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 [...]
M&S Sparks rewards overhauled as retailer offers cash perks Retail Marks & Spencer has overhauled its Sparks card reward scheme using AI after shoppers demanded cash perks instead of the existing points-based system. The upmarket food and clothing giant said it is responding to consumer criticism of its loyalty scheme by offering “personalisation and pounds, not points and tricksy pricing”. The Sparks Card had faced [...]
Supermarket bosses meet Rachel Reeves amid dire food inflation warning Retail 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 [...]
The Debate: Is M&S’s boss right, should CEOs stay switched on while on holiday? April 1, 2026 M&S CEO says work-life balance is overrated, but is he right? We hear the case for and against bosses fully logging off in the Debate.
M&S to be fully operational by August after heavy cyber attack, boss says July 1, 2025 Marks and Spencer boss Stuart Machin has said he expects the worst of the retailer’s cyber attack to be over within the next four weeks. M&S has been struggling with the attack since April, with some systems still offline – including click and collect services. The retailer’s share price climbed slightly in response, up 0.62 [...]
Investors keep faith in M&S success story May 1, 2025 There’s no doubt that M&S is in the grip of a crisis, but investors appear to have faith that the current cyber nightmare won’t undermine the dream run enjoyed by this retailer in recent years. The business still stands out as a triumphant turnaround success story, with a share price that’s been on an upward [...]
M&S revamps leadership team in next chapter of transformation February 7, 2025 Marks and Spencer has announced significant changes to its non-food leadership team as it enters the next phase of its turnaround project. Clothing and home director, Richard Price, will be replaced by ex-Boohoo CEO, John Lyttle. Lyttle headed Boohoo for five years, but left last Autumn amid claims of “corporate espionage”, with allegations he was [...]
M&S to reset prices overseas as international sales dip November 24, 2024 M&S is looking to reset its prices in its overseas stores in a bid to turn around a slowdown in its international business. Chief executive Stuart Machin said the firm planned to “restore the competitiveness” of the company overseas and added that it was “way out of kilter on price”, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Despite remarkable [...]
The Capitalist: Guildhall’s gossip police on patrol as M&S boss skips Investment Summit October 17, 2024 Dispatches from Labour's Investment Summit, M&S's CEO's big night out and hijinks at Cheltenham: catch up on City gossip in The Capitalist.