Supermarkets

Sainsbury’s, M&S and Currys call for business rates freeze

Supermarket retailers such as Sainsbury’s, M&S and Currys have urged the chancellor to freeze business rates for all retail businesses at the forthcoming Autumn Statement. According to the British Retail Consortium, as things stand, business rates for retailers in England alone will increase by 6.7% next April, which represents an…

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Lidl becomes first supermarket to launch body cameras for all staff

Lidl GB has become the first supermarket to roll out body-worn cameras across all its stores as standard, as it looks to ensure the “safety and security of customers and colleagues” amid a rise in retail crime. From the end of the month, stores across its network will start to…

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Grocery price inflation hits single digits for first time this year

Grocery price inflation has fallen below 10% for the first time since July 2022 and now sits at 9.7% for the four weeks to 29 October 2023, according to the latest data from Kantar. It comes as take-home grocery sales over the same period rose by 7.4% compared with last…

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Morrisons slashes prices on festive items

Morrisons has cut prices of 58 “popular” festive items and is committing to keeping the prices low until 31 December. Products such as stuffing, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce and tin foil will see price cuts from today (6 November) so that shoppers can stock up ahead of Christmas day. The…

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M&S to open record number of stores this month amid £80m investment

M&S will be opening nine new stores across the month of November – the most it has ever opened in one month – following a £80m investment in sustainable bricks-and-mortar retail.  The openings, which will also create over 2,200 local jobs, will kick off with a new 65,000 sq ft…

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BP opens new retail stores in North Yorkshire and West Sussex

BP has opened two new retail stores in Norton-on-Derwent, North Yorkshire, and in the village of Faygate in West Sussex, creating just under 50 new jobs across the two areas.  The Norton-on-Derwent store, which opened on 18 October, will serve drivers travelling between the towns of Malton and Norton-on-Derwent, around…

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Sainsbury’s set to hit upper half of guidance despite PBT drop

Sainsbury’s has announced that it expects to hit the upper half of its full year guidance of between £670m and £700m despite seeing its statutory profit before tax drop 27% to £275m for the 28 weeks ended 16 September 2023. The supermarket put the fall in profit before tax down…

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Asda acquires EG Group’s UK business for £2bn

Asda has completed its acquisition of EG Group’s UK business in a deal valued at £2bn.  The move has seen the supermarket acquire EG Group’s UK&I fuel, foodservice, grocery and merchandise business. EG Group said it will continue to operate in the USA, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg…

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Sainsbury’s Lothian wind farm reaches completion

Sainsbury’s has completed its brand-new wind farm in Scotland, which will add up to 50 megawatts of electrical capacity to the grid in the form of renewable energy that will be used to power the retailer’s stores, offices and depots nationwide.  The wind farm, named Longhill Burn, has been under…

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Tesco names Matthew Barnes as new UK CEO

Tesco has announced the appointment of Matthew Barnes as its new UK CEO effective from March 2024, following news that current CEO Jason Tarry will be stepping down after 33 years at the retailer.  Barnes is a highly accomplished retailer, having worked in many senior positions in Aldi.  He was…

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