October Budget could be a ‘tipping point,’ Asda boss warns Burnham Retail Andy Burnham’s first Budget in October could be a “tipping point” for British businesses and the economy, the chair of supermarket giant Asda has warned. Allan Leighton, who is attempting to push through a turnaround of the grocer, said it is “too early to tell” whether the government is committed to halting the rise of [...]
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 [...]
Asda turnaround king Allan Leighton hopes for summer boost Retail Allan Leighton, the turnaround expert charged with leading Asda’s resurgence, has been known for his showmanship. During his first stint at Asda in the 90s, he kicked off an annual managers’ conference by revving into the auditorium on a Harley-Davidson motorbike. It was this reputation for bold, eye-catching leadership which prompted struggling discount retailer Asda [...]
Morrisons pledges to slash prices as price war intensifies August 24, 2026 Morrisons has pledged to match prices with its rivals on hundreds of products, as the debt-ridden grocer ramps up an emerging price war between UK supermarkets. The private-equity-owned supermarket has vowed that 500 of its “everyday essentials” will not be found cheaper at any of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi or Lidl. Britain’s supermarkets are fighting [...]
Can debt-ridden Morrisons become a Big Four supermarket again? August 22, 2026 “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 [...]
Aldi boss wades into supermarket ‘price-gouging’ row August 16, 2026 The boss of Aldi has waded into the bitter row over whether supermarkets are profiteering off of struggling customers as he backed a government crackdown on “rip-off” discounts. Giles Hurley, the chief executive of the discount grocer, said the government is “right” to take on misleading discounts and promotions “in their work to tackle cost [...]
Could a ‘land blocking’ rule change spell danger for Aldi and Lidl? August 13, 2026 German discounters Aldi and Lidl have rapidly taken control of the UK’s budget grocery market in recent years. But could new curbs on ‘land blocking’ slow their insurgency? Only a few decades ago, Lidl and Aldi were oddities. By 2008, the German discount supermarkets had been in the UK for more than 10 years but [...]
Brits think supermarkets are profiteering – despite slowing food inflation August 12, 2026 The majority of Brits think that supermarkets are profiteering from rising food prices caused by the Iran war despite the Chancellor John Healey recently admitting there was little evidence of the practice, new polling has revealed. Some 70 per cent of UK voters believe that supermarkets are making “excessive” profits from food inflation, according to [...]
Miliband would be ‘disaster’ as Chancellor, says Labour cost of living chief June 26, 2026 Keir Starmer’s cost of living champion has warned that Ed Miliband would be a “disaster” as Andy Burnham’s Chancellor. Lord Richard Walker, who is also executive chairman of budget supermarket Iceland, told BBC Newsnight that the current energy secretary’s net-zero policies are putting an undue burden on household bills. He said: “Climate change is real, [...]
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 [...]