Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe has said pressure on retail means mergers are inevitable — months after his £14bn move for Asda was blocked by regulators. Coupe told his suppliers last week that the expansion of discounters Aldi and Lidl and the rise in online shopping, added to a backdrop of flat demand, meant consolidation in some form was certain. (The Sunday Times £)

Jeremy Hunt is to reveal plans for a no-deal Brexit “war chest” worth almost £20 billion, which as prime minister he would use to slash corporation tax, compensate small businesses and mitigate the effects of tariffs on fishermen and farmers with £6bn of funding (The Times £). Jeremy Hunt will tell MPs he is planning to ramp up preparations for a no-deal Brexit which will include a £6bn war chest for farmers and fishermen exporting to Europe (Sky News). Tory leadership contender Jeremy Hunt is to outline his plans for a no-deal Brexit later, including a £6bn pledge to the fishing and farming industries and help for small businesses (The BBC).

The UK economy is “in stasis” and is likely to remain that way until October as the lack of clarity over Brexit continues, the British Chambers of Commerce has warned. (The Times £)

Britain’s private sector experienced the sharpest fall in activity for seven years over the past three months, according to the CBI’s latest growth indicator. (The Sunday Times £)

British households were unperturbed by the prospect of a no-deal Brexit in the first three months of the year as they saved less and spent more, despite warnings of an economic shock had the UK crashed out of the European Union on the original exit date of March 29. (The Times £)

The head of Anheuser-Busch InBev is betting that a planned public listing in Asia will help the world’s largest brewer expand in the fast-growing region via acquisitions. The company has been meeting investors since mid-June to gauge demand for the initial public offering of Budweiser APAC in Hong Kong and will decide whether to press ahead in July, depending on price and market conditions. (The Financial Times £)

Thousands of jobs at Boots are at risk after the retail chain confirmed that it plans to close 200 stores over the next 18 months (The Times £). Boots has confirmed plans to close 200 stores but says the “overwhelming majority” of staff affected will be redeployed. The health and beauty chain said on Friday that closures will take place over the next 18 months (Sky News).

Superdrug has slashed its dividend amid a “challenging” environment on Britain’s high streets. Shareholder payouts more than halved from £50m to £20m, according to recently filed accounts. Superdrug is owned by AS Watson, which is majority controlled by Three mobile network owner Hutchison Whampoa. (The Telegraph)

A food supplier has gone into liquidation with the loss of 125 jobs after it was the subject of a listeria investigation that ultimately cleared it of being the source of the outbreak. The Food Standards Agency inquiry meant The Good Food Chain had to suspend production for weeks and has now ceased trading. (The Guardian)

What with the royal wedding, the men’s football World Cup and the glorious weather last summer, retailers have a hard act to follow this year and things are about to get much worse, analysts and business leaders say. (The Times £)

The Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s took a hit of £20m from a restructuring that saw it close 29 struggling sites last year. (The Sunday Times £)

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