Guinness maker Diageo sales squeezed under ‘competitive pressure’ Retail Diageo recorded sluggish sales growth in the first quarter of its financial year as the drinks giant faced “competitive pressure” in its top markets. The FTSE 100 group, which owns Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray, recorded net sales up 1.2 per cent year-on-year at $4.9bn. But organic growth, which strips out currency volatility and the [...]
Poundland owner ‘not acting in best interests’ of workers, says No10 Retail Poundland owner Gordon Brothers is “not acting in the best interests” of the discount retailer’s staff and stores as it hurtles towards collapse, Downing Street has said. The Boston-based investment firm, which has faced intense criticism over its attempted sale of Poundland, must explain why it has rejected solvent offers to rescue the troubled retailer [...]
Just one country remains in Tesco’s decades-long global retreat Retail Tesco’s sale of its Czech and Slovak businesses is the latest step in its long retreat from a once-sprawling global presence. Felix Armstrong traces this journey Tesco’s hold on the British grocery market is unmatched. Holding a towering 27.8 per cent market share across more than 3,600 shops, the supermarket chain is a fixture on [...]
Tesco retreats from Europe with £1.5bn sale of Czech and Slovak divisions October 30, 2026 Tesco has agreed to sell its businesses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to a Dutch supermarket giant in a billion-pound deal. The UK’s largest grocer said today it would sell its operations in the two European countries to Ahold Delhaize in a deal worth €1.7bn (£1.5bn), in what marks the company’s latest retreat from [...]
Top court rejects Tesco appeal in ‘equal pay’ case October 23, 2026 The Supreme Court has blocked Tesco from appealing a key ruling in a long-running equal pay claim brought by more than 16,000 shop workers. Tesco is one of several UK supermarkets caught in a legal battle over allegations that it underpays its store workers, mainly women, compared with distribution centre workers, who are mostly men. [...]
Supermarkets blindsided by ‘shambolic’ stockpiling warning October 23, 2026 Supermarkets have been caught off guard by the government’s “shambolic” campaign to urge Brits to stock up on supplies of food and water, industry sources told City AM. Retailers were not told the details of the government’s “Be Ready” campaign until days before it was announced and expected it to be a more “low key” [...]
Mark Kleinman: Every Lidl helps a new era of supermarket mergers October 15, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column. Every Lidl helps a new era of supermarket mergers Every Lidl helps. For that matter, every Aldi does too. With apologies to the creators of Tesco’s famous advertising slogan, that might be the neatest way to encapsulate [...]
Retailers back on alert after new wave of cyber attacks October 15, 2026 When Asos customers were sent a cryptically-worded push notification on Tuesday last week, some shoppers thought they were being hawked the fast fashion retailer’s new Christmas collection. One thought the alert was “some crappy marketing scheme to get me to check the app and to view their snowflake collection,” they wrote on X. The notification [...]
Lidl snaps up market share as rival Aldi stalls October 13, 2026 Lidl is the fastest-growing grocer in the UK, new figures suggest, as the discount supermarket grabs more market share while its rivals stall. The German discounter held 8.6 per cent of the UK’s grocer market in the 12 weeks to October, according to Worldpanel by Numerator, up from 8.2 per cent a year ago. This [...]
Retailers press Healey to cut high street taxes at crunch Downing St meeting October 13, 2026 Retailers urged John Healey to “reverse the damage” of rising high street taxes as the Chancellor met industry bosses on Tuesday. Top retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer pressed Healey on business rates and youth unemployment but the Chancellor stopped short of confirming any Budget measures. Healey hosted high street bosses at Number [...]