Iceland boss offers job to Waitrose worker who tackled shoplifter April 7, 2026 The boss of Iceland has offered a job to a man who was sacked by Waitrose after he prevented a shoplifter from attempting to steal luxury Easter eggs. Richard Walker, boss of the budget supermarket chain, posted on LinkedIn telling Walker Smith, the shop assistant sacked by Waitrose: “You’re welcome to a job with us. [...]
Labour to curb jail terms for shoplifters as retail crime fears grow April 4, 2026 Labour’s plans to scrap most prison sentences of under a year will see thousands of prolific shoplifters avoid jail, in a move that risks intensifying pressure on retailers already warning of rising violence and disorder. The changes, introduced under the Sentencing Act, mean around 98 per cent of shoplifters currently in custody would instead qualify [...]
M&S boss: Sadiq Khan is soft on crime April 3, 2026 Marks and Spencer has hit out at the Mayor of London for being soft on crime, after crowds of young people have targeted London shops in the past week. Thinus Keeve, the supermarket’s retail director, has called on Sadiq Khan to crack down on violent disorder against retailers, after a Marks and Spencer (M&S) shop [...]
Reeves must listen to supermarkets rather than lecture them April 1, 2026 Supermarkets begin preparing for Christmas at least six months before the anticipated peak of customer demand hits around December 23. Catering for this entirely predictable surge is in itself an astonishing commercial and logistical feat, but a little over six years ago the UK’s supermarkets were in the midst of an unprecedented challenge. As pandemic [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
M&S shakes off cyber chaos with strong Christmas sales January 8, 2026 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has delivered a steadier than feared Christmas trading update, offering some festive cheer for investors after a year, overshadowed by a costly cyber attack and months of disrupted online sales. The retailer reported group sales of £5bn for the 13 weeks to 27 December, up 3.3 per cent excluding Ocado Retail, [...]
Labour pencils £210m cyber plan to curb escalating attacks January 6, 2026 The UK government has unveiled a £210m cyber action plan aimed at shoring up the public services, as ministers face mounting pressure to respond to a sharp rise in attacks on major British businesses. The plan, published on Tuesday, comes amid a backdrop of high-profile cyber incidents that hit retailers including M&S, Co-op and Jaguar [...]
The great high street outage of 2025 December 24, 2025 On paper, British high streets have seen worse. Footfall has survived recessions, pandemics and price shocks before, and tills were just about still ringing. But this year it flickered, stalled and, in some cases, went dark – brought to its knees by a wave of cyber attacks that exposed the fragility of retail in the [...]
‘Exceptional’ M&S chair Archie Norman cleared for three more years in role October 14, 2025 Marks and Spencer’s board has unanimously extended Archie Norman’s tenure as chair in light of his “exceptional” performance over the last nine years. While it is uncommon for chairs to stay longer than nine years, the board of M&S agreed that Norman’s “deep knowledge of the business, drive and unique experience” were invaluable to the [...]