Supermarkets face calls to ban plastic for fresh goods Business An influential environmental NGO has called for the Government to ban plastic packaging on fruit and vegetable products in a bid to make grocery shopping more environmentally friendly. Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) have called for a ban on packaging for 21 products including apples, carrots and tomatoes to reduce food and plastic waste. [...]
The ‘battle for value is on’ at UK grocers as supermarkets push discounts Retail Higher spending at supermarkets over the last month has been driven by sales of discounted goods as grocers compete to bring financially-stretched customers through their doors, according to fresh data. Grocery price inflation increased slightly to two per cent during the four weeks to 29 September, up from 1.7 per cent last month, according to [...]
Tesco ups guidance after first-half performance ‘exceeds expectations’ Retail Supermarket giant Tesco has upped its profit guidance following another strong period of trading for the UK’s biggest grocer. Tesco increased its retail adjusted operating profit guidance to £2.9bn, from £2.8bn, after it “delivered volume growth ahead of expectations”. Continuing sales at the grocer grew 3.5 per cent in the 26 weeks ended 24 August [...]
Lower costs help Co-op return to profit September 25, 2024 The Co-op said this morning that lower costs had helped the company return to profit in the first half of its financial year. Profit before tax grew to £58m in the first half of 2024 from a loss of £33m in the same period last year. The company, which also operates a funeral service, legal services, [...]
Tesco boss Ken Murphy: ‘The AI revolution is upon us’ September 18, 2024 Tesco boss Ken Murphy has said that personalised grocery offers like Tesco Clubcard could “nudge” consumers towards making healthier decisions and that the AI “revolution is upon us” in retail. The Tesco chief executive said that, for example, an AI programme could note someone’s high sodium intake and encourage them to buy lower-sodium and healthier [...]
Mohsin Issa to step away from Asda as search for CEO continues September 18, 2024 Supermarket giant Asda has announced that Mohsin Issa will step away from his executive leadership role to focus on his position as sole chief executive of petrol forecourts business, EG Group. Lord Stuart Rose will assume Mohsin’s responsibilities alongside TDR Capital partner Rob Hattrell, the Leeds-headquartered grocer said, while Mohsin Issa will remain a co-owner [...]
Tesco loses Supreme Court ‘hire and fire’ appeal after three-year battle September 12, 2024 Tesco has lost its ‘hire and fire’ appeal after the Supreme Court ruled it cannot terminate its employees’ contracts for the purpose of depriving them of retained payment. The judge said that employees’ contracts contained a clause barring the supermarket giant from removing their right to retained pay. The ‘landmark’ legal battle was initially brought [...]
Grocers vs bargain chains: Discount competition is heating up July 23, 2024 The discount sector is crowded and competitive: Aldi, Lidl, Poundland and B&M are only a few of the retailers vying for space. The market for discount goods has been growing over the last few years, but not every company has been a winner – only a few stores have managed to attract and keep customers. [...]
Ocado: Marks and Spencer-linked grocer is fastest-growing for third straight month May 21, 2024 Ocado has maintained its position as the fastest growing supermarket for the third month in a row, as efforts to cut prices continue to pay off.