Profiteering? Supermarkets to face Parliamentary grilling this week June 25, 2023 Supermarket bosses will be probed this week on whether or not they are profiteering from high prices. Lead figures from UK ‘Big four’ grocers, including Morrison’s boss David Potts, will face questions from MPs on Tuesday on red hot food and fuel prices, and when customers might see price falls. Sainsbury’s’ food commercial director, Tesco’s [...]
Ex Asda boss: Cutting prices for cash-strapped Brits is ‘very important’ after Sunuk plea June 23, 2023 Supermarkets regard cutting prices as “very important”, according to a former boss of Asda, after the Prime Minister warned retailers about pricing “responsibly and fairly”. Andy Clarke, who served as Asda’s chief executive officer between 2010 and 2016, said the big chains were “heavily focused” on competitive pricing as the industry hit back over suggestions [...]
Morrisons loyalty scheme helps hike sales to £3.7bn June 22, 2023 Morrisons has recorded a 0.9 per cent decline in group revenues, blaming a slowdown in sales across its petrol stations. During the quarter, its total sales excluding its fuel offering rose by 3.1 per cent to £3.7bn, and sales across its wholesale channel were also up 20 per cent. The former ‘Big Four’ grocery, which [...]
Claim of supermarkets profiteering doesn’t pass ‘basic smell test,’ says former Sainsbury’s boss June 21, 2023 The former boss of Sainsbury’s has roundly rejected claims that British supermarkets are profiteering during the cost of living crisis, arguing that the government and regulators should focus on helping those in need instead of considering “interfering in markets”. “This idea that [supermarkets] are somehow profiteering in these circumstances… it doesn’t even pass a basic [...]
Grocery inflation falls to lowest monthly rate this year June 20, 2023 Grocery price inflation has fallen to its lowest monthly rate this year – but remains at its sixth highest level since 2008, figures show. Grocery inflation dropped to 16.5 per cent for the four weeks to June 11, down from last month’s 17.2 per cent and March’s record 17.5 per cent according to analysts Kantar. [...]
CMA hits out at Asda and Sainsbury’s for restricting competition June 13, 2023 Asda and Sainsbury’s broke anti-competition rules a combined total of 32 times between 2011 and 2019, the competition watchdog said this morning. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets broke the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which was brought in to stop supermarkets imposing new restrictions that stop rivals [...]
Tesco prepares its quarterly results as UK competition regulator circles supermarket June 11, 2023 Tesco is set to report its first quarter trading results on Friday as the UK’s competition regulator circles the country’s largest supermarket chain over concerns about its pricing strategies. Last week, it emerged that consumer goods champion Which? had reported Tesco to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over claims that it does not display [...]
Cheap and cheerful: Poundland owner to open 550 new sites as inflation drives expansion June 6, 2023 Poundland owner Pepco has plans to roll out 550 more sites this year across the UK and Europe as its cheap and cheerful goods continue to perform well with customers amidst the cost of living crisis. In its interim results the value shop, which sells everything from groceries to clothes, posted a 22.8 per cent [...]
Cost of weekly shop continues to rise as Brits opt for TV nights in June 6, 2023 Brits are continuing to fork out more on their weekly shop, with households spending 8.9 per cent more on groceries year on year, with the nation increasingly turning to takeaways and nights in front of the telly in efforts to cut down on spending costs. During May, consumer card spending rose just 3.6 per cent [...]
Retailers urge rethink on net zero ‘grocery tax’ as public blame Brexit for rising costs June 4, 2023 Top retailers have urged the government to rethink plans for green levies to fund the recycling of food packaging in a bid to avoid a further rise in spiralling food costs. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned the scheme, dubbed the ‘net zero grocery tax’, could push up shopping bills by up to £4bn [...]