Tesco urges Healey to slash ‘fundamentally unfair’ business rates Retail The boss of Tesco has urged John Healey to reform the “fundamentally unfair” business rates system and avoid a so-called warehouse tax. Ken Murphy, chief executive of the UK’s biggest grocer, has become the latest retail industry figure to urge the Chancellor to cut taxes on high street businesses, as Andy Burnham pledges a revival [...]
Tesco lifts profit outlook as consumer confidence ‘resilient’ Retail Tesco has lifted its profit outlook after seeing a boost in online sales, as the UK’s largest supermarket said consumer confidence is proving “resilient” despite an “uncertain external backdrop”. The FTSE 100 grocer improved its lower-end operating profit target from £3bn to £3.15bn for the full year, leaving its top-end forecast at £3.3bn. Industry figures [...]
Sainsbury’s merger talks mark end of supermarket big four Retail It is approaching a decade since Mike Coupe, then Sainsbury’s boss, was caught on a hot mic singing “we’re in the money” as his supermarket announced its impending takeover of rival grocer Asda. He was forced to apologise for the outburst, which was caught on camera while he waited to be interviewed by ITV News. “This [...]
Could an exit from Europe bolster Tesco’s UK dominance? October 6, 2026 Like a student nearing the end of their gap year, Tesco has careened across Europe, Asia, even the United States, and is now preparing to return home and settle down. The supermarket chain, the UK’s largest, is weighing up whether to offload its operations in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with grocery rival Lidl [...]
Lidl doubles down on loyalty pricing despite Aldi attacks October 5, 2026 Lidl grew its profit and revenue last year after pulling in an additional 43m shopping trips, as the discount grocer doubled down on its loyalty price scheme. The German firm and rival Aldi have swept to dominance of the budget grocer market in recent decades, but Aldi has hit out at its competitors for allegedly [...]
Aldi debt jumps by £100m as profit slips at discount grocer October 2, 2026 Aldi took on more than £100m in net debt last year, as the discount grocer’s profit slipped despite its blockbuster expansion plans. The supermarket chain, the UK’s fourth largest, saw its net debt grow by a fifth in 2025, from £717m to £862m. Aldi’s jump in debt comes despite the grocer’s plans to expand rapidly [...]
Aldi says rival supermarkets pushing up prices as shoppers feel pinch September 28, 2026 The boss of discount grocer Aldi has accused its rivals of driving growth by raising food prices, as the supermarket committed to fending off “persistent” price inflation. Giles Hurley, chief executive of the UK’s fourth-biggest supermarket, hit out at the grocer’s competitors, insisting that Aldi is the only operator whose prices have fallen year-on-year. He [...]
Aldi to invest £900m in new stores after record turnover September 28, 2026 Aldi is set to spend £900m opening new stores next year, as the discount grocer warned the Iran war and droughts were pushing up the “pressures” facing households. The UK’s fourth-biggest supermarket said it is seeing record sales growth because of its “relentless focus” on low prices, amid fears that the cost of food could [...]
Marks and Spencer shares slide as investors brace for inflation hit September 16, 2026 Shares in Marks and Spencer have taken a dip as investors fear that rising inflation will push shoppers away from the upmarket grocer and towards its budget rivals. FTSE-100-listed M&S, whose food arm accounts for more than half of its revenue, dropped as much as four per cent on Wednesday to 357p. The share price [...]
Morrisons sales rise as debt-ridden grocer cuts costs September 16, 2026 Morrisons has toasted faster sales growth as the private-equity-owned grocer nears £1bn in savings as it races to trim its huge debt pile. The grocer saw like-for-like sales jump by 3.2 per cent to £1.4bn in the three months to the end of July, as its chief executive attributed this “stronger sales momentum” to the [...]