With hindsight, the embarrassing incident served as an omen for the ill-fated get-together of Britain’s second- and third-largest supermarket chains. The regulator was adamant that a combination of Sainsbury’s and Asda would lead to increased prices and reduced choice for consumers. Coupe will face his City critics Wednesday as he reports on Sainsbury’s performance over its past financial year. Asda sales rose by 0.3 per cent and Morrisons’s, the fourth of the Big Four, was up by 0.6 per cent. However, the Kantar data showed all lost market share to the discounters, Aldi and Lidl, which now control a combined 13.6 per cent share of the market.

Source: The Irish Times May 01, 2019 04:31 UTC