UK Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged last week that there will be an economic cost when the UK leaves the EU's single market and customs union, but said that the government would work to protect jobs and trade with a new customs deal, and avoid a hard border. May’s long-awaited speech on Brexit last Friday elicited mixed reactions. But Helen dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium welcomed the government’s vision to secure a border which would be as frictionless as possible.
The CEO of the Britain’s second-largest retailer Sainsbury's has warned that Brexit would lead to an unprecedented food shortage if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. “The impact of closing the borders for a few days to the free movement of food would result in a food crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen,” Sainsbury's chief executive officer, Mike Coupe, said in an interview. “It’s inconceivable to me that there won’t be a solution found.”
Ireland has been warned by 14 EU countries that its Public Health (Alcohol) Bill could pose a breach of EU law. The states, which include France, Austria, Portugal and Italy, scolded the Irish bill for being a disproportionate response to the issues surrounding alcohol, adding that it would harm trade and discriminate against new products entering the Irish market, The Times reported.
After a turbulent election, the political climate in Italy is far from settling down, with an impasse between political parties of all stripes. The chief executive of Italian retailer Conad, Francesco Pugliese, told ESM: European Supermarket Magazine that he hopes that the country will be able to form a government “in a hurry”, adding that business “cannot wait” or the economy may very soon reverse its recent gains.
Tesco and Morrisons were the best performers out of the UK’s ‘Big Four’ supermarkets, according to the latest Kantar Worldpanel figures for the 12 weeks to 25 February 2018. Both retailers posted 2.7% growth for the period, compared to the same period last year. Tesco remains the UK’s biggest supermarket group, accounting for 27.9% of the market, with Sainsbury’s in second place on 16.2% market share (+1.1% growth) and Asda on 15.6% share (2.3% growth). Morrisons remains fourth on 10.6% share.
Consumer goods giant Unilever announced last week that it has completed its acquisition of personal-care and home-care brands from Quala. The deal, which was first announced in May 2017, will see Unilever acquire a number of leading Latin American brands across several categories, including hair-care ranges Savital, eGo, and Bio-Expert, as well as Fortident toothpaste and Aromatel fabric conditioner.
© 2018 - Checkout Magazine by Kevin Duggan
