Britain's big retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S and Next, say they are stepping up their drive for efficiency through automation and other measures, to limit the impact of rising costs on the prices they charge their customers.
As the UK economy struggles to grow, the new Labour government's solution is a hike in employer taxes to raise money for investment in infrastructure and public services, which has prompted criticism from the business community.
Retailers have said the increased social security payments, a rise in the national minimum wage, packaging levies and higher business rates - all coming in April - will cost the sector £7 billion a year.
Concerns of the wider economic impact sent retail share prices sharply lower this week and drove up government borrowing costs.
In the retail sector, larger players have more scope to adapt and are cushioned by previous healthy profits, but analysts have said smaller players could find themselves under severe pressure.
Clothing retailer Next said it faced a £67 million increase in wage costs in its year to end-January 2026, but still forecast profit growth.
It reckons it can offset the higher wage bill with measures including a 1 per cent increase in prices that it said was "unwelcome, but still lower than UK general inflation". It can also increase operational efficiencies in its warehouses, distribution network and stores, the company said.
CEO Simon Wolfson said more automation was inevitable across the sector.
"With any mechanisation project you're always looking at a pay-back on it - you're saying 'what's the saving versus the cost of the mechanisation, or AI or software'," he told Reuters.
"If the price of the mechanisation doesn't go up, but the price of the labour it saves does go up, it's going to mean that more projects can be justified."
More robots?
Baker and food-to-go chain Greggs last year opened a highly automated production line at its Newcastle, northeast England, site, meaning it can make up to 4 million more steak bakes and other products each week from its current 10 million.
Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket, is also increasing automation and will open a robotic chilled distribution centre in Aylesford, southeast England, this year.
No. 2 grocer Sainsbury's is encouraging more shoppers to use its SmartShop handheld self-scanning technology.
Even though Tesco faces a £250m annual hit from the hike in employer national insurance contributions alone, CEO Ken Murphy said it would cope.
Having navigated the Covid pandemic, supply chain disruption and commodity and energy inflation, he said Tesco was used to dealing with rising costs by finding savings elsewhere.
Finance chief Imran Nawaz said Tesco's "Save to Invest" programme was on track to deliver £500m of efficiency savings in its year to February 2025, having delivered £640m in 2023/24.
"As we look ahead it's clear it's going to be another year where we'll need to do a stellar job," Nawaz said, singling out savings from better buying by Tesco's procurement organisation, in logistics, in freight, and in cutting waste.
Sainsbury's, facing an additional £140m national insurance headwind, is similarly targeting £1bn of cost savings by March 2027.
Clothing and food retailer M&S, facing £120m of extra wage costs, said it aimed to pass on "as little as possible" to consumers.
One of the biggest names on the British high street, the 141-year-old retailer is in the middle of a successful turnaround programme and believes it can continue to grind out further savings, modernising its distribution and supply chain.
"My summary is: big job, but lots in our control and we've got to be ruthlessly focused on costs in these next 12 months," CEO Stuart Machin said.
"We talk a lot about volume growth, because the more we sell, the more that offsets some of these cost pressures."
Ian Lance, fund manager at Redwheel, one of M&S's biggest investors, said the firm was likely to be able to weather the cost challenges better than most. "They have an exceptionally capable management team and a product offering which is clearly resonating with consumers for its quality and value," he said.
But for many smaller players raising prices is the only option.
A British Chambers of Commerce survey of 4,800 businesses, mostly with fewer than 250 staff, found 55 per cent planned price increases - potentially hampering the fight to contain inflation and grow the economy.
And for some, more drastic action may be required.
British discount retailer Shoe Zone has said the additional costs of the budget meant some stores had become unviable and would be closed.
New rules about how and where foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) can be promoted and displayed in larger shops and online have been passed by the Senedd.
The regulations are designed to prevent impulse purchases and over-consumption and expected to help to tackle the growing problem of obesity in Wales.
The Food (Promotion and Presentation) (Wales) Regulations 2025, which largely mirror rules already in place in England, will:
restrict promotions that can encourage over-consumption, such as multi-buy offers and free refills of sugary drinks
restrict the presentation of foods high in fat, sugar and salt products at prime selling locations such as store entrances, checkouts and website homepages
apply to medium and large businesses with 50 or more employees
The Welsh government said, citing research, up to 83 per cent of purchases made on promotion are impulse buys, with almost half (43%) of food and drink products in prominent store locations promoting sugary foods and drinks.
“These regulations are a key part of our strategy to tackle Wales’ growing obesity problem,” Welsh health secretary Jeremy Miles said after the vote in the Senedd.
“We want to make it easier for people to make healthier choices and we’ll achieve this by improving the food environment around them. If we ensure healthier food and drinks are more available, accessible and visible to people in shops and stores, it will support our efforts to reduce obesity rates and improve public health.”
Miles has earlier said that the government will continue to support businesses and local authorities to implement and enforce the requirements introduced by these regulations.
The regulations will come into force in March next year following a 12-month implementation period.
JET New North Road store in Ilford, London is expecting its flower sales to cross £85,000 this year from popular calendar days, including Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
Tulips, roses and mixed bunches are among the bouquets expected to sell well this Mother’s Day weekend, with predicted sales of £20-25,000.
Valentine’s Day remains the most popular flower-buying event, with sales of £35,000, while the increasingly popular International Women’s Day celebration recently led to sales of £25,000 for the family-run business.
JET New North Road in Ilford
“We’ve seen our flower sales skyrocket over the years – helped along by calendar days like these,” Kayur Patel, business manager at JET New North Road, said.
