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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Mar- 2021 -29 March
Nisa cuts retail prices as part of £2m investment
Nisa has announced that it will invest £2m into cutting wholesale prices. The grocer, which is a subsidiary of the Co-operative group, said the move would allow its “partners to remain competitive”. According to Nisa, the investment has reduced the wholesale price of many Co-op own brand products, including chicken…
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26 March
Court rules against Asda in equal pay case
The Supreme Court has ruled that Asda’s shop floor staff can be compared to workers in the supermarket’s distribution centre for the purposes of their equal pay claim. Back in January 2019, the Court of Action also ruled that GMB members could compare themselves in this fashion, upholding the rulings…
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25 March
Tesco lays out new climate ‘manifesto’
Tesco has laid out its climate “manifesto” ahead of this year’s COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow. The supermarket chain has highlighted five areas that it will focus on to improve sustainability, including cutting emissions from energy, transitioning to electric transport, tackling food waste, increasing sustainable food production, and championing…
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25 March
Sainsbury’s opens new Staplehurst site
Sainsbury’s has opened a new supermarket in Staplehurst, Kent, creating 120 new jobs for the local area. The store, which is the first branch the retailer has opened in 2021, features a new fresh produce format and fresh food market – a market style shopping experience which aims to “celebrate…
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23 March
Waitrose bans magazines containing plastic toys
Waitrose has announced that it will no longer sell children’s magazines which contain plastic toys – in a bid to cut down on the use of single-use plastics in its stores. The group said it was inspired to introduce the ban after it learned about a 10-year old girl from…
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23 March
McColls profit dips in FY20 despite rising convenience demand
McColls has announced that its profit for the year ended 29 November 2020 slipped by 4.7% to £300.9m, despite noting that demand for its local convenience retail offering has “never been higher”. Whilst pre-tax profit fell from £7.4m to £1.1m, sales were up by 3.2% to £1.258bn in the period,…
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22 March
Spar International expands anti-food waste collaboration
Spar International has announced it will be enhancing its collaboration with digital platform Gander to further tackle food waste. The partnership was initially launched in Northern Ireland and has grown to become a global agreement. The partnership will facilitate a wider roll-out across Spar markets, strengthening the collaborative, global approach…
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22 March
Iceland spends £150m on deals despite pocketing £40m Covid relief
Iceland’s owners have taken and spent £150m from the supermarket chain since the beginning of the pandemic, despite refusing to repay business rates relief, according to The Sunday Times. The company’s recent investor presentations revealed that Sir Malcolm Waker, Iceland’s founder, used £141m to purchase former shareholder Brait and acquire…
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19 March
Asda to remove 101 million pieces of single-use plastic from stores
Asda has revealed it will be removing 101 million pieces of single use plastic from its stores each year by switching from plastic to reusable fruit and veg bags. The initiatives are part of Asda’s long-term commitment to remove single use plastic from its business. The move follows a trial…
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19 March
Co-op further extends franchise portfolio
The Co-operative Group has opened its 15th franchise site with the launch of its Cornwall Services store, as the group reportedly aims to double its franchise portfolio by the end of the year. The convenience retailer has now partnered with a number of diverse franchise owners, including independent retailers, university…
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