Supermarkets
Supermarkets examines the strategies, performance, and operational challenges facing the UK grocery retail sector. This section reports on trading results, pricing strategy, supply chain management, sustainability initiatives, and consumer trends influencing supermarket performance. Retail Sector’s Supermarkets coverage provides analysis and insight for retail leaders, buyers, and suppliers, exploring how competition, regulation, and innovation are shaping profitability and long-term growth across the grocery landscape.
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Jul- 2025 -9 July
Morrisons launches AI tool to help shoppers find products
Morrisons has reportedly launched a generative AI search tool to help customers locate products in store, according to City AM. Developed in-house using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and Gemini large language models (LLMs), the feature already handles more than 50,000 daily searches during peak periods. This is said to…
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7 July
Tesco to open 10 new stores in Ireland amid €40m investment
Tesco Ireland is to create 400 new jobs as part of a €40m (£34m) investment that will see 10 new stores open across the country in the next 12 months. The move will bring the supermarket’s permanent workforce to more than 13,500, reinforcing its position as one of the largest…
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4 July
Aldi extends Teenage Cancer Trust fundraising target to £20m by 2031
Aldi has pledged to raise £20m for Teenage Cancer Trust by 2031, extending its original target of £15m by 2027. The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket has so far raised £12m since the partnership began, supporting the charity’s work with young people undergoing cancer treatment. Fundraising efforts have taken place across Aldi’s…
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4 July
Waitrose invests in first south west distribution centre
Waitrose has announced a multi-million investment in a 360,000sq ft distribution centre in Bristol to support its expansion and improve deliveries to customers in the south west of England. The facility at Mountpark’s Bristol 360 site will be the retailer’s first in the region. Due to open in late 2026,…
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4 July
Asda unveils enhanced family leave benefits for staff
Asda has announced improvements to its family leave benefits for its staff around caregiving, parenthood and family loss. As part of the changes Asda is increasing company maternity and adoption leave pay for hourly staff, from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. It is also doubling the duration of paternity from…
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1 July
Sainsbury’s market share hits decade high amid Q1 sales boost
Sainsbury’s has welcomed a strong start to the financial year, as grocery sales rose by 5% in the first quarter, helping to deliver the group’s highest market share since 2016. Over the period, convenience sales grew by 6%, as the group recorded its highest ever customer satisfaction scores following a…
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1 July
Aldi lightens 20 million wine bottles in supermarket first
Aldi has become the first UK supermarket to reduce the weight of 20 million wine bottles, following a major packaging reduction initiative. The retailer has switched to 300g ultra-lightweight bottles for its still wine range, working with suppliers and bottling partner Greencroft. The change brings the average bottle weight across…
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Jun- 2025 -30 June
Asda plans to overtake Primark as UK’s biggest clothing retailer
Asda is reportedly planning to overtake Primark as the UK’s biggest clothing retailer, The Telegraph has reported. According to the paper, chairman Allan Leighton believes that the supermarket’s clothing brand, George, can help lead a turnaround for the company. As part of these plans, 100 Asda stores are set to…
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24 June
Co-op staff report safety fears over lone working
Co-op staff have warned that the supermarket is endangering their safety by leaving too few workers on duty, with some reporting threats while working alone, according to a report by The Guardian. Despite a rise in shoplifting, employees in smaller stores said they are sometimes the only person available to…
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23 June
Morrisons orders head office staff to return to full-time work
Morrisons has ordered staff at its head office in Bradford to return to a full five days a week in the office, reversing its flexible working policy, according to the Telegraph. Previously, the supermarket allowed its head office staff to work a 37.5 hour four-and-a-half day week flexibly, but this…
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