Tesco continued to win market share and grow volumes in the first quarter, leaving the grocery giant on target to hit its full-year sales target of £70bn (The Times £). Tesco says it has recorded a “strong” rise in retail sales in the latest quarter - buoyed by easing inflation (Sky News). Tesco is luring shoppers from Marks & Spencer and Waitrose with its Finest range of food and drink, the supermarket has claimed, helping to boost sales (Telegraph £). The UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco, has said that confidence is beginning to return to shoppers after it reported “strong” sales growth (BBC).

Tesco’s boss admitted he is ‘well paid’ as investors gave his £10million haul the green light (Daily Mail). The boss of the UK’s largest supermarket chain said he “absolutely accepted” he was “well paid” before investors approved his £10mn pay package on Friday, at a time when UK executive remuneration has risen up the corporate agenda (Financial Times £). The UK’s biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, faced criticism over its chief executive’s near-£10m pay deal at its annual shareholder meeting on Friday (The Guardian).

Food manufacturers are recalling at least 60 types of pre-packed sandwiches, wraps and salads sold in major supermarkets because of possible contamination with E. coli (BBC). The Food Standards Agency has said several suppliers to major retailers are taking the precautionary measure of recalling various sandwiches, wraps and salads in response to findings from investigations into an ongoing E coli outbreak (The Guardian). The UK’s largest sandwich maker Greencore and other manufacturers have recalled a variety of snacks, salads and wraps after health authorities detected possible links to a fast-spreading E.coli outbreak (Financial Times £). Two sandwich makers supplying UK supermarkets have recalled products because of an E.coli risk, the Food Standards Agency has said (Sky News).

A third sandwich and wrap manufacturer has recalled one of its products after an E coli outbreak that has left 67 people in hospital and more than 200 in total seriously ill (The Guardian). Vegan chicken and bacon wraps sold only at WHSmith have been pulled from the shelves, and anyone who purchased them can return to the store for a full refund (Sky News). The FSA said it was a “precautionary step” and E. coli “has not been detected in the product” (BBC).

The seasoned retail executive Darren Blackhurst has quit Morrisons months after rejoining the supermarket chain, dealing another blow to the turnaround efforts of the chief executive, Rami Baitiéh. (The Times £)

How the billionaire Issas bit off more than they could chew at Asda. Mohsin and Zuber Issa’s lofty ambitions for the supermarket chain have collided with a brutally competitive market characterised by soaring interest rates, inflation and restrained consumer spending. Now the pair are going their separate ways. (The Times £)

Asda is outsourcing more than a hundred staff to an Indian-based supplier in a move that has raised fears of job cuts, as the supermarket’s private equity owner strives to cut costs. (Telegraph £)

King Charles has been urged to revoke the royal warrants of Cadbury and Marmite-owner Unilever because of connections to Russia. (Telegraph £)

Cheesegeek has signed a partnership with Sainsbury’s designed to satisfy Britons’ growing appetite for artisan cheese made in the UK. (The Times £)

Record rainfall has battered wheat crops in the UK and France, Europe’s largest producer, and is expected to drive up prices significantly this year. (Financial Times £)

Fuel retailers have been accused of using the “distraction” of the general election to keep petrol and diesel prices “persistently high” (Sky News). British motorists are paying 20p more for a litre of diesel than drivers in the European Union – unless they are in Northern Ireland (Telegraph £).

Shops in airports and train stations across the UK are hiking the price of snacks by as much as 48%. Regulator finds travellers forced to pay higher premiums at stores located within major transport hubs. (Telegraph £)

Surge in ‘vanishing’ pubs as 80 locations close per month. Landlords will be hoping for a welcome boost from the Euros and Olympics this summer, but for many pubs it will come too late. (Telegraph £)

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