The supposed restorative powers of a rare Swiss apple tree have to date been the exclusive preserve of the rich.

The highly prized skin creams that evolve from the little known Uttwiler Spatlauber tree usually sell at exclusive cosmetic outlets for in excess of £200 per bottle.

However, next month will see the debut of a slightly cheaper version from the leading UK discount store Superdrug. Superdrug’s new Optimum cream includes the same rare apple branch extract ingredients that are found in rival Clark’s Botanicals Cellular Lifting Serum, which costs £225. But is it any good?

Is Superdrug simply jumping on the Swiss apple phenomenon bandwagon with its latest release? Or does it offer a genuine anti-aging product that has had its lauded extract trademark hailed as the greatest product since botox? The cream is certainly light, refreshing, non-oily and unsurprisingly, apple-eqsuely fragrant. The research team in the laboratories behind Optimum has insisted that the product gives what they call ‘a promise’ of rejuvenation, although they admit that clinical trials had not be able to confirm this hinted-at benefit.

At just £9.99, it’s no doubt worth giving a go as much as the next miracle solution, and as Superdrug’s brand director Andrew Groom states, the way you look need not be dependent on the depth of your pocket. The overnight renewal serum from Optimum will go up in price on October 28, so it may be too soon to know if it truly does fight the visible signs of aging. But when all you are really paying for is an apple branch, it does seem logical to go with the cheaper brand.

Several of the leading British fashion retailers are launching inquiries into allegations of substandard working conditions in India.

The move comes at a time when the same high street stores, including Marks and Spencer, are embroiled in a wage dispute crisis in Bangladesh that has seen garment workers stage violent protests.

Marks and Spencer has been joined by other well-known stores Next and Gap in launching investigations into their Indian suppliers, after allegations have emerged that young children have been left unattended as parents work in factories on the outskirts of the capital Delhi. According to a report by the London Observer, the fashion houses are responding to claims that these factories have been using middlemen to hire workers for just 25p per hour for Next and Gap, and 26p per hour at for Marks and Spencer. Some workers have also alleged that they have been paid under half of the legal overtime rate.

The trio of retailers have each pledged to end the practice of reportedly excessive overtime which Indian labour laws states is a clear breach of the ethical trading initiative (ETI). The three have apparently advised the Observer that abuses in their supply chains would not be tolerated and that they are 100 per cent committed to ethical trading.

While Marks and Spencer has stated it has not as yet been presented with the appropriate evidence to support the allegations, Gap has advised that it had discovered irregularities with wage violations and ordered its supplier to pay the appropriate compensation to those affected immediately.

Overweight children are being tailored to, literally, by leading retailer Marks & Spencer.

Marks and Spencer has launched a new range of over-sized school uniforms for children that are aged as young as four. The decision comes after studies reveal that one out of every five British schoolchildren is clinically overweight when they begin their schooling.

In the new M&S Plus school wear range, items include clothing designed for pre-school children who have waistlines of anywhere up to 23 inches – which is the size more usually found on the average eight year old. Marks and Spencer has said that the trial range of clothing followed demand for bigger sizes from parents, while industry experts said that the decision simply reflected the growing rate of obesity among younger children.

According to the National Obesity Forum’s Tam Fry, the move was commercial recognition of what the public and parents had been aware of for years, namely, that obesity levels in pre-schoolers is on the rise. Fry added that of all new entrants to primary schools across Britain, 27 per cent were obese or overweight.

The Plus school wear collection hit the shelves last week, and targets the 3 – 16 age bracket, with waistlines in both boys pants and girls skirts ranging up to 41 inches. A spokesperson for M&S said that they wanted to ensure that their school wear range was accessible to all shapes and sizes of pupil.

Leading retailer Asda has introduced a new minimum pricing structure on alcohol.

The group has further declared that it will undertake closer working relationships with the UK government to ensure that it is at the forefront of tackling alcohol misuse and abuse across Britain.

The announcement follows the recent high-profile media case of a Tesco store that sold wine for less than cost price in Scotland, leading health campaigners to claim that supermarket chains could not be trusted to be self-policing when it came to the sale of alcohol.

Asda introduced its new alcohol policy on Tuesday, whereby a floor price of duty plus VAT is set on more than 99 per cent of the alcohol sold by the group. This will result in a minimum price of £8.95 for a 20-pack of 440ml 5 per cent strength cans of beer, which would be made up of a duty of £7.62 plus the VAT of 17.5 per cent on top. Similarly, a 750ml bottle of wine would go for a minimum of £1.99 and a one-litre bottle of spirit such as vodka at £10.49.

Asda has also proposed that the government enforce the same policy throughout the entire retail industry in a letter to home secretary Theresa May from chief executive Andy Clarke. Mr Clarke claims that Asda supports a Responsibility Agreement on Alcohol development agreement to ensure that the previously successful partnership between government and industry would not be wasted, and that in conjunction with the OFT, all those involved would be responsible for establishing a safe retail environment which would openly discuss and tackle the issues of alcohol misuse across the UK.

Being part of a group has been called more effective than the NHS when it comes to losing weight.

That is the verdict of one leading UK nutritionist should argues that GPs would be better of referring obese patients to group-focused weight-loss schemes instead of the national health provider.

The Medical Research Council’s Dr Susan Jebb found in a new study that sufferers who joined the popular WeightWatchers programme lost on average twice as much weight compared to those with individual GP care. Although the study was partially funded by WeightWatchers, Dr Jebb stressed that all similar group programs were likely to be just as effective. The National Obesity Forum has also said that NHS patients could benefit from group help, while the NHS is trialling pilot schemes with WeightWatchers, the recognised leading weight loss company.

Jebb and her colleagues spent over a year studying test patients referred to WeightWatchers meetings by GPs in Northampton, while also running similar projects in both Germany and Australia. The GPs referred half of their patients to the group program, leaving the remainder as a comparative group where they were generally provided with information and appointments with healthcare professionals. At the end of the 12 months, the WeightWatchers patients came out best, losing on average close to 7kg (15lbs), whereas the GP-led group lost on average3kg (6lbs).

While 3kg may not seem like a significant amount, ask anyone who has ever tried to lose weight and they will tell you that the slightest change can make all the difference, especially to diabetics or those with weight-associated illnesses. Ultimately, it appears the weekly meetings and group accountability is the better motivator.