Sainsbury’s warns on growth as trolley wars heat up April 17, 2025 Sainsbury’s has said it expects no profit growth in the next year as competition in the grocery market intensifies. The supermarket giant reported retail underlying operating profit of £1.036bn in the 52 weeks ended March 1, up 7.2 per cent from £966m last year. It said double-digit growth at its Sainsbury’s retail arm was partially [...]
City Hall skills bootcamps to receive £27m funding boost April 17, 2025 City Hall is set to receive a funding boost of £27m for a skills bootcamp programme for Londoners, Sir Sadiq Khan has announced. The mayor of London has welcomed the funding from the Department for Education (DfE) which represents a 25 per cent annual uplift for the programme of flexible courses, across some 7,700 trainees, [...]
Tesco, M&S and Sainsbury’s shares drop amid wider FTSE 100 rally April 10, 2025 The UK’s major listed supermarkets missed out on a post-crisis FTSE 100 bump this morning after Tesco’s full-year results stoked fears of ‘trolley wars’ in the sector. The FTSE 100 index rose by more than six per cent as investors breathed a sigh of relief after Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs were paused last night. However, Tesco, [...]
Tesco: Supermarket giant’s profit beats City expectations but ‘trolley wars’ hit outlook April 10, 2025 Supermarket giant Tesco has beaten profit expectations as it continues to speed ahead in the competitive UK grocery market, but it warned that high competition will affect profit next year. Tesco shares slumped more than seven per cent in early deals. The UK’s biggest supermarket told markets this morning that group adjusted operating profit rose [...]
FTSE 100 roars back after Trump pauses tariffs April 10, 2025 The FTSE 100 soared as markets opened this morning after President Donald Trump‘s tariff climb down on Wednesday. London’s blue-chip index gained over six per cent – an increase of nearly 500 points. The FTSE 250 climbed over four per cent. Of the risers, Barclays rocketed over 20 per cent and Melrose 16 per cent. [...]
UK retailers claw back losses as wave of selling turns to opportunistic buying April 7, 2025 Heavyweight UK retailers clawed back some of their losses on Monday afternoon as the morning’s sell-off turned to buying. The FTSE 350 general retail index had dropped by as much as four per cent in early trades, but later stabilised to minus 2.8 per cent. Even UK retailers with very little presence in the US, [...]
Tesco to reveal stronger sales amid price war fears April 6, 2025 Tesco shareholders will be hoping for reassurance over continued sales growth and robust profits next week amid the prospect of an intensifying grocery price war. Earlier this year, shares in the UK’s largest supermarket group struck their highest level for over a decade as it continued to strengthen its position in the grocery sector. In [...]
Co-op profit jumps six-fold ahead of supermarket ‘trolley wars’ April 3, 2025 The Co-op has reported a huge jump in profit for 2024 ahead of potential ‘trolley wars’ in the grocery sector. Group revenue was broadly stable year on year, ticking up by 0.2 per cent to £11.3bn, while underlying profit rose by 35 per cent to £131m. Operating profit more than doubled, from £66m to £151m, [...]
Welsh wine is no April Fools joke – and it’s delicious April 1, 2025 Firstly, I promise this isn’t an April Fool. Welsh wine is a real thing. Historically of course, they have always liked a drink. Welsh bards, poets and wordsmiths have dedicated their talent to the power and beauty of wine. As far back at the 6th century there are references to mead being drunk by warriors [...]
Higher chocolate prices push up grocery prices in March April 1, 2025 According to the latest data from market research company Kantar, higher prices for premium products pushed grocery prices up in March despite discounts on everyday items. Grocery price inflation rose slightly to 3.5 per cent over the four weeks to March 23 compared with a year ago. “With prices continuing to rise, supermarkets are mindful [...]