Cost of living crunch: Shoppers exposed to extra £380 on yearly grocery bill June 21, 2022 Shoppers are now facing an additional £380 to their annual grocery bill as grocery price inflation has hit its highest level in 13 years. According to freshly published data from insight firm Kantar, grocery price inflation hit 8.3 per cent over the past four weeks, the highest level since April 2009. It comes as all [...]
Retail chiefs to meet with Treasury amid fears of fading interest in online sales tax June 20, 2022 Top retail bosses will meet with a Treasury minister later this week with the hopes of reigniting government interest in launching an online sales tax and reforming the current rates system. According to a report by Sky News, executives from retail powerhouses including Amazon, Asda, ASOS, Currys and JustEat Takeaway, are to meet with the [...]
Asda chair calls for business tax relief amid historic inflation levels June 19, 2022 Retail grandee Stuart Rose has said the government was too slow to move on the cost of living crisis and historic levels of inflation. The Asda chair and former Marks & Spencer boss has urged ministers to help struggling households amid the “tough times.” Speaking on Aquis Exchange’s Full & Frank podcast, Rose said Asda [...]
Concerns over Boots auction as buyers struggle to raise finance June 19, 2022 There has been speculation that the sale of Boots may collapse as potential buyers face difficulty with lenders as consumer confidence dwindles. It comes as New York-based private equity firm Apollo and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries have reportedly proposed an offer of between £5bn and £6bn. The Sunday Times reported that the joint bid was [...]
Tesco to reveal consumer spending habits with update this week June 12, 2022 Supermarket giant Tesco is set to shed more light on how customer spending is holding up as shoppers deal with rapidly increasing food inflation. The UK’s biggest grocer will reveal how trading has performed over the three months to May when it updates shareholders on Friday June 17. Tesco has been resilient despite pressure on [...]
Apollo and Reliance Industries join forces to make binding bid of up to £6bn for chemist Boots June 9, 2022 Private equity firm Apollo and Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries have made a binding bid for high street chemist Boots, it has been reported. According to the Financial Times, the offer values the company at between £5bn and £6bn, two sources familiar with the deal told the newspaper. US owner Walgreens Boots Alliance had been looking [...]
Petrol price has biggest daily jump in 17 years as grim milestone of a £100 tank likely tomorrow June 8, 2022 The price of petrol experienced the biggest daily jump for 17-years and looks set to surpass the grim milestone of £100 for a tank tomorrow. Motoring champions the RAC raised alarm bells saying the average price to fill up a tank of unleaded was now east £99.40, owing to an overnight rise of more than [...]
Mark Kleinman’s Column: Walgreens needs different prescription for future of Boots June 1, 2022 As an octogenarian with a literary penchant and more than half a century in business behind him, Stefano Pessina will be as aware as anyone of “time’s winged chariot hurrying near”. But is his sense of the passing of time in danger of impairing the judgement of the notoriously dogged and astute Italian dealmaker? The [...]
Competition concerns: Morrisons’ takeover of McColl’s probed by CMA May 30, 2022 The competition watchdog is probing Morrisons’ takeover of beleaguered newsagent operator McColl’s, it has been confirmed. The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Monday it had launched an inquiry to investigate whether the takeover will impact competition in the UK, with an initial enforcement order. The two businesses will be instructed to compete as [...]
Smiths News anticipates smaller than expected hit from McColl’s administration May 30, 2022 Newspaper distributor Smiths News has said it is anticipating a smaller than expected hit from McColl’s administration. The London-listed firm, which continues to supply McColl’s under Morrisons’ ownership, has said it has reduced its debt to £5.6m. After McColl’s went into administration, Smiths News took action to mitigate McColl’s bad debt risk, the supplier said [...]