beefed up security along the borders.

In view of the protest march, Noida police on Thursday warned commuters about the possibility of traffic slowdown on the Noida-Delhi routes.

Check diversions in Noida

Gautam Buddh Nagar police said diversions may be put in place on routes in Noida near Delhi borders, where “intensive” checks of vehicles would be carried out before allowing them passage to the national capital.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmer groups, has announced to hold a ‘Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat’ at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan where a resolution would be passed to “intensify the fight” against the central government’s policies. Farmer groups from western Uttar Pradesh are also likely to participate in the programme.

Farmers’ rally allowed in Delhi

The Delhi Police has also given permission to the farmers’ congregation on the condition that the rally will not have more than 5,000 participants and no tractor trolleys will be allowed near the venue, officials said.

“The general public is informed that a protest by farmers against their demands is proposed on Thursday,” police said here.

“During this programme, intensive monitoring will be carried out by Delhi Police and Gautam Buddh Nagar Police by installing barriers at all borders between Noida and Delhi, which in case of increase in traffic on the routes from Gautam Buddh Nagar-Delhi border, traffic may be diverted as per requirement,” the report said.

“In case of traffic disruption, please contact the traffic helpline number 9971009001. Use alternate routes to avoid inconvenience,” police warned commuters.

Delhi Police issues traffic advisory

The Delhi Police has also issued a traffic advisory, urging commuters to avoid roads leading to central Delhi.

By Freddy Pawle for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 6:20 AM EDT, March 10, 2024 | Updated: 6:46 AM EDT, March 10, 2024

VODAFONE has officially retired its 3G network as part of a UK effort to clear the airwaves for more advanced 4G and 5G services.

The switch-off follows months of warnings from network providers and the UK government that 3G will no longer be available after 2033.

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While each network provider had their own timelines for a switch-off, Vodafone today said goodbye to 3G together with EE.

Vodafone, like other providers, had dismantled its 3G network in phases in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This is to ensure that no one is faced with any surprises.

Three expect to switch off their own 3G services by the end of 2024.

While O2 will follow suit in 2025.

Stronger 4G and 5G services mean customers in more rural parts of the UK have access to faster data services and clearer voice calls.

The switch-off is also part of Vodafone’s Net Zero by 2027 strategy, as modern 5G networks are more energy efficient than the 3G network.

A study published last month by Opinium on behalf of USwitch warned that up to 2.7 million Britons could be “without access” to mobile data if they don’t upgrade their device.

This is despite the various awareness campaigns led by charities and networks themselves to help vulnerable customers with the transition.

Vodafone is running an ongoing customer awareness campaign, which it launched in January 2022, warning of the lockdown and offering advice on how to access 4G instead.

The switch-off of 3G goes hand in hand with Vodafone expanding its 4G coverage to more rural parts of Britain through the government’s £1 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.

“Now that the shutdown is complete, we can start to redeploy the remaining spectrum, which will ultimately lead to stronger and faster 4G and 5G in the UK,” Andrea Dona, Vodafone’s UK Network Director, said in the announcement.

Will I be affected?

Last year, EE revealed to The Sun some of the most popular 3G-only smartphones:

• Doro 6520, Doro 6521, Doro 6620
• Apple iPhone 4S
• TCL 1C
• Nokia-301
• Apple iPhone 4
• NokiaC2-01
• HMD 3310
• Samsung Galaxy Ace
• Samsung Galaxy s3 mini
• TCL Pixi4

If your phone can use 4G or 5G services, you won’t be affected by the shutdown.

Follow these steps to check if your phone is 4G compatible.

If you have an iPhone, simply follow these steps:

• Go to Institutions > General > Mobile.
• Here if you see it Enable 4G LTE option, your phone is 4G compatible.
• You can select this option to enable 4G.

For Android users, follow this:

• Go to Institutions > Mobile networks > Network mode.
• Here you will see if your phone has the option to select a 4G/LTE mode.
• If the mode is listed, your phone is 4G capable.

