Sliced Bread

Woolworths was once a family favourite with well over 1,000 UK stores selling everything from kitchenware to pick and mix. So, why did the business collapse when other general retailers were on the rise? The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, charts the company's highs and lows before asking 'what went wrong at Woolies?'. Alongside him is the entrepreneur, Sam White, who at the end of the show has to reach her own conclusions, based only on what she has heard and her own business acumen. Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including: - Richard Hawkins - an honorary research fellow at the University of Wolverhampton and president of the marketing history organisation, Charm, who has written about the company?s early days- Clare Bailey - a retail consultant who was employed by Woolworths- Claire Robertson - whose retail career began with a Saturday job at her local Woolies and led to her running a spin-off business (called 'Wellworths') after the original failed.- Tony Page - Commercial and Marketing Director at Woolworths from 2006 who tried to save the business after it went into administrationProduced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.ukFeel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.

Can supplements claiming to make menopause symptoms more bearable, really help? Going through menopause can result in a myriad of symptoms, leaving women stressed, exhausted, and desperate for anything that might make it easier to deal with. In recent years, a huge range of products have become available in supermarkets, pharmacies and online, all promising to help alleviate some of these symptoms ? for a price. So listener Susie, who said she felt she was experiencing some of these symptoms, got in touch with Sliced Bread, to ask if it might be money well spent? Greg Foot drills down into the top ingredients of these supplements and their claims, alongside GP Dr Helen Wall who runs a Menopause Clinic in Greater Manchester. They look at what the science says, and ask if these supplements really can support women through the menopause?RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM PRODUCER: KATE HOLDSWORTH, PHIL SANSOM & GREG FOOT

Do Vagus Nerve Stimulators help your mental health?The vagus nerve could be one of the most important body parts you might never have heard of. It's a large nerve that connects major organs like the heart and lungs to the brain and studies have found that stimulating it with electrical pulses can lead to dramatic improvements in some people with depression and other mental health conditions. Those trials were for medical devices implanted into the chest, but listener Karin has seen commercially available versions that you wear over your ear. But do they work? Karin joins Greg in the studio along with leading experts in the field to do a deep-dive into the studies and separate out the science fact from the marketing fiction.All of our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT

When staring at shelves full of sticks, tubs and tubes all promising us the perfect pout, how do you know which Lip Balms will really help keep chapped lips at bay?Listener Kiran is a regular lip balm applier - saying she often suffers with dry or cracked lips, and recently splashed out on an expensive lip balm after seeing celebrity endorsed adverts for it online. But she isn?t sure it?s any better than her trusty tub of Vaseline.To find out, Greg Foot speaks to Consultant Dermatologist and Dermatological Surgeon Dr Emma Craythorne about lips, lip lickers, mouth breathers and the causes of cracking - as well as lecturer in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry at the University of Sunderland, Dr Teresa Borrello about what is IN these lip balms to plump, smooth, or repair.All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH AND GREG FOOT RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM

Which products are best for bedtime listening?According to a YouGov poll nearly half of us listen to music or podcasts to help us get to sleep and there are a range of products designed to do just that.Listener Nick has seen wearable sleep headbands with speakers woven in to the fabric which he hopes will stop him waking up in the middle of the night with headphones or earbuds digging into his ears.And listener David says his social media is promoting sleep bars that go under the pillow and claim to transmit sound via bone conduction.To find out more, Greg is joined by acoustic expert Professor Trevor Cox and Lecturer at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, Ullrich Bartsch. They discuss the sound quality of these devices and whether it's a good idea to listen to music or podcasts at bedtime at all. Is there any evidence that it results in a good night's sleep?All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOTRESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM

You may have heard health warnings around too much red or processed meat, and considered trying a plant based meat alternative as one of your midweek meals instead. But after looking at the ingredients on the packet and spotting salt, additives and flavourings, wondered if they really are the healthier choice?That?s exactly what listener Graham did, as he hunted for an alternative to his beloved sausage ? and found that the plant based versions all seemed to be heavily processed. He's asking, are they really better for us? And are they better for the environment too? The information and prices in this episode were correct at the time of recording.All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807 PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH AND GREG FOOT RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM

Are there products that can help you avoid or ease jet lag?If you've travelled long-haul you'll know the feeling; your body feels completely out of sync with the new time zone, leaving you tired, disorientated and quite possibly a tad irritated!So is there anything you can do? Listener Moira suffered the effects of jet lag on a recent work trip to India and with another one coming up to the USA, she's keen to know more about the products that claim to help. She's heard about apps that help you align your circadian rhythm with your new time zone, as well as supplements and even a mask that promises to better humidify the air on your flight! But do any of them work?All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM NOTES: The table on light exposure referred to in this programme from the scientific journal 'The Lancet' can be found here:https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Jet-lag%3A-trends-and-coping-strategies-Waterhouse-Reilly/d2ca570b8746a1ecfbd155da14c8291f85545db2/figure/3

Artificial sweeteners appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth looking to cut down on their sugar intake. They?re not only for use in our cups of tea or coffee, but they?re also in fizzy drinks, low calorie products, sweets and baked goods. But are they really a better alternative?Greg is joined by a leading scientist from the World Health Organisation, as well as a Professor of Gastroenterology who has researched the impact of sweeteners to ?spill the tea? on this topic. Can using them as an alternative help us reduce our blood sugar? Are all kinds of sweetener safe? And what about their effects on us long term? The information in this episode was correct at the time of recording. As ever we?re looking for YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen and advert, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice not to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807. PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH AND GREG FOOT RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM

Can home tests tell you if you have an allergy or a food intolerance?We're back with a new batch of investigations and kicking off this series is one of our most popular requests: home allergy tests. The companies that make them claim they can help you work out if you have an allergy or intolerance to certain foods. The idea is the information can help you decide what to eliminate from your diet. But do they work? Greg is joined by consultant allergist Professor Adam Fox to do a deep-dive and separate out the science fact from the marketing fiction.As ever this series we're looking for YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM

What is keeping the traditional watch industry ticking over?The entrepreneur, Sam White, hosts Dough - the BBC Radio 4 series which looks at the business behind profitable everyday products and where the smart money might take them next.In each episode, Sam, and the futurist, Tom Cheesewright, are joined by product manufacturers and industry experts whose inside knowledge gives a new appreciation for the everyday things that we often take for granted.Together they look back on a product?s earliest (sometimes ridiculous!) iterations, discuss how a product has evolved and the trends which have driven its profitability.In this episode on traditional watches, they hear from expert guests including:-Mike France - a co-founder of the British watchmaking company, Christoper Ward -Fflur Roberts - Head of Luxury Goods at the data analytics company, Euromonitor International -Laura McCreddie-Doak - a freelance watch journalist who has written for publications including Wired, GQ & The TimesThey trade opinions on traditional watches 'game-changing' innovations and their most pointless, or least effective, ones too, before Tom draws on his expertise as a futurist to imagine what the wristwatch might be like in the decades to come.Dough is produced by Jon Douglas and is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in the spring when Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.In the meantime, Dough is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds