Tesco - NewsWireExplorer

Major UK supermarket expects £3.1billion in profit after ‘intense’ Christmas

Harry J — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:40:33 +0000

Tesco, the UK’s leading supermarket chain, has celebrated its largest market share in over a decade, as it notched up a rise in festive sales despite “intense” competition. The retail giant reported a 3.3% surge in like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland during the six weeks leading up to January 3, with a 3.2% rise in the UK and a 3.8% boost in Ireland.

In the 13 weeks leading up to November 22, which includes the third quarter before Christmas, sales rose by 4%. According to Worldpanel data, Tesco increased its share of the UK grocery market to 28.7% in the three months leading up to December 28, which leapt to 29.4% during the crucial Christmas month. The company stated that this robust Christmas performance puts it on track for annual profits at the higher end of its recently revised guidance of between £2.9 billion and £3.1 billion.

However, the growth in festive sales represents a slight deceleration from the 3.7% reported across the UK and Ireland business for the same period the previous year. The company acknowledged that competition remains cut-throat as major players vie on price.

Sales in its Booker wholesale business also saw a decline of 2.1% during the six-week Christmas period, a downturn from a 0.9% drop in the third quarter.

Ken Murphy, chief executive, said: “Our investments in value, quality and service drove further gains in customer satisfaction and strong growth in fresh food, contributing to our highest UK market share in over a decade.

“Competition is as intense as ever, and we know value remains a priority for customers.”

The retailer recently announced it was reviving its iconic blue-and-white striped value branding as it intensifies its pricing battle with German rival Aldi.

Earlier this week, Tesco revealed the comeback of the blue-and-white stripes – axed back in 2012 – would “symbolise value at Tesco” and feature as the centrepiece of a major marketing blitz showcasing bargain prices on top branded goods.

The supermarket giant reported its busiest shopping days fell on December 22 and 23, whilst celebrating its most successful Christmas for digital sales with website transactions surging 11.2% and two purchases processed every second in the run-up to December 25.

Sales of its premium Finest collection soared 13% as Mr Murphy noted customers also prioritised quality during the festive period, with party product lines climbing 22%.

Tesco shares tumbled 5.5% during Thursday morning trading after sales growth fell short of City forecasts.

Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Tesco continued to deliver for shoppers and investors alike this festive season, scooping up market share and increasing consumer satisfaction scores in an extremely competitive market.

“However, performance at its wholesale business, Booker, wasn’t as good as hoped due to the long-running decline in tobacco sales.

“The net effect was that Tesco only nudged its full-year underlying operating profit guidance to the top end of its current £2.9 to £3.1 billion range, while many had been hoping for a bigger upgrade.”

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, added: “Tesco may see full-year profit coming in at the top end of expectations, but its festive update did not pass the smell test with investors after a slowdown in underlying sales growth over Christmas.”

However, he noted: “These numbers are not a disaster as the company has its highest share of the British grocery market in more than 10 years. A more than doubling in the share price from the 2022 lows means the company will be judged more harshly for the slightest misstep.”

He added: “The recent strong Christmas trading by the discount names Aldi and Lidl shows competition is intense, even if Tesco is well placed among the established supermarkets to fight back.

“Offering discount prices through its Clubcard scheme enables it to drive customer loyalty while offering the kind of value the UK’s hard-pressed households are looking for.”

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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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Major Coca-Cola Christmas truck announcement for 15 UK towns and cities

Harry J — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:22:14 +0000

The iconic Coca-Cola Truck has announced a new Christmas tour, with 15 stops across the UK confirmed. The dazzling red lorry, adorned with festive lights, is known to travel around the country each year, offering fans a taste of Coca-Cola’s drinks whilst spreading holiday cheer in the run-up to the global holiday.

Celebrating 15 years since its first journey, this year’s tour will visit 15 locations nationwide, inviting everyone to “Refresh Your Holidays”. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Coca-Cola will continue its partnership with FareShare, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity. To celebrate the truck’s return, Coca-Cola will make a direct donation to FareShare, equivalent to one million meals, supporting its vital work in providing edible food to those who need it most across the country, reports to The Mirror.

