Supermarkets

Wilko store deals at risk as new owners renegotiate leases

The proposed rescue deals for over 100 Wilko stores could reportedly be at risk as the new owners try to negotiate better terms with landlords, according to The Times.  The outlet revealed that B&M, which agreed a deal for over 50 Wilko stores, is thought to have delayed completing some…

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Shop price inflation reaches lowest point in a year

Shop price annual inflation dropped to 6.2% in September, down from 6.9% in August, reaching its lowest point since September 2022, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The BRC has put this decrease down to competition between retailers causing prices to drop. Non-food inflation eased to 4.4%…

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Lidl sees interest bill treble to £108m

Lidl’s UK arm has been hit by a rise in its borrowing costs, with its interest bill on debts almost trebling to £108m, according to This Is Money. The paper said this marked the “first serious setback” for Lidl in its UK operations, which has seen its share of the…

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John Lewis considers offloading 12 Waitrose stores for £150m

John Lewis Partnership Plc is reportedly planning to sell 12 Waitrose supermarkets for as much as £150m in a bid to raise more capital, according to Bloomberg. Some people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that CBRE has been appointed as agent for the partnership and the marketing of the…

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Poundland to open 10 former Wilko stores

Poundland has announced it is set to open 10 former Wilko stores this Saturday (30 September) after it secured an agreement with administrator PwC to take an option on a number of Wilko store leases. The following Wilko stores will open on Saturday morning: Broad Street, Chell Road, Stafford, ST16…

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Morrisons sales hit £3.8bn in Q3

Morrisons has reported that like-for-like sales not including fuel, increased by 2.9% during Q3 ended 30 July, increasing its total sales by 3.1% to £3.8bn.  The supermarket chain has attributed this to its focus on competitive pricing, inflation being below the market, and further investment in its ‘Price Locked Low’…

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Tesco locks prices on 1,000 products until 2024

Tesco is locking the price of more than 1,000 products until 2024, as consumers continue to face the cost-of-living crisis. Among the 1,000-plus everyday items to have their price locked as part of the latest round of Low Everyday Prices are Typhoo One Cup teabags, Jacobs’ Cream Crackers and Aquafresh…

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Aldi to offer staff body cameras amid shoplifting rise

Aldi chief executive Giles Hurley has announced that the company will be offering staff body cameras in a bid to deter would-be shoplifters. Hurley confirmed that the plan was being trialled in a number of Aldi stores as the amount of shoplifting continues to rise. He also stated that body…

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Aldi to invest £1.4bn in UK-wide expansion

Aldi has announced that it would increase its rate of investment in the UK in the next two-year period to more than £1.4bn, as annual sales increased by almost £2bn to £15.5bn in the year to December 2022. The discount retailer’s investment will include work to expand its distribution and…

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Iceland complains to Ofgem over conduct of energy firms

Gas and electricity suppliers have been accused of profiteering and discrimination by businesses including Iceland, The Telegraph has reported.  According to reports, British businesses made complaints to Ofgem regarding the behaviour of gas and electricity companies as part of the energy regulator’s investigation into “poor conduct”, which launched earlier this…

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