Trying to buy a new vacuum cleaner can be a pretty confusing experience. Do you go bagged or bagless? Corded or cordless? Is it worth paying extra for something with anti hair wrap tech? Or forking out for a robot to do it all for you? That's what listener Sally is tempted by - she wants to know if a robot will clean as well as a regular handheld version. Listener Rachel wants advice on which features are worth the extra cash. To help them navigate this complicated market, Greg consults Grace Forell, a consumer expert from Which? and host of its Get Answers podcast - and finds out all about dust with professor Hasan Arshad, who leads allergy research at the University of Southampton. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad relating to another consumer product and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807 PRESENTER: Greg Foot
PRODUCER: Tom Moseley

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While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up... Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of brands which had promised so much to consumers.     In each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea. What did it promise? Why did people back it? Why did they get burnt?   Some of the world's most successful businesses have also brought us some of the world's most remarkable failures. So, what led them to be toast? And what can we learn from their stories today?  Sean unpicks all the early optimism, hype and ambition. He learns about the tremendous success of a brand before hearing how it faltered, with help from expert commentators and people who were directly involved. How do they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently?  The self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, is alongside him, analysing the missteps that changed a brand's fortunes and reaching her own, often instructive, conclusions.   From big tech to high street retail and, of course, food, Toast tackles the business ideas that, one way or another, ended up cooked.  Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in February. In the new series, 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, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.

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Green Shield Stamps could be traded in for 'free' gifts so why did consumers abandon them?  Sean Farrington examines their rise and fall and discovers how they spawned a famous retail chain which is still trading.  The stamps were the centrepiece of an early form of loyalty scheme and were collected by tens of millions of people across the UK.  They were given out by shops with every purchase and could be exchanged for a wide range of household goods and luxury items from handbags to vacuum cleaners and even cars.    The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, speaks to expert guests including: Sir John Timpson - chairman of the retail services provider, Timpson, who dedicated a chapter of his book on 'High Street Heroes' to the Green Shield Stamp founder, Richard Tompkins.  Professor Leigh Sparks - Professor of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling. Alongside them, analysing the stamps' fortunes is the entrepreneur, Sam White. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. This episode was produced by Jon Douglas. You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes. Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May.  In the new series, 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, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Toast - Green Shield Stamps

Why did Mothercare have to close all of their UK stores? Sean Farrington discovers what happened to the baby goods retailer which once dominated the high street.   Alongside him, analysing Mothercare's fortunes, is the entrepreneur, Sam White. The pair hear from Tim Curtis who once ran Mothercare's website, catalogue and home delivery service; Amena Khan, a loyal Mothercare customer and Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics.  They chart the highs and the lows and learn how Mothercare continues to trade today, albeit in a different form.  Produced by Jon Douglas and Shanaye Mainoo-Magnone. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes. Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the new series, 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, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Toast - Mothercare's UK Stores

Why was the video sharing platform, Vine, closed down? Sean Farrington discovers what happened to the app which pioneered short, shareable videos on social media.  Sean speaks to one of Vine's founders, Rus Yusupov, the Vine content creator, Eric Dunn, and the BBC's Technology Editor, Zoe Kleinman. Alongside them all analysing Vine's fortunes is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White. Produced by Viant Siddique. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes. Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the new series, 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, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Toast - Vine

Why did the restaurant chain, Little Chef, disappear from our roadsides?  Sean Farrington discovers what happened to the brand which brought us Jubilee Pancakes, Olympic Breakfasts and free lollies for the kids.  At its peak, Little Chef had over 400 restaurants on most of our major highways and a turnover well in excess of £100m.  So, how did such a successful business ultimately end up toast?  Sean speaks to Fiona Alper who was married to the Little Chef co-founder, Sam Alper; the entrepreneur, Lawrence Wosskow, who once owned Little Chef and Becky Parr-Phillips who started as a waitress but rose through the ranks to become Little Chef's head of operations.  Alongside them all to analyse Little Chef's fortunes is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White.  Produced by Jon Douglas. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.  You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.  Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the new series, 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, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Toast - Little Chef

This one's all about mushrooms - not so much your chestnut, button or portobellos from the supermarket, but more the likes of lion's mane, reishi and chaga. These much-feted fungi are claimed to offer all sorts of benefits, from relaxation to disease-fighting properties. We've had loads of questions about products containing them, particularly around mushroom coffee. Is there any evidence that it's better for you than your regular brew? Listener Leon is fond of it - and wants to know if there's any science to back up his inclination. To get him some answers, we hear from a registered nutritionist and a mycologist (fungi expert) who's just written a book all about medicinal mushrooms. So are they the best thing since Sliced Bread? If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know how it stacks up, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807 PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

Vacuum cleaners

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