Coca-Cola is also partnering with Tesco to spread festive goodwill through the meal deal. For every Tesco Festive Meal Deal purchased with any 500ml Coca-Cola drink, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will donate 20p to FareShare, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Elodie Peribere, Senior Marketing Director for Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland, said: “Coca-Cola remains synonymous with Christmas, and we’re delighted to bring back our iconic Truck Tour. This year, we’re encouraging everyone to ‘Refresh Your Holidays’ and take a well-deserved pause to create uplifting moments with loved ones”.

Peribere added: “Our continued partnership with FareShare, with our donation equivalent to 1 million meals, is incredibly important to us, and we hope to make this Christmas a little more meaningful for thousands of people across the country”.

The 15 locations included on the tour schedule are yet to be confirmed for 2025. Fans may recall that, after a six-year hiatus, the Coca-Cola Truck made its spectacular return to Liverpool’s Paradise Street in 2023, having previously called at Williamson Square. And last year, the legendary vehicle came back once again on December 5, this time setting up at a new location outside the Burger King opposite New Mersey Retail Park in Speke.

In a UK first, the Coca-Cola Truck made a second Liverpool stop the following day, December 6, at Liverpool ONE. Crowds gathered to glimpse the festive favourite, singing carols whilst they queued. During its 48-hour stay, visitors received complimentary gifts, competitions, and bundles of Christmas joy. Will Liverpool be on Coca-cola’s list again?

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Tesco to end key service across 1,200 stores ‘next month’ as people suddenly realise

Harry J — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:31:33 +0000

Tesco has said it will cease accepting or handling Evri parcels on customers’ behalf ‘by the end of November’. The supermarket giant is currently winding down its collaboration with Evri ParcelShop across individual outlets, according to Sky News.

The arrangement will conclude across all Tesco Express branches on Friday, November 28.

Stores will provide a 10-day grace period following this date to allow shoppers who have arranged parcel collections at Tesco locations sufficient time to retrieve their items.

Evri’s ParcelShop facility enables customers to dispatch, collect, and return packages from thousands of various retailers including Vinted via their local Tesco.

The collaboration between the companies commenced in 2021, with Tesco shoppers earning Clubcard points on selected Evri orders from 2023.

Tesco has recently issued a statement confirming the impending conclusion of the partnership.

“Our partnership with Evri, offering an over-the-counter Parcel Shop service at Tesco Express stores, is coming to an end,” a spokesperson said.

“We are in the process of winding down this service in our stores and will display details in individual stores of when the service will stop at that location. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

The announcement follows Evri’s revelation of a fresh partnership with Asda, commencing next year.

Evri plans to introduce its ParcelShop service across 1,200 Asda outlets by April 2026.

TOhe initiative forms part of a £50 million investment to expand Evri’s network twofold by 2030.

Asda will implement ParcelShops across all 1,200 of its outlets, as part of an expanded collaboration with delivery firm Evri “just in time for Christmas”.

The ParcelShop service, allowing customers to collect and send parcels through Evri’s delivery network, has undergone testing at 300 Asda branches in recent months.

The scheme will now be extended to all supermarkets, superstores and Express convenience outlets by April next year.

Unlike Evri’s external parcel locker network, ParcelShop terminals are positioned within stores at Asda’s customer service desks.

Customers can generate their own shipping labels and hand packages to Asda staff for dispatch via Evri drivers.

This would allow shoppers to collect parcels whilst doing their grocery shopping in one “convenient” visit to their local Asda branch, the retailer explained.

“One of the things that sets Asda apart is our unmatchable mix of services, so we’re delighted to be partnering with Evri to be able to launch a brand-new one, just in time for the festive season,” said Chris Hall, Asda VP for logistics.

“We know how much our customers value convenience, and this service gives them the flexibility to collect or return an Evri parcel, whether they’re popping in for a pint of milk in one of our Express stores or doing their big shop in one of our larger stores.”

The ParcelShop service expansion forms part of a £50m investment by the courier company in June 2025 to double its network of locations to 25,000 by 2030.

“This landmark agreement with fellow Leeds-based Asda Evri CEO Martijn de Lange expressed his enthusiasm about the new partnership, stating: “strengthens our commitment to creating a delivery network fit for the modern UK shopper, directly giving them choice, convenience and control. We are excited about the opportunities this new partnership will bring, helping us to further drive our ambition to expand our capabilities and deliver an even more comprehensive, cost-effective, and customer-focused service across the UK and beyond.

“.

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