~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (9)

Shoppers spend more on promotions as Easter lifts sales of chocolate eggs and hot-cross bunsBusiness live – latest updatesGrocery price inflation in Great Britain has slowed to 3.2%, the lowest since November 2021, as the cost of toilet rolls, butter and milk fell and people spent more on store promotions.The decline in the four weeks to 14 April marked the 14th monthly drop in...

Independent shopkeepers say prices they pay at supermarket’s cash-and-carry arm Booker are often higher than in Tesco storesVillage shopkeepers say Tesco is consistently undercutting them by selling products for less in its stores than via its wholesale business Booker, stoking concerns about the power of the UK’s biggest supermarket chain.Tesco, which has 27% of the UK grocery market, bought the cash-and-carry group in 2017...

Profits near £2.3bn for supermarket, which says it is ‘conscious things are still difficult for many customers’Business live – latest updatesTesco has said inflationary pressures in the UK grocery sector have “lessened substantially”, as it announced plans to make £500m in efficiency savings in the year ahead.As expected, the country’s biggest supermarket chain revealed pre-tax profits of almost £2.3bn, up 159% on the previous...

Waitrose and Ocado win new shoppers while a quarter of households are feeling the squeezeBusiness live – latest updatesGrocery price inflation in Great Britain has slowed to 4.5%, its lowest level since February 2022, but one in four households are still struggling financially, retail researchers have found.The upmarket retailers Waitrose and Ocado were the only grocers to win new shoppers in the past three...

Supermarket chain ‘working hard’ to resolve problem that leaves it unable to fulfil most of Saturday ordersSainsbury’s has said it has experienced technical issues and is unable to fulfil the “vast majority” of its online grocery deliveries.In a post on X, the supermarket chain said: “We’re experiencing technical issues affecting some stores, our groceries online service and our ability to contact customers. Unfortunately, we...

National Farmers’ Federation council member says the food sector should not be ‘held to ransom’ by Coles and WoolworthsGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastSome fruit and vegetable growers have not received price increases from the major supermarkets in 15 years, and farmers are being pressured to fund recent price promotions, a Senate inquiry has heard.Speaking at the...

Rise of 3.4% in January is biggest monthly increase since April 2021 as shoppers return to storesBusiness live – latest updatesRetailers in Great Britain enjoyed the strongest rebound in monthly sales in almost three years in January as people returned to the shops after a slump in Christmas shopping.Sales rose by 3.4% last month, the biggest monthly rise since April 2021, as all retail...

Inspired by French action, British campaigners say they will continue slow tractor protests after Dover roads were blockedFarmers say there will be further French-style blockades following a slow tractor protest at Dover against low supermarket prices and cheap food imports from post-Brexit trade deals.Around 40 tractors and other farm vehicles blocked roads around the Kent port for several hours on Friday evening by driving...

Claim comes amid state and federal inquiries into Australian grocery sector and what producers say is a widening gap between wholesale and shelf pricesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastFarming groups have accused the major supermarkets of using their power to distort the market, leading to elevated prices for shoppers and low prices for producers.The claim comes amid...