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 [...]
Sainsbury’s warns of Iran war hit to customers, share price dips Retail Sainsbury’s has warned that the Iran war “will impact both our customers and our business,” as the supermarket giant saw its share price fall. The FTSE 100 grocer’s underlying retail profit fell by more than one per cent to £1bn, which Sainsbury’s said was due to “significant operating cost inflation,” as total sales grew by [...]
Thousands of Tesco staff to pocket £134m windfall Retail Thousands of staff at retail giant Tesco could pocket proceeds from a £134m windfall as part of its employee investor scheme. The supermarket group said more than 22,000 of its staff are eligible for significant payouts from the pot, which is part of its save-as-you-earn investor scheme. The pay boost for frontline workers follows Tesco’s [...]
Soaring food costs send shop price inflation higher January 6, 2026 Soaring food costs pushed shop price inflation higher in December, fresh data has revealed, as Brits faced the crunch during the Christmas season. Food inflation reached 3.3 per cent in the final month of 2025, up from three per cent in November, with fresh produce rising to 3.8 per cent from 3.6 per cent previously. [...]
Asda: Will 2026 be the year supermarket giant bounces back? December 26, 2025 This time last year, analysts warned that Asda needed to “dig down into its soul” if it was to turn around its fortunes. After a rollercoaster 2024 in which it struggled with debt, strikes and falling sales, the Leeds-headquartered supermarket giant was hoping the new year would begin to reveal green shoots of recovery. Under [...]
Argos treated like an ‘unloved child’ by Sainsbury’s December 4, 2025 Argos “is not performing to the best of its ability” and the strategy of its owner, FTSE 100 giant Sainsbury’s, has left it like an “unloved child”, according to an analyst. The future of Argos was thrust into the headlines after Sainsbury’s confirmed in September that it was in discussions to sell the retailer to Chinese e-commerce giant [...]
Asda boss bashes Budget as sales continue to drop November 28, 2025 Asda boss Allen Leighton has hit out at the Autumn Budget as anti-growth and anti-investment as sales as the supermarket giant stumbled due to an IT handover. The executive chairman said Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget “didn’t do anything for anybody” and that “there’s nothing the government is doing that is stimulating growth”. Speaking to City AM [...]
Farmfoods: Iceland rival battles rising costs September 30, 2025 Budget supermarket chain Farmfoods has said rising costs weighed on its profit as it battled to keep prices down for its customers. The business, which is headquartered in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, has posted a pre-tax profit of £33.1m for 2024, up from the £25.5m it achieved in 2023. However, Farmfoods said “increased cost pressures” resulted [...]
Sainsbury’s FTSE 100 shares highest since 2014 after Argos talks September 15, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 supermarket giant Sainsbury’s have surged to their highest value in more than a decade after it held brief talks to sell Argos to Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. Sainsbury’s share price has jumped by almost five per cent in early trades this morning to 322p. The value is the company’s highest its [...]
Aldi issues Budget warning as profit slashed September 15, 2025 Profit at discount supermarket giant Aldi was slashed by more than £100m during its latest financial year despite sales passing the £18bn mark. New figures released by the chain show its operating profit declined from £552.9m to £435.5m in 2024. Aldi said the fall was as a result of it continuing to “lower prices for [...]