“Flowers bring so much joy, and we’re proud to be a part of helping customers bring that joy to their loved ones with a beautiful bouquet!”
Offering high-quality flowers from Amsterdam and Kenya, the Ilford-based service station has become the go-to place for quality flowers in the community - with more than 1,000 customers expected to buy Mother’s Day flowers this weekend.
Keep ReadingShow less
Victoria Lockie leaves Unitas for a new adventure.
Unitas Wholesale retail director and executive board member Victoria Lockie is to leave the business in April as she looks to take on a new challenge, the buying group confirmed to Asian Trader today (27).
Lockie joined the business in September 2024.
In a span of six months, she has played a pivotal role in strategically reviewing the Unitas retail proposition and the overall service provided to Unitas members.
Heading up the retail and commercial functions, she has made a significant impact by identifying strategic opportunities, developing her team and revitalising Unitas’ DE&I agenda.
Managing Director John Kinney said, “I would like to thank Victoria for her hard work and commitment in the time that she has worked at Unitas. We all wish her the best of luck with her next opportunity.”
Lockie also oversaw Unitas' Plan for Profit scheme, which is a subscription service offering independent retailers business updates, rewards, and resources to help them succeed in the convenience market, including core range guides and promotional packages.
Prior to Unitas, Lockie spent more than 12 years at NISA.
Joining in 2012 as a sales support manager, Lockie served in positions such as head of retail operations and head of key accounts. Her time at Nisa was transformative, both for herself and the company.
She also led the symbol group’s retail team through significant transitions, including Nisa’s shift from a mutual-style ownership structure to a corporate governance model.
Lockie also became a trustee for MADL (Making A Difference Locally), where she worked to help independent retailers support their local communities.
She is an ambassador for Diversity in Wholesale, Women in Wholesale, GroceryAid, and WiHTL ‘Women to Watch 2024. or many years has heavily supported the Association of Convenience Stores including the more recent Shopkind campaign.
Keep ReadingShow less
Brian Eagle Brown with new ShopMate 360 EPoS solution
ShopMate has introduced ShopMate 360, a “streamlined and affordable” EPoS system designed for convenience retailers.
ShopMate said the new solution ihas been developed with small retailers in mind, offering an easy-to-use till interface that requires minimal training. With an intuitive design, even those new to retail technology can quickly get up to speed, ensuring smooth daily operations.
“One thing we often hear is that many EPoS systems come with complex features that small retailers just don’t need. Their tech needs to be smart, but that doesn’t mean loading it up with all the bells and whistles – it actually means the opposite,” Brian Eagle Brown, managing director at ShopMate, told Asian Trader.
The system separates store operations from business management, allowing retailers to focus on till functionality while still having access to key back-office tools like:
Product and category management
Hotkeys and SELs
Wholesaler promotions
User management and reporting
Retailers will benefit from automatic wholesaler pricing and promotions, removing the hassle of manual price updates and ensuring accurate pricing.
Helen and Andrew Wood of Edith Weston Village Store in Edith Weston, Rutland
Additionally, integrated payments with ShopMate Pay simplify payment workflows and reduce overhead costs, offering retailers a single, streamlined solution.
“We understand that convenience retailers need a reliable, easy-to-use solution that helps them run their stores efficiently,” Eagle Brown said. “ShopMate 360 delivers just that – essential functionality without distractions.”
Helen Wood, owner of Edith Weston Village Store, has been among the first to trial ShopMate 360 alongside ShopMate Pay. She praises its intuitive interface: “We’ve found the till interface intuitive and easy to use; everything is precisely where you think it should be. And ShopMate Pay works seamlessly, exactly as you hope it would – it’s just really easy.”
Among the last few tea drinkers, Brits still have profound loyalty for their cup of tea, with Yorkshire Tea standing out as a true favourite, shows a recent survey, also highlighting fall in the popularity of tea among younger generations.
According to a national survey of 6,000 adults by Tracksuit, brand tracking expert for more than 650 consumer labels, those who drink tea, Yorkshire Tea was crowned the favourite brew, surpassing its long-standing rivals PG Tips and Tetley.
Some 24 per cent of tea drinkers said that Yorkshire Tea was their favourite, ahead of PG Tips at 17 per cent and Tetley’s at 15 per cent. Twinings came fourth with 11 per cent, well ahead of Typhoo with 3 per cent.
The survey also found a striking level of loyalty among British tea drinkers, with 39 per cent refusing to switch from their preferred tea brand, which was far higher than the typical 13 per cent loyalty rate across food and drink brands generally.
However, the survey also shows lays bare the rapidly decreasing popularity of tea among younger generations.
Some 37 per cent of people aged under 35 said that they would choose coffee as their favourite hot drink, according to a national survey of 6,000 adults by Tracksuit, brand tracking expert for more than 650 consumer labels.
Tea came third with 25 per cent of those under 35 choosing it as their favourite drink, after hot chocolate in second with 31 per cent.
Analysts said that the figures “suggest [tea’s] popularity could continue to fall in future generations”, raising concerns that beloved cuppa could face extinction as Millennials and Gen Z prefer coffee and hot chocolate to the traditional brew.
Matt Herbert, the author of the report and co-founder of Tracksuit, said, “Our research uncovers the profound loyalty Brits have for their tea, with Yorkshire Tea standing out as a true favourite.
“The data reveals that brand preference goes far beyond taste; it’s an emotional connection. British tea drinkers are weirdly loyal, which speaks to how brands have successfully woven themselves into the fabric of daily life and national identity.”