Reeves food tariffs policy will ‘barely touch the sides’ on supermarket prices May 21, 2026 Food manufacturers and retailers have slammed Rachel Reeves’ cost of living measures, claiming the government’s loosening of food tariffs will do little to help supermarkets to cut prices. The Chancellor urged supermarkets to pass on savings from the stripped tariffs to shoppers “in full,” but retailers fear this measure will “barely touch the sides,” City [...]
Tesco boss Ken Murphy took £1m pay rise in grocer’s bumper year May 15, 2026 Ken Murphy, the boss of Tesco, took a more-than £1m pay rise this year, bringing his total pay packet to £10.8m in the year the grocer solidified its dominant position in the market. The chief executive of the supermarket giant’s total pay packet for the 2025/26 year included £1.5m in basic pay, a £3.4m bonus [...]
M&S eyes up Brits’ weekly shops as food arm set to expand May 15, 2026 Marks & Spencer has not been shy over its ambition to conquer the British weekly shop, and the retail giant is nearing a crucial update on its foray into the UK’s fiercely competitive grocery market. M&S Food accounts for more than half (54 per cent) of the retailer’s revenues, and its recent warehouse expansions suggest [...]
Who Gives a Crap: The toilet roll tycoon making a splash May 6, 2026 Simon Griffiths founded Who Gives a Crap toilet paper with the philanthropic aim of ensuring everyone has access to a clean toilet. He has raised £11m so far, but Griffiths tells Felix Armstrong that’s not nearly enough “I was always an entrepreneurial kid at school,” Simon Griffiths says, as he explains the complex process of [...]
Supermarkets round on Aldi and Lidl over ‘rigged’ system May 6, 2026 A host of leading British supermarkets have rounded on German discounters Aldi and Lidl over fears competition is being “distorted” by a “rigged” system. Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Iceland are ramping up pressure on the competition watchdog to crack down on Aldi and Lidl’s ability to block rivals from opening new stores on nearby land. The [...]
‘Political choice’: Retailers urge government to act on rising costs May 6, 2026 Retailers have urged the government to cut tax and red tape to counter soaring energy costs caused by the Iran war. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), an industry trade body, has accused Labour of making a “political choice” not to cut energy taxes and delay costly regulation to avoid the worst shop inflation. The effective [...]
Blackstone, Saudi wealth fund collect £4m dividends from four Morrisons stores May 4, 2026 Private equity firm Blackstone and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund have handed themselves £4m in dividends from their ownership of four Morrisons supermarket buildings. The pair acquired the sites – in Maldon, Stockport, Harrogate and Newcastle – for £110m in 2023 as part of a sale and leaseback arrangement which saw the supermarket chain sell [...]
‘National scandal’: Record-high shoplifting driven by repeat offenders April 26, 2026 Shoplifting has been branded a “national scandal” as incidents reach a record high, fuelled by a growing number of repeat offenders. More than 500,000 shoplifting offenses were recorded last year, according to official figures released in response to a parliamentary question by former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith. Fears around the worsening state of [...]
Economy could suffer for eight months after Iran war ends, minister says April 26, 2026 Surging food and energy prices caused by the Iran war could last for more than eight months after the conflict ends, Starmer’s right-hand man has said. Higher petrol, food and plane ticket prices will persist for “eight-plus months” following the end of the conflict, chief secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said. The minister [...]
Supermarkets pile pressure on government to cut energy costs April 23, 2026 Supermarkets are calling on the government to cut taxes on energy to help retailers dodge looming food inflation, with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S and Asda piling pressure on Labour. The boss of Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second-largest grocer, became the latest industry figure to call for the Treasury to step in. On Thursday, the supermarket said it [...]