Stuart Rose, the chairman of Asda, has said he is “embarrassed” by the supermarket’s declining market share and has called on its owner Mohsin Issa to step back from running the retail chain (The Times £). Asda chairman Lord Rose has admitted he has been “embarrassed” by the supermarket’s decline on his watch and under the ownership of the Issa brothers (Telegraph £).

The Unite union has sounded the alarm over hundreds of possible job losses from Carlsberg’s bid to acquire Britvic for £3.3 billion. The union has demanded urgent talks with the Danish brewer to address concerns about its plan to cut about 1% of jobs in the combined group if the merger is approved by shareholders. (The Times £)

A majority of people in Britain want new taxes imposed on companies that make either junk food or ultra-processed foodstuffs to help tackle the obesity crisis, polling suggests. (The Guardian)

Central bankers around the world say inflation is under control but life for chocolate lovers is not so sweet, with the price of beloved treats such as Freddo frogs jumping ever higher as confectionery companies pass on soaring cocoa prices to consumers. (Financial Times £)

The FT’s Lex column looks at the Mars/Kellanova bid story, writing: “For Mars, Kellanova is an opportunity to diversify its chocolate-heavy portfolio with savoury snacks and give it more exposure to international markets. But too high a takeout price — which could be between $30bn to $33bn — risks a bad case of indigestion”. (Financial Times £)

Tesco has agreed to introduce “digital passports” across its clothing range amid a looming sustainability crackdown by the EU. (Telegraph £)

The former ultimate owner of discount retail chain Wilko does not expect to have to help plug the high street chain’s estimated £70.2mn pension hole following its collapse a year ago. (Financial Times £)

Start-ups face the slaughterhouse as lab-grown meat loses its appeal. Health fears and high prices have put consumers and investors off an industry once showered with funding amid hopes that it could save animals and the planet. (The Times £)

Coffee shop chain Pret A Manger has announced some staff members will wear body-worn cameras as a new safety measure (Sky News, The Guardian).

Dairy companies are shifting their focus in China from babies to adults, as a falling birth rate and intense competition force them to search for new areas of growth in what has long been one of the world’s biggest markets for milk. (Financial Times £)

Australia’s wine sector suffers as drinkers shun lower-end brands. Well-known ‘commercial’ labels are being sold off as industry endures what some winemakers call its worst-ever crisis. (Financial Times £)

Is this the end of the pub, Sky News asks? Once the soul of almost every community, pubs are clinging on for dear life - and an increasing number are losing their grip. Landlords and campaigners, researchers and residents reveal the “thousand cuts” killing Britain’s boozers - and what it takes to survive the assault. (Sky News)

JD Wetherspoon investors continue to bear the scars from the impact of pandemic lockdowns, with the shares still roughly 50% lower than in February 2020 and no dividend since 2019. (Financial Times £)

Topics