Blackstone, Saudi wealth fund collect £4m dividends from four Morrisons stores Retail Private equity firm Blackstone and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund have handed themselves £4m in dividends from their ownership of four Morrisons supermarket buildings. The pair acquired the sites – in Maldon, Stockport, Harrogate and Newcastle – for £110m in 2023 as part of a sale and leaseback arrangement which saw the supermarket chain sell [...]
Supermarkets pile pressure on government to cut energy costs Retail Supermarkets are calling on the government to cut taxes on energy to help retailers dodge looming food inflation, with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S and Asda piling pressure on Labour. The boss of Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second-largest grocer, became the latest industry figure to call for the Treasury to step in. On Thursday, the supermarket said it [...]
BRC chief: Red tape ‘weighs heavily’ on retailers Retail Helen Dickinson, the boss of leading trade body the British Retail Consortium, believes red tape “weighs heavily” on retailers. She speaks to Felix Armstrong about food inflation, workers’ rights and her meeting with the Chancellor. Helen Dickinson was six weeks into her job as chief executive of the BRC when the horsemeat scandal landed on [...]
Tesco nears crucial update as Iran war threatens food inflation April 15, 2026 As the bosses of the country’s biggest supermarkets crowded into the chancellor’s office earlier this month, no voice will have been as loud as that of Ken Murphy, chief executive of Tesco. Rachel Reeves summoned grocery executives to discuss how the Iran war will impact Brits’ weekly shops, and Tesco’s results tomorrow will pull back [...]
Leon founder: Labour ‘killing’ restaurant industry April 7, 2026 The founder of fast food chain Leon has accused the government of “killing” the restaurant industry by saddling the industry with a crushing tax burden. John Vincent, who founded Leon and recently bought it back, said on Tuesday “everyone knows restaurants are done” because of the government’s treatment of hospitality. The government has faced intense [...]
Supermarket bosses meet Rachel Reeves amid dire food inflation warning April 1, 2026 The bosses of some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets met Chancellor Rachel Reeves in emergency cost of living talks on Wednesday, amid warnings that food inflation could rise to double digits this year. Leading supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons attended Downing Street after efforts to gather industry bosses last week were abandoned amid concerns [...]
Reeves summons supermarket bosses again after snub March 31, 2026 Rachel Reeves has summoned supermarket bosses for a Downing Street meeting on Wednesday after being snubbed last week. The new meeting will be attended by executives at Sainsbury’s and Tesco but bosses at Asda, Aldi and John Lewis will miss out, supposedly due to diary clashes. The Chancellor hastily invited grocery executives to a meeting [...]
White van men ‘bleeding cash’ in Iran war diesel chaos March 30, 2026 The country’s fleet of tradesmen are “bleeding cash,” with the Iran war’s fuel chaos pushing the price difference between petrol and diesel to its widest level in decades. A litre of diesel cost 179.9p on Sunday on average – up more than 35p since the Iran war started and 25p higher than petrol, according to [...]
Reeves’ energy bill crackdown prompts industry backlash March 28, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ push to crack down on “profiteering” among retailers has led to backlash across industry as suppliers are warning of shortages on the horizon. Reeves has been warned by industry bosses that the focus on profiteering lacked justification and was part of a political ploy ahead of crucial elections in May. Asda boss [...]
Asda boss says ‘plenty to do’ in turnaround after sales drop March 27, 2026 The boss of Asda has said he has “plenty to do” to complete his turnaround of the firm after sales and earnings slumped. The supermarket giant, the UK’s third largest, took £21bn of sales excluding fuel in 2025, down by 3.3 per cent, while adjusted earnings tumbled by a third to £764m. Asda’s executive chair [...]