Grocery inflation jumps to highest level in more than a year May 28, 2025 Grocery price inflation shot up to 4.1 per cent in May, driven by chocolate and suncare products in the hottest start to the month on record. The rise follows a 3.8 per cent jump in April and a 1.8 per cent rise in March, according to Kantar. “This latest jump in grocery price inflation takes [...]
Competition intensifies to buy UK supermarket stores despite uncertainty May 26, 2025 Real estate investors are increasingly competing to snap up UK supermarkets as a lack of new locations and slow planning processes weigh on developments. Grocery properties are “proving to be one of the most resilient and attractive investment sectors”, according to research by Colliers. Experts at the real estate firm said international and UK investors [...]
City veteran Lord Rose ‘horrified’ by slow growth under Labour May 15, 2025 Former M&S boss and current Asda co-chief executive Stuart Rose has hit out at Labour’s lack of strategy aimed at boosting the economy, claiming he has been “horrified” by the UK’s lacklustre performance despite Chancellor Reeves’ pledges to deliver growth at a “faster” pace. Reeves said her £40bn tax raid at last year’s autumn budget [...]
Tesco, M&S and Sainsbury’s shares drop amid wider FTSE 100 rally April 10, 2025 The UK’s major listed supermarkets missed out on a post-crisis FTSE 100 bump this morning after Tesco’s full-year results stoked fears of ‘trolley wars’ in the sector. The FTSE 100 index rose by more than six per cent as investors breathed a sigh of relief after Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs were paused last night. However, Tesco, [...]
US tariffs: UK being ‘supine’ and should ‘retaliate’, Lord Rose urges government April 2, 2025 The UK has been “supine” to US President Donald Trump and should be “firm” and “find some way to retaliate”, Lord Rose has said. The businessman and former boss of M&S and Asda told Times Radio the government has been “supine” to President Trump and should be “firm” in threatening retaliatory tariffs. He said it’s [...]
Higher chocolate prices push up grocery prices in March April 1, 2025 According to the latest data from market research company Kantar, higher prices for premium products pushed grocery prices up in March despite discounts on everyday items. Grocery price inflation rose slightly to 3.5 per cent over the four weeks to March 23 compared with a year ago. “With prices continuing to rise, supermarkets are mindful [...]
Morrisons looks to save £1bn as sales rise ahead of stores shake-up March 26, 2025 Morrisons has announced an uptick in sales amid a wide-ranging store shake-up plan which will see hundreds of jobs losses. Group like-for-like sales rose 2.1 per cent in the 13 weeks ended 26 January while total sales increased by 2.4 per cent to £4bn over the same period. The Yorkshire-headquartered grocer said it had made [...]
Asda’s confident new boss is a boon for shoppers, and a threat to rivals March 19, 2025 Asda's bold new boss may have spooked rivals, but shoppers will come out on top, writes Susannah Streeter in today's Notebook.
Labour MPs warned ‘perfect storm’ of retail costs could benefit Reform UK March 19, 2025 Labour MPs are being warned a “perfect storm” of costs facing the retail sector could see seats lost to Reform UK. New analysis from the Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA) has revealed Labour holds 24 of the UK’s 30 constituencies with the highest numbers of voters working in retail, according to an Electoral Calculus survey in [...]
Broker questions Asda’s turnaround plan March 17, 2025 London broker Jeffries has questioned whether Asda’s sales will rise quickly enough to meet the demands of its turnaround plan. Last week, UK supermarket giant Asda announced a drop in yearly sales, alongside a significant turnaround plan aiming to bring the supermarket back to its roots. Key to this plan is a significant investment in [...]