Co-op looks to funeral arm in hunt for turnaround from cyber-attack Retail Co-op posted a jump in turnover at its funeral arm, as the member-owned group said it is setting out the foundations to recover from a costly cyber-attack last year. Kate Allum, interim chief executive of the food-to-insurance firm, said the group is facing a “year of two halves” and will see its turnaround plan deliver [...]
Asda in ‘foothills of recovery’ as grocer returns to growth Retail Asda has posted sales growth for the first time in more than two years, marking a “major milestone” in the turnaround led by Allan Leighton on his comeback at the grocer. The discount supermarket saw like-for-like sales excluding fuel grow by 0.2 per cent in the seven weeks to mid-August. Like-for-like food sales jumped by [...]
Can debt-ridden Morrisons become a Big Four supermarket again? Retail “Nothing but difficult” is how one retail analyst describes the road ahead for Morrisons boss Rami Batiéh. Since taking charge of the grocer in November 2023, the chief executive has faced an uphill battle, as the group – once a firm member of the UK’s ‘big four’ – is outpaced by its rivals. Batiéh, whose [...]
Supermarkets ‘actively shielding’ shoppers as food inflation falls again August 19, 2026 Food inflation fell again in July to its lowest level in nearly five years, as retailers claim they are “actively shielding” consumers from worse price rises. The rate of food price inflation slipped to 1.3 per cent last month, down from 1.7 per cent in June, to reach the lowest point since September 2021. Industry [...]
Picky Brits: Heatwave fuels surge in finger food spending August 18, 2026 Record summer temperatures have driven a surge in “picky bits” spending as British shoppers rush to the chilled aisle in a boost to UK supermarkets. The sweltering heat is causing Brits to cut back their grocery bills, instead spending little and often on items like olives and quiche, according to figures from Worldpanel by Numerator. [...]
Burnham’s crackdown on ‘price-gouging’ splits supermarkets August 17, 2026 Tesco and Sainsbury’s have stood firm after the boss of Aldi hit out at loyalty discounts, as a “price-gouging” row threatens to divide British supermarkets. Giles Hurley, the chief executive of the discount grocer, has backed the government’s plans to clamp down on retailers which offer “misleading” discounts which do not offer real-terms value. Aldi [...]
Morrisons blames Labour for closure of 100 lossmaking stores May 22, 2026 Morrisons has taken aim at Labour policy for “significant cost increases” as it announced the closure of 100 lossmaking stores. The supermarket chain said on Thursday that it will close the 100 unprofitable Morrisons Daily convenience stores, in a move which could affect hundreds of jobs. Morrisons has faced steep debt costs following its £7bn [...]
Growth in food retail at highest in two years thanks to summer finally arriving August 21, 2024 After a damp start to summer, till sales growth boomed in July to record the strongest growth for food retail in two years. Total till sales at UK supermarkets grew 5.5 per cent in the four weeks ending 10 August 2024, up from 3.6 per cent in the previous month, according to fresh data by NIQ. [...]