Good afternoon, lunch breakers! We’re two weeks away from the election and if you haven’t registered to vote yet, put down your lunch and go do that (before jumping back into our story roundup). This week we’ve got big news on the work-from-home front, 2021 food trends, and flights to nowhere that will save the airline industry.
Deloitte Permanently Closes Four Offices
We’ve been working from home for over 6 months now, turning our extra bedrooms into offices or if you’re like me, sticking a desk behind the unused dining room table. On Saturday, Deloitte announced they would permanently close four of its 50 offices in the UK. This move puts nearly 500 staff from those offices on permanent work-from-home contracts. Will this be the future for more large PR firms? Only time will tell. Get those home offices comfy if you haven’t already because we have a long winter ahead of us.
Airlines Adapting to Survive the Pandemic
Airlines are one of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic. With travel at an all-time low, airlines have taken creative steps to navigate the new normal. This article in The World shares some of those measures, like frozen, in-flight meals available for home delivery from Air North, fixed-price tickets for unlimited travel from Air Canada, and Qantas pajamas formerly given only to first-class passengers.
Perhaps the most outlandish idea was Qantas’ tickets for a special, nonstop, physically distanced flight to nowhere. This seven-hour trip takes passengers to and from Sydney, Australia, with views of the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbor, and more. The flight sold out in 10 minutes, so obviously Qantas was onto something!
Whole Foods Forecasts Top 10 Food Trends for 2021
Each year, Whole Foods reveals their top 10 anticipated food trends and if you’re in the market for one of these trending products get excited for a busy marketing and PR-heavy year. This year’s trends include shopper’s recent newfound passion for cooking, eating breakfast at home every day, and focus on health and wellbeing.
Trending items include superfoods and probiotics like sauerkrauts and superfood mushroom broth, breakfast items like pancake keto cups, breakfast pizza, and plant-based “eggs,” reimaged classics like hearts of palm pasta and veggie risotto, coffee-infused granola and booze, and upcycled foods using peels and stems that have otherwise been food waste.