Committee chairs Neil Parish and Rachel Reeves to ask competition watchdog to include suppliers in Sainsbury’s Asda probe May 2, 2018 Two select committee chairs have joined forces to ask the competition watchdog to include suppliers in any probe of the Sainsbury’s Asda merger. Neil Parish, the Conservative chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, told City A.M. that he and Labour MP Rachel Reeves will ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) [...]
DEBATE: Would the Sainsbury’s-Asda merger be good for consumers? May 1, 2018 Would the Sainsbury’s-Asda merger be good for consumers? Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, says YES. Large deals such as these will always result in winners and losers, with suppliers and some of the competition potentially falling into the losers camp. However, it is difficult to see that consumers would be anything other [...]
Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe apologises for singing “we’re in the money” as concerns grow over Asda merger April 30, 2018 Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe was left embarrassed this evening as he was caught on camera singing “We’re in the Money”, on the day the supermarket announced details of a merger with Walmart-owned Asda. Coupe’s little ditty came as unions and MPs raised concerns that the deal could result in job losses and a squeeze on [...]
Store wars: Sainsbury’s and Asda mega-merger heats up race to become Britain’s ultimate supermarket superpower April 30, 2018 The race to become Britain’s ultimate supermarket superpower grew suddenly more interesting over the weekend as Sainsbury’s and Walmart-owned Asda revealed they are in merger talks to become Britain’s largest grocer. The two supermarkets, which have both lost market share, are seeking to join forces in a bid to topple Tesco, the current market leader [...]
Sainsbury’s to announce details of talks for £10bn Asda merger April 30, 2018 Details of a proposed £10bn mega-merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda will be revealed today, after it emerged that the two giants are locked in takeover talks. Sainsbury’s will issue a statement to the market this morning after confirming on Saturday that it was in advanced discussions regarding the tie-up with Wal-Mart owned Asda. City observers [...]
Argos adds 150 new tech roles in London and Milton Keynes April 26, 2018 Argos is on the hunt for 150 new employees for its technology division, as it bolsters its digital shopping operations. The retailer, which is owned by Sainsbury’s, will enlarge its tech team by 25 per cent, with most of the roles based in its London Victoria tech hub. A handful of jobs will also be [...]
WeWork could move into Debenhams on Oxford Street as retailers seek solutions for excess space March 7, 2018 Debenhams is in talks to rent out space in its Oxford Street flagship store to co-working space provider WeWork, it has emerged. The retailer has put out feelers to find occupants for excess space in its large stores, according to Bloomberg. WeWork has become London’s biggest occupier of office space after rapid expansion in the [...]
John Lewis, Waitrose and Lidl: The top 10 retailers with the best customer shopping experience – Forrester February 15, 2018 Middle England favourites John Lewis and Waitrose continue to triumph when it comes to offering shoppers the best customer experience – but Lidl is racing ahead of rivals. The discounter climbed to ninth – a rise of six places – in an annual ranking of the best customer shopping experience, taking into account things such [...]
UK healthcare companies are set for consolidation as private equity interest is piqued February 6, 2018 Mid-sized healthcare companies in the UK are enjoying their moment in the spotlight, according to new research, as private equity firms are jumping on them as defensive investments which can help them get cash out of the door. Mid-market private equity funds have shown increasing interest in such companies over the past year, according to [...]
Sainsbury’s takes full control of Nectar in £60m deal with Aimia February 1, 2018 Sainsbury’s has paid £60m to take full control of the Nectar loyalty scheme, giving it greater access to information about customer habits. It said the decision to acquire the shares in the programme from analytics firm Aimia Inc UK was part of a strategy “of knowing its customers better than anyone else”. While consumers will [...]