Ocado announces new chair sooner than expected October 31, 2024 Ocado has announced KKR senior advisor Adam Warby will succeed Rick Haythornthwaite as its chairman in December. As well as working for KKR, Warby also serves as chair of management consultant firm Heidrick & Struggles, and previously held various positions at Microsoft and IBM. Earlier this year, Ocado said Haythornthwaite would step down to focus [...]
Convenience stores issued £634m warning ahead of Budget October 29, 2024 A lobby group has warned convenience stores could be set for a huge bill next year as tax hikes are expected to be included in the Autumn Budget. The Association of Convenience Stores has said the sector will face a potential bill of £634m due to wage increases, plus changes to National Insurance contributions and [...]
Asda flies in Morrisons and M&S execs as turnaround plan gathers pace October 22, 2024 Asda has added two new members to its leadership team as it looks to bolster the firm amid a significant turnaround plan. Laura Lepley will join in December from Morrisons as vice president of central operations, while Mark Henry will join in January from M&S as vice president of retail in the south of England. [...]
Supermarkets face calls to ban plastic for fresh goods October 17, 2024 An influential environmental NGO has called for the Government to ban plastic packaging on fruit and vegetable products in a bid to make grocery shopping more environmentally friendly. Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) have called for a ban on packaging for 21 products including apples, carrots and tomatoes to reduce food and plastic waste. [...]
The ‘battle for value is on’ at UK grocers as supermarkets push discounts October 8, 2024 Higher spending at supermarkets over the last month has been driven by sales of discounted goods as grocers compete to bring financially-stretched customers through their doors, according to fresh data. Grocery price inflation increased slightly to two per cent during the four weeks to 29 September, up from 1.7 per cent last month, according to [...]
Tesco ups guidance after first-half performance ‘exceeds expectations’ October 3, 2024 Supermarket giant Tesco has upped its profit guidance following another strong period of trading for the UK’s biggest grocer. Tesco increased its retail adjusted operating profit guidance to £2.9bn, from £2.8bn, after it “delivered volume growth ahead of expectations”. Continuing sales at the grocer grew 3.5 per cent in the 26 weeks ended 24 August [...]
Lower costs help Co-op return to profit September 25, 2024 The Co-op said this morning that lower costs had helped the company return to profit in the first half of its financial year. Profit before tax grew to £58m in the first half of 2024 from a loss of £33m in the same period last year. The company, which also operates a funeral service, legal services, [...]
Tesco boss Ken Murphy: ‘The AI revolution is upon us’ September 18, 2024 Tesco boss Ken Murphy has said that personalised grocery offers like Tesco Clubcard could “nudge” consumers towards making healthier decisions and that the AI “revolution is upon us” in retail. The Tesco chief executive said that, for example, an AI programme could note someone’s high sodium intake and encourage them to buy lower-sodium and healthier [...]
Mohsin Issa to step away from Asda as search for CEO continues September 18, 2024 Supermarket giant Asda has announced that Mohsin Issa will step away from his executive leadership role to focus on his position as sole chief executive of petrol forecourts business, EG Group. Lord Stuart Rose will assume Mohsin’s responsibilities alongside TDR Capital partner Rob Hattrell, the Leeds-headquartered grocer said, while Mohsin Issa will remain a co-owner [...]
Tesco loses Supreme Court ‘hire and fire’ appeal after three-year battle September 12, 2024 Tesco has lost its ‘hire and fire’ appeal after the Supreme Court ruled it cannot terminate its employees’ contracts for the purpose of depriving them of retained payment. The judge said that employees’ contracts contained a clause barring the supermarket giant from removing their right to retained pay. The ‘landmark’ legal battle was initially brought [...]