Ocado shares rocket after striking Asda home deliveries deal May 29, 2026 Supermarket giant Asda has struck a deal with Ocado for the grocery technology company to take over all home deliveries from next year, as it looks to completely overhaul its online shopping business. Ocado will “quickly replace and upgrade” Asda’s existing e-commerce structure, taking control of the supermarket’s delivery operations form stores and warehouses from [...]
Emma Sleep agrees to change ‘illegal’ sales practices following court settlement May 28, 2026 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has agreed a partial settlement with mattress company Emma Sleep after it admitted to breaking consumer law over its pricing tactics. The settlement is legally binding, so if Emma Sleep fails to comply, it “could result in contempt of court proceedings, potentially leading to significant penalties,” the CMA said. [...]
Not just for lockdown: Pets at Home adapts to life after pet-buying boom May 27, 2026 Are pets for life, or just for lockdown? James Bailey, the new boss of Pets and Home, will be hoping it’s the former but the company faces a challenge in finding sustained growth without the influx of demand that came during the pandemic. Embarking on its turnaround – led by Bailey, a former Waitrose boss [...]
TG Jones owner Modella buys Flying Tiger in latest high street swoop May 27, 2026 Modella Capital has snapped up Flying Tiger Copenhagen in the private equity firm’s latest swoop on the British high street. The private equity firm sealed the previously trailed deal with Danske Bank and Nordea, the owners of Flying Tiger, on Wednesday. Modella bought Claire’s Accessories before shortly pushing it into administration and its empire of [...]
Adnams cuts alcohol content across range in beer overhaul May 27, 2026 Adnams has reported early signs of success in its beer range overhaul after reducing the alcoholic content across a number of products. The Suffolk-based brewer, famed for its 0.5 per cent Ghost Ship low-alcohol beer, took the decision last year to introduce more lower strength beers in a bid to capture consumer demand for lower [...]
Retailers ramp up pressure on Reeves to scrap tax break for e-commerce rivals May 27, 2026 Retailers have urged Rachel Reeves to “revitalise the high street” by speeding up plans to close a tax break which they say unfairly favours Chinese e-commerce rivals. High street giants like Next, M&S and Primark have urged the Chancellor to impose a £2.60 flat fee on small parcels to rebalance a system which they say [...]
Greencore shares slide as M&S sandwich supplier counts cost of Bakkavor takeover May 27, 2026 Food manufacturer Greencore counted the cost of its mammoth deal with rival Bakkavor as integration expenses plunged the firm to a loss in the first half of the year. The FTSE 250 firm – which is a supplier to countless supermarket giants including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S – was weighed down by upfront costs associated [...]
Pets at Home hails ‘better momentum’ despite profit slip May 27, 2026 Pets at Home has hailed “better momentum” in its bit to return to growth, as profit and revenue fell again while its turnaround remains in its early stages. The FTSE 250 pet supplies retailer and veterinary group saw profit before tax dip by 28 per cent to £86.5m, while group revenue fell by one per [...]
As it happened: US-Iran peace hopes sends oil lower; Brits handed energy price cap blow May 27, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Global markets were able to take the new developments in the Middle East in their stride on Tuesday amid hopes a peace deal was on the horizon. The FTSE 100 ended the day in the green and despite some choppy trading oil prices eased. This [...]
Next boss slams Labour’s zero-hour contracts crackdown May 26, 2026 The boss of Next has slammed the government’s crackdown on zero-hour contracts and called on Labour to unwind its “employment taxes”. Lord Simon Wolfson, chief executive of the FTSE 100 retailer, said the government’s plans to force employers to offer guaranteed hours to those on flexible contracts will make it “much harder” for Next to [...]