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 [...]
Iceland eyes Poundland stores as buyers circle budget retailer Exclusive Iceland is interested in buying a limited number of Poundland stores in the event the troubled retailer’s owners cannot find a single buyer, City AM can reveal. The discount supermarket will be on the lookout for a small number of shops if Poundland’s 600-store estate ends up being split apart, sources said. Iceland, which specialises [...]
Lidl snaps up market share as rival Aldi stalls Retail 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 [...]
Tesco urges Healey to slash ‘fundamentally unfair’ business rates October 8, 2026 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’ October 8, 2026 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 October 7, 2026 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 [...]