Have Asda execs been stress eating with James Martin ahead of first quarter results?
Has Asda chief Andy Clarke been eating his feelings?
The Big Four retail giant has struck up a delicious partnership with former Saturday Kitchen star James Martin. Last month the Yorkshire foodie figure rustled up a strawberry gateau with Asda boss Andy Clarke at the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane in London, marking the start of a new marketing partnership which the firm hopes will do what TV chef Jamie Oliver did for Sainsbury's.
But was Clarke simply stress eating? Martin is due to appear in TV adverts for Asda in June, but with the firm set to release its first quarter sales results via owner Walmart on Thursday, things aren't looking quite as good as the star's cake.
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Last week, figures from Kantar Worldpanel revealed that Asda is one of the weakest performing firms in the supermarket sector, with sales falling four per cent this year. The grocer's share of the market has fallen to 16.2 per cent, down from 17 per cent a year earlier, the data reveals.
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Still, the superstore still has some claim to corporate success. Asda was named Employer of the Year at the glittering LGBT Awards last week, beating banking heavyweights Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Citi.