Poundland owners push retailer towards insolvency Retail Poundland’s owners are resisting a takeover bid from an Irish property firm and instead pushing the discount retailer close to collapse. The leading bidder to take over the struggling discount retailer, Martin Property Group (MPG), has failed to win the favour of Poundland’s owners because it has not offered to pay for a loan up [...]
Supermarket giants welcome crackdown on Aldi and Lidl Retail Supermarket giants, including Waitrose and Morrisons, have welcomed the competition watchdog’s decision to crack down on Aldi and Lidl. Lidl and Aldi are currently excluded from a law which bans the UK’s biggest supermarket chains from engaging in so-called ‘landblocking‘. Top grocers have already warned that the existing rules allowed the two German discounters to use a “problematic” [...]
Ex-cost of living adviser Richard Walker demands ‘aggressive’ tax reform Economics Lord Richard Walker, the Iceland boss who advised the Sir Keir Starmer government on the cost of living, has called on Andy Burnham and John Healey to unleash “aggressive” tax reform to encourage firms to invest and hire more young people. In a paper for the Blairite think tank Progress, Walker made a series of [...]
Iceland eyes Poundland stores as buyers circle budget retailer October 20, 2026 Iceland is interested in buying a limited number of Poundland stores in the event the troubled retailer’s owners cannot find a single buyer, City AM can reveal. The discount supermarket will be on the lookout for a small number of shops if Poundland’s 600-store estate ends up being split apart, sources said. Iceland, which specialises [...]
Iceland boss Richard Walker vows to set up shop on Falkland Islands September 4, 2026 The boss of Iceland has waded into the fresh row over the Falkland Islands, vowing to open a supermarket in the British territory. Lord Richard Walker, executive chairman of the retailer, wrote on LinkedIn: “We’ve been supporting the Great British high street for 50 years. “As we continue our international expansion programme, we are committed [...]
Budget supermarket Iceland’s sneaky jab at Big Four management consultants August 20, 2026 Supermarket chain Iceland has shared a subtle dig at management consultants on its website. There is a tongue and cheek reference to a £16m spend on external consultancy firms which include Big Four giant PwC, during a turbulent era for the business in the early 2000s. The retailer, known for selling frozen food, published a [...]
Miliband would be ‘disaster’ as Chancellor, says Labour cost of living chief June 26, 2026 Keir Starmer’s cost of living champion has warned that Ed Miliband would be a “disaster” as Andy Burnham’s Chancellor. Lord Richard Walker, who is also executive chairman of budget supermarket Iceland, told BBC Newsnight that the current energy secretary’s net-zero policies are putting an undue burden on household bills. He said: “Climate change is real, [...]
Nearly half of retail workers considering quitting over mental health June 12, 2026 Nearly half of the UK’s millions of retail workers are considering quitting the sector over concerns for their mental health, as the majority report facing abuse at work. Retail is the sector in which the most workers (52 per cent) have faced verbal abuse in the past year, as 44 per cent mull quitting the [...]
Tech firm behind in-store ads at Currys and Iceland goes bust May 13, 2026 The firm that provides high street giants Currys and Iceland with in-store digital advertising has declared insolvency, City AM can reveal. Software company Stratacache announced its winding-up of its UK operations and appointed liquidators on Wednesday, according to insolvency filings. This comes only months after the US digital screen specialist partnered with budget supermarket giant [...]
Why the Norwegian Arctic is the best place to see the Northern Lights April 24, 2026 This Arctic outpost at the north of the Scandi nation is perhaps Europe’s best-kept travel secret, says Luke Abrahams Nighttime in Jøkelfjord, Norway, 215 miles north of the Arctic Circle. I dread to think what temperature it is. I’m hiding from the bitter air in a hot tub, although the opulence is interrupted when the [...]