Sainsbury's - NewsWireExplorer

Morrisons brings in £13.11 rule from October 26

Harry J — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 19:20:28 +0000

Morrisons will be increasing hourly pay at its UK stores from late October as part of a three-stage uplift. In May, the supermarket chain announced that a proposed pay deal for store and manufacturing workers had been resoundingly approved by the USDAW union, which negotiates pay for large parts of the workforce.

It opened the door for implementing pay increases for all eligible hourly-paid staff in three phases. The pay boost began with hourly rates for all Customer Assistants rising to £12.81 (backdated to March 30), with all other established hourly rates for eligible roles increasing by 10p. From Monday, July 20, 2026, customer assistants at Morrisons stores will see pay increase from £12.81 to £13.00, with all other established hourly rates for the other roles rising by 19p.

Then, from Monday, October 26, 2026, the hourly rate will climb further, from £13.00 to £13.11, with pay for the other roles upped by 11p.

In the May announcement, Morrisons said that, in addition, all eligible hourly-paid colleagues would receive a one-off fixed payment of between £25 and £175 based on their contractual hours.

Morrisons’ Group People Director, Jodie Keating, said at the time: “We’re pleased that we can now implement the pay proposal and increase pay for our colleagues to reward them for the contribution they make to our business.

“I would like to thank all our colleagues for everything they continue to do for Morrisons.”

It comes as Morrisons’ supermarket rivals also upped workers’ pay this year in a bid to retain and attract staff, as UK households continue to wrestle with cost-of-living pressures.

From March 1, Lidl increased hourly pay for store assistants outside London to £13.45, a rate that rises to £14.00 depending on length of service.

In London, entry-level store workers had their pay upped to £14.80 per hour, while the hourly rate for experienced staff can rise up to £15.35.

The following month, Store Assistants working at Aldi’s UK branches also saw their pay increase (to £13.50 per hour nationally, with those working inside in the M25 getting £14.88).

These pay rates rise to £14.47 and £15.20 respectively based on length of service. Aldi said at the time that the change would benefit 28,000 hourly-paid store workers.

Other major retailers that increased hourly pay in 2026 include Sainsbury’s, Primark, and John Lewis.

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Sainsbury’s issues grim ‘cost of living’ statement on how Iran war will ‘impact customers’

Harry J — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:25 +0000

Sainsbury’s saw profit grow but warned of the impact of the Iran war (Image: undefined)

Sainsbury’s has warned that the Iran war “will impact both our customers and our business,” as the supermarket giant saw profit edge up.

The FTSE 100 grocer’s underlying retail profit fell by more than one per cent to £1bn, which Sainsbury’s said was due to “significant operating cost inflation,” as total sales grew by five per cent.

Fears over rising food inflation have heated up in recent weeks, with a leading industry body warning price growth could reach double digits this year.

Chief executive Simon Roberts said he is “relentlessly focussed” on providing value to firms, and will do “everything [he] can to support our customers”.

Sainsbury’s ‘uncertain’ of Iran war impact

Sainsbury’s position marks a more upfront approach to Iran war inflation fears than its rival Tesco, who last week sought to downplay the prospect of price rises.

Last week, Tesco boss Ken Murphy said he “does not recognise” the Food and Drink Federation’s forecast of between nine and 10 per cent food inflation this year.

Supermarket bosses are calling on the government to offer energy bill support to help them avoid hiking prices for shoppers.

Sainsbury’s boss Simon Roberts said on Thursday: “Rather than pass through the full extent of cost inflation, we invested to sustain the strength of our competitive position while also refreshing stores.”

In its results the grocer said: “We will continue to make deliberate, balanced choices to sustain this strong competitive position in the year ahead and expect to continue to outperform the grocery market.

“The conflict in the Middle East will impact both our customers and our business. The duration and extent of these impacts is very uncertain.”

Sainsbury’s delivered a bumper Christmas trading update in January, when it touted a 3.3 per cent growth in festive sales and a 3.9 per cent jump to £10bn.

The grocer is the UK’s second biggest with a 15.6 per cent market share, miles behind Tesco but a solid four per cent above Asda in third place.

Sainsbury’s said Argos, which it owns, is continuing to battle with a “subdued market,” as sales increased marginally by 0.7 per cent.

The catalogue retailer was snapped up by Sainsbury’s in 2016, but analysts have warned that it is becoming a drag on the grocer’s performance.

The retailer cut over 2,000 jobs and lost more than £200m in its latest financial year and Sainsbury’s had been mulling a sale of the brand before it pulled out of talks with Chinese retail giant JD.com.

Sainsbury’s has set up a dedicated Argos management team, it said on Thursday, to “accelerate the pace” of its turnaround of the retailer.

The supermarket is investing heavily in its cut-price Nectar card ranges and Aldi price-match range, as it aims to compete with Asda and the German discounters.

Nectar Prices has delivered more than £5.5bn in savings since its launch in 2023, the grocer said.

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Full list of UK shops and supermarkets shut on Boxing Day 2025

Harry J — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 16:56:32 +0000

Shoppers are urged to plan ahead as a wave of major shops and supermarkets have announced they will be closed on Boxing Day.

Anyone planning a post-Christmas shopping spree will need to check opening/closing times, as more stores have announced their festive hours. From Aldi and Poundland to Marks and Spencer, here’s a round-up of UK shops that are closed on December 26.

Aldi has confirmed that all UK stores will shut on Boxing Day, following the same pattern as in past years. The doors shut at 6pm on Christmas Eve, and branches won’t reopen until December 27.

Home Bargains will also shut shops, allowing its staff members to get a Christmas break.

Marks and Spencer will close most of its stores on Boxing Day again. Only a handful of service stations will remain open, operating differently, however.

Poundland and The Works will be closed for the day.

Several other major high street names have also confirmed they will not open on Boxing Day, including Dunelm, Pets at Home, Wickes, and B&Q.

Tesco is closing its superstores on Boxing Day, although many Express shops will reopen with reduced hours.

Waitrose has only a very small number of its stores operating for the delivery platform; however, it will keep almost all of its branches shut.

Not every retail store will close on December 26. Lidl will be open across the UK on Boxing Day, with reduced hours.

Asda will reopen from mid-morning on Boxing Day, and Morrisons will remain open with limited hours.

Sainsbury’s will also be open to the public on Boxing Day; however, superstores will have reduced hours.

Boots, Superdrug and H&M will be open on Boxing Day, ready for their end-of-year sales.

Next has not confirmed its Boxing Day sales just yet, but historically, it has closed early. And Primark will likely be trading on December 26, in line with previous years.

Despite national policies, there will likely be some varying opening times depending on staffing, store size and location throughout the Christmas period.

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