Sainsbury’s has joined forces with Just Eat Takeaway to offer home deliveries for groceries (The Times £). Sainsbury’s has joined the rush to provide almost-instant home shopping by signing a deal with the food delivery app Just Eat to offer the rapid distribution of groceries from 175 stores (The Guardian). It will give Just Eat users access to more than 3,000 products including milk, fresh fruit & vegetables, and household essentials. (The Daily Mail)

Marks & Spencer is stepping up its store opening programme with the launch of 20 “bigger and better” new shops throughout Britain and the creation of 3,400 jobs. (The Times £)

Heinz is raising its prices for the second time in less than a year after a row with Tesco over passing soaring production costs on to consumers. (The Telegraph)

Supermarkets are facing a political backlash after projecting bumper earnings at a time when shoppers are struggling with soaring inflation. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said it was “outrageous” that supermarkets were reporting bumper profits while families “struggle to put food on the table or fill up their tanks”. (The Times £)

Shoppers may be trading down, but that still presents opportunities for the supermarket chains revealing a resilient performance in a challenging consumer demand and cost environment. The FT suggests Tesco has an attractive rating given the company’s market position and competitive pricing, despite discounter challenges, while advising to hold Sainsbury’s and M&S shares. (The Financial Times £)

Supermarket shares have been poor performers in recent years. But the businesses have been working hard to position themselves for a brighter future. With Tesco at £2.46 and Sainsbury’s at £2.41, both shares should generate attractive long-term rewards while the dividends add extra spice. Meanwhile, M&S shares have consistently disappointed, but there has been a shift in sentiment over recent months. (The Daily Mail)

The first two weeks of the new year have delivered a spate of profit warnings in sectors ranging from housebuilding to recruitment, but one part of the UK’s corporate landscape has proved surprisingly resilient: retail. Predictions of a yuletide of woe on the high street, as shoppers faced with rising borrowing and household bills drastically cut back on spending, have failed to materialise. (The Financial Times £)

The energy watchdog must step in to penalise price-gouging behaviour by energy suppliers, according to the head of the lobbying group representing thousands of pubs, restaurants, hotels and gyms across Britain. (Sky News)

Hard-pressed owners of pubs and restaurants will be calling for forbearance on government-backed loans issued during the pandemic when they start falling due from the end of March. (The Times £)

There was nothing to toast for shareholders in C&C Group after the maker of Bulmers and Magners cider rattled investors with a profit warning. Shares in the Dublin-based company fell 9% — the heaviest faller in the FTSE 250 — after it cautioned that the cost of living crisis and disruption from industrial action on the railways had knocked its business. (The Times £)

A ban on some single-use plastics will come into force in England from October, the government has announced.To tackle the growing plastic problem, takeaways, restaurants and cafes must stop using single-use plastic cutlery, plates and bowls. (BBC)

Sainsbury’s has apologised for a clothing advert that was heavily criticised online for appearing to ignore women’s safety. (Sky News)

‘The government doesn’t care’: UK pig farmers voice alarm over shrinking sector. A new Danish bacon factory in Rochdale marks the decline in Britain’s pork industry as big retailers look to cheaper imports. (The Guardian)

Lab-grown alternatives aim to cut palm oil dependence. Backed by multimillion-dollar funding from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a company has spent the past four years developing and finessing their product, which is called Palmless. (The BBC)

One of Latin America’s bitterest takeover battles is heading for the courts after 14 months of hostile bids and mudslinging, in a fight pitting Colombia’s most powerful business alliance against a billionaire predator. At stake are $20bn of choice corporate assets – including food manufacturer Nutresa – the future of the Andean nation’s stock market and the probity of its government. (The Financial Times £)

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