Asda and EG Group £12bn merger would risk jobs and food supplies, union warns April 27, 2023 A union representing workers at Asda has said a potential merger of the supermarket with EG Group’s UK petrol stations could risk jobs, food supplies and monopolise petrol stations across the UK. The GMB Union wrote to Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch urging her to call in the competition regulator to investigate the possible multibillion pound [...]
Self-driving cars will bring vital innovation to our roads – but we need new laws for it to work April 26, 2023 Self-driving cars will make our roads safer, bringing innovation to the UK. But we need regulation and clarity to ensure the industry can trust us as a place where it can flourish, writes Ben Everitt
Grocery inflation dips by just 0.2 per cent as Aldi now has a tenth of the market April 25, 2023 Grocery price inflation dipped slightly in April – but consumers are still paying 17.3 per cent more than this time last year, figures show. Kantar warned that the fall from last month’s 17.5 per cent only meant that prices were not increasing as quickly after 10 months of double-digit growth. As consumers continued to find [...]
Ex-Asda boss secures rescue deal of upmarket online butcher April 24, 2023 The former boss of supermarket Asda has led a rescue of an upmarket online butcher that counts the likes of Harrods and Fortnum & Mason among its customers. Andy Clarke – who was chief executive of Asda from 2010 until 2016 – headed up a group of investors to buy Farmison & Co, which collapsed [...]
Week Ahead: Aldi and Lidl tightening the screw on Sainsbury’s as retailers fight to retain price-wary customers April 23, 2023 The supermarket giant is set to report a fall in annual pre-tax profits this week, posting up to £690 million, down from £730 million last year. According to the latest Kantar survey, Sainsbury’s reported a strong 12-week sales growth of 12 per cent at the end of March, but fell short of rivals Aldi and [...]
CBI suspends policy and membership activities after exodus April 22, 2023 The CBI has said it will “suspend all policy and membership activity” until it can hold a meeting of its membership in June.
Experts fear UK will be left behind in lucrative race to develop self-driving cars April 20, 2023 Developers of self-driving technology have warned that the UK risks losing its ability to compete in the AV market, due to delays in regulation . “Flip-flopping” on legislation will prove highly detrimental for attracting investors, Dr Sarah Gates, Director of Public Policy at AV developer Wayve, told City AM. According to Gates, it has reached [...]
Subway: ‘Club’ deal as Advent, Bain and TPG face off with Asda owners in £8bn race for sandwich giant April 19, 2023 A flock of the world’s biggest buyout firms are eyeing the possibility of a joint bid for Subway, joining the owners of Asda in the race to acquire the sandwich chain. Advent International, Bain Capital and TPG are considering teaming up in a so-called “club deal” as the second round of auctioning for the American [...]
No break for Brits as inflation pushes the cost of kitchen staples by 80 per cent April 18, 2023 Brits are yet to receive a break from soaring food prices as the price of cheddar cheese, sliced white bread and porridge oats are up to 80 per cent more expensive than a year ago. As inflation reached record highs due to the war in Ukraine, consumers were forced to fork out more for kitchen [...]
Asda introduces self driving delivery vans in AI first April 17, 2023 Asda is rolling out its largest autonomous delivery trial with customers in London set to receive their groceries via self driving cars. The UK’s third largest grocery store is launching the scheme in partnership with Wayve, a developer of artificial intelligence for self driving cars, and the pair will use Jaguar I-Pace electric cars for [...]