The grocery industry's supreme efforts to get food supplies back on track after the fuel crisis threw up a few interesting instore sights last weekend. A colleague was busy hunting bread and milk at a Tesco in West Sussex (well even responsible business hacks panic buy sometimes!) when he spotted a group of men in dark suits strutting slowly around the aisles. Ever eager to find a good story, he eavesdropped, only to discover they were regional management on a mission to spot the empty shelves. The fun came when one of them idly picked up a loaf to make a point to colleagues. Within seconds, a passing lady of mature years snatched the bread from his hands, thrust it into her trolley, and sped off with the comment: "In that suit you can afford to shop at M&S. My need's greater than yours!" Talking of Tesco, they presented disgustingly healthy interims to the world's press on Wednesday and then came up with the icing on the cake ­ Terry Leahy's Liverpudlian sense of humour given a rare public outing. Asked what would be his dream acquisition, as quick as a flash the Tesco chief executive suggested Everton. A lifelong supporter of the Merseyside club, he talks as passionately about the Blues as he does about stores in Korea. Mind you, football plays a big part in the lives of several of our supermarket chiefs. Take Asda's Allan "shortly to go plural" Leighton. He's deputy chairman of Leeds United and last week suffered the indignity of seeing his side crash 4-0 in a European champions game in Barcelona. Mind you Allan's clever. He's a lifelong Nottingham Forest supporter. I suppose that confirms he's got a sense of humour, too? {{COUNTERPOINT }}

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