Commons Committee demands answer from Asda over ‘unclear’ fire and hire evidence July 5, 2023 The Business and Trade Committee is demanding Asda provide more evidence over it’s “unclear” fire-and-rehire strategy, after some 7,000 workers were threatened with the practice back in May. Chair of the committee, Darren Jones, is hauling the ‘Big Four’ grocer back in front of MPs after it said it was “concerned about apparent discrepancies” between [...]
Sainsbury’s: ‘Food inflation starting to fall’ as supermarket giant reports grocery sales surge by 11 per cent July 4, 2023 Sainsbury’s has claimed “food inflation is starting to fall” as it recorded an 11 per cent hike in grocery sales in the first leg of the year. The ‘Big Four’ grocer, recorded an inflation-led 9.8 per cent like-for like-increase in total retail sales excluding fuel in the first quarter of the year up from 4 [...]
CMA takes aim at supermarkets for weakening fuel price competition – as Brits pay nearly £1bn more for fuel July 3, 2023 Increased supermarket profit margins led to drivers paying almost £1bn more for fuel last year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found. Following a year long investigation, the watchdog said today that average supermarket fuel margins rose by 6p per litre between 2019 and 2022, with £900m syphoned out of customers pockets in total. [...]
Sainsbury’s results: Will efforts to keep prices low pay off? July 3, 2023 Investors will turn their focus to Sainsbury’s first quarter trading update on Tuesday to see how shoppers are reacting to the impact of food inflation amid the cost of living crisis. The supermarket is expected to post a jump in revenues driven by higher grocery sales over the quarter to June. Analysts at Shore and [...]
Tesco slashes price of 500 essentials including fruit and veg, rice and tuna to help shoppers with cost of living June 30, 2023 Tesco has cut the price of more than 500 household essentials, in a boost to shoppers after the surge in the cost of living. The supermarket giant confirmed reductions in the price of key products such as fruit and vegetables, rice and tuna, as retailers have faced growing scrutiny over higher food costs. Latest official [...]
B&M: Bargain hunting Brits help budget chain’s revenues top £1bn June 29, 2023 Brits seeking out bargains have continued to drive earnings at value retailer B&M as it reported a 13.5 per cent rise in group revenue in the first leg of the year. The news, however, failed to impress investors as its share price slumped over 6 per cent when markets opened this morning. The homeware to [...]
Hunt unveils measures to ensure customers get fair pricing June 28, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has drafted an action plan with authorities to ensure customers are being facing fair prices during the cost of living crisis. Hunt sat down with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and the regulators for the energy, water and communications sectors, early on Wednesday 28 June at 11 Downing Street. He was [...]
Teasing supermarket execs won’t stop inflation, it’s suppliers we need to grill June 28, 2023 Supermarket bosses are an easy shot, but its suppliers making profits which would dwarf those of Tesco or Sainsbury's.
Pressure on supermarkets to lower prices sends food inflation to new low June 27, 2023 Supermarkets slashing the prices of kitchen staples such as bread, milk and cheese has helped ease food inflation in a welcome boost for shoppers. Food inflation fell to 14.6 per cent in June, down from 15.4 per cent in May, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The decline marks the second consecutive monthly [...]
Brexit trade restrictions will fuel food inflation, lobby group warns June 26, 2023 Proposed restrictions on post-Brexit trade will pile costs onto consumers, representatives of the UK’s fresh produce industry warned. The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) warned that an extra £10m from import charges would have to be passed on to consumers, further fuelling food inflation. In a letter to the government seen by The Guardian, the FPC [...]