Thursday newspaper round-up: UK economy, Greggs, Beijing, Co-op

The UK economy ended 2019 in stagnation, under pressure from long-term uncertainty, mounting business costs and a global economic slowdown, according to a business survey. The British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) latest quarterly economic snapshot, based on a poll of 6,500 firms across the country in November, painted a gloomy picture of the economy at the end of the last decade. – Guardian

Greggs, the UK’s largest bakery chain, will end speculation about its hotly anticipated new vegan snack by launching a meat-free version of its popular steak bake. Since the runaway success of its meatless sausage roll, the chain – which serves more than 6 million customers a week from its 2,000 outlets – has been working to develop vegan versions of its other bestselling items. - Guardian

Civil servants could be forced to sit regular exams to prove they are competent to work in Whitehall under “seismic” changes being planned by Downing Street, the architect of Boris Johnson's manifesto has said. Rachel Wolf, the co-author of the Conservative Party's election blueprint, says officials are “woefully unprepared” for wholesale reforms being planned by the Prime Minister to transform the way the Government is run. – Telegraph

Beijing sought to bolster the faltering Chinese economy by releasing about £87 billion of funds into the country’s financial system yesterday. The People’s Bank of China said it would lower the reserve requirement ratio for banks by 50 basis points, in the eighth such cut since early 2018. – The Times

The Co-op is launching a same-day food delivery service from 650 stores, serving 100 towns and cities. A trial limited to London and Manchester but will this month be expanded to Brighton, Bournemouth and Southampton before a nationwide rollout. The Co-op is one of the world’s largest co-operatives and employs more than 60,000 people. The mutual, which sold its insurance and banking divisions, operates 2,600 shops and supplies more than 8,000 other outlets since its purchase of Nisa and a five-year wholesale supply deal with Costcutter. It added 100 new stores last year. – The Times