By Pranav Harish for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 08:36 EST, February 27, 2024 | Updated: 08:41 EST, February 27, 2024

EE owner BT has said goodbye to 3G for good after switching off the latter site.

For anyone still using an older phone, this may mean you have to upgrade to continue receiving any coverage – see the full list further down.

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Britain’s network providers have been working to switch off slow 3G to make room for more 4G and 5G technology.

BT has revealed that its last 3G site in Belfast closed last week.

The company has retired the technology from more than 18,000 mobile sites since last year.

It means that older smartphones that only have 3G will now lose the ability to go online with their data – although the 3G network had become so slow and limited that even accessing something as basic as WhatsApp was a problem.

Affected devices will still be able to call and text on the old 2G network, which won’t be available until 2033.

And you can still use the internet via Wi-Fi.

Last year, EE revealed to The Sun some of the most popular 3G-only smartphones:

• Doro 6520, Doro 6521, Doro 6620
• Apple iPhone 4S
• TCL 1C
• Nokia-301
• Apple iPhone 4
• NokiaC2-01
• HMD 3310
• Samsung Galaxy Ace
• Samsung Galaxy s3 mini
• TCL Pixi4

Many of these devices have long been out of stock.

And some, like the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, are even dangerous to use because they no longer receive important software updates that prevent hackers from hijacking your phone.

EE offers support to all customers who need to upgrade.

“The 3G customers who switched to our 4G and 5G networks now enjoy more reliable and wider mobile coverage with faster mobile internet speeds, while switching off 3G has already saved enough energy to charge almost a billion smartphones,” says Greg McCall, BT’s Head of Networks.

“We will continue to monitor the performance of our other mobile technologies (2G, 4G and 5G) to ensure EE customers continue to get the high-quality connectivity experience they need via the UK’s most reliable mobile network.”

WHSmith is closing a number of branches in the United Kingdom as it looks to expand its activities into the travel sector.

The retail giant, which operates more than 1,100 stores, has closed eight stores since March 2023, including in Manchester and Bicester, England.

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In the meantime, the stationery retailer has said goodbye to branches in Oban, Scotland, and Ramsgate, Kent.

But it also comes at a time of expansion for the chain, which will open 15 branches at airports and train stations in 2024, as a boost to shoppers.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Which British stores will close?

WHSmith closed its branch in Crewe, Cheshire, in early 2023, in a blow to locals.

The location in the Victoria Shopping Center welcomed customers for the last time in March.

That same month, the stationer pulled down the shutters of its branch in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

In August, a store in Bicester, Oxfordshire closed, while another in Manchester closed permanently on December 2, 2023.

In 2024, WHSmith closed four sites, including in Alfreton, Derbyshire in January, and Ramsgate, Kent, the same month.

In February, two more branches closed for good, including in Oban, Scotlandand Nantwich in South Cheshire.

This is the full list of stores and their closing dates:

• Crewe, Cheshire – March 2023
• Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire – March 2023
• Bicester, Oxfordshire – August 2023
• Manchester – December 2, 2023
• Alfreton, Derbyshire – January 2024
• Ramsgate, Kent – January 2024
• Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February 2024
• Nantwich, South Cheshire – February 2024
• Margate, Kent – April 20, 2024

By the end of February, WHSmith had announced no further branch closures for the subsequent months after Margate.

However, in June 2023 it confirmed it would NOT open any more high streets, which would be a blow to shoppers.

The retailer said opening more high street stores would be “just a duplication” and that it wanted to focus on growing its portfolio outside the sector.

What about openings?

Where these new store openings will be found are train stations and airports, WHSmith said in January.

It came after high street announced companywide sales rose 8% in the 20 weeks to January 20, compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, UK travel sales grew by 15% over the same period. That is compared with a 3% decline in sales for its high street portfolio.

In an update to investors in late January, the retailer said it was on track to open 15 stores by 2024, with a further 15 to follow “each year over the medium term”.

The retailer has yet to announce a list of locations where it will open branches or when it will welcome customers for the first time.

It is part of wider WHSmith plans to open 110 new stores worldwide.

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