Asda needs to ‘dig down into its soul’ and recover sense of purpose, say analysts December 9, 2024 Asda needs to “dig down into its soul” and reshape its pitch to customers if it wants to tackle the rising threat from the likes of Aldi and Lidl following a rollercoaster 2024, analysts have warned. The Leeds-headquartered supermarket giant has not been far from the headlines all year amid debt struggles, strikes, falling sales [...]
Morrisons expands use of Ocado’s grocery-picking software in store November 28, 2024 Ocado has announced it will work more with Morrisons in-store and less via fulfilment centres as the latter company recalibrates the operations of its online grocery arm. Morrisons, which has been working with Ocado since 2013, will “gradually cease” deliveries from Ocado’s Erith fulfilment centre, in the south east Ocado said in a statement this [...]
Morrisons puts 400 jobs at risk after failing to turn around loss-making bakery November 20, 2024 Supermarket giant Morrisons has confirmed plans to close a loss-making bakery in a move which has put almost 400 jobs at risk. The Bradford-headquartered grocer is looking to shut down Rathbones after failing to return the business to profit. The bakery was acquired by Morrisons out of administration in 2005 but has been loss making [...]
Lidl boss warns retailers are ‘reeling’ after Budget tax raid November 20, 2024 The boss of budget supermarket Lidl has warned retailers are “reeling” following Labour’s tax raid in the Autumn Budget. The German supermarket’s UK boss Ryan McDonnell said the discount brand was staring down the barrel of “tens of millions of pounds” in extra costs. This comes after the Chancellor unveiled a £25.7bn tax-raising package, with [...]
How Arla Foods boss went from selling cigarettes to Lurpak and Cravendale November 15, 2024 A globe-trotting career that began selling cigarettes at British American Tobacco and has led to heading up the UK arm of dairy giant Arla Foods is maybe not what Bas Padberg could have predicted when he started out in the early 1990s. The managing director of the group behind Lurpak, Cravendale, Skyr and B.O.B milk [...]
Struggles continue at Asda as new owner looks to turn around supermarket giant November 12, 2024 The continuing struggles at supermarket giant Asda have been revealed with both Tesco and Sainsbury’s hoovering up its market share in the UK, according to new figures. Sales at the Leeds-based grocer totalled £4.242bn in the 12 weeks to 3 November, 2024, down from the £4.490bn it reported for the same period last year, the [...]
Sainsbury’s: FTSE 100 retailer warns Reeves’ budget may push up food prices November 7, 2024 Chief executive of Sainsbury’s Simon Roberts has warned that Reeves’ decision to increase employer’s national insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.2 per cent to 15 per cent next April could lead to price inflation. Sainsbury’s has estimated the cost of the change at £140m, according to the Guardian. “This industry operates on very low margins, and there just [...]
One Stop sales jump at Tesco-owned convenience store chain November 7, 2024 Sales at convenience store chain One Stop, which is owned by Tesco, jumped to almost £1.3bn during its latest financial year. The Walsall-headquartered business has posted a revenue of £1.29bn for the 12 months to 24 February, 2024, up from the £1.17bn it achieved in the prior year. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House have also [...]
Asda cuts jobs and demands three-days-a-week return to office November 6, 2024 Asda has announced job cuts and asked its staff to return to the office three days a week in the latest move in its turnaround plan. In an internal email on 5 November, the grocer said it was changing its office attendance policy at its George House site in Leicester as well as its Asda [...]
Asda takeover completes as Issa brothers split made official November 1, 2024 Asda is now under the majority control of private equity giant TDR Capital after billionaire Zuber Issa sold his shares in the supermarket giant. Funds managed by TDR Capital now hold a 67.5 per cent stake in the Leeds-headquartered company while Zuber’s brother Mohsin Issa retains his 22.5 per cent holding. A further 10 per [...]