Discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl are pressing ahead with rapid ­expansion despite fears over shifting shopping habits that are forcing ­Britain’s “Big Four” grocers to shake up their store estates. The pair have filed 90 planning ­applications for new supermarkets so far this year, according to fresh figures compiled by Barbour ABI for The Sunday Telegraph. Lidl has submitted 44 applications for new stores already this year, while Aldi has filed 46. (The Telegraph)

Habitat is opening another four “mini- stores” by the middle of next month as it continues to expand under its new owner J Sainsbury. Once they are open, it will mean that Sainsbury’s has hit its year-end target of opening ten mini Habitat outlets a month early. Sainsbury’s bought Habitat last year as part of its £1.4bn acquisition of Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos. (The Times £)

Britain’s five biggest business lobby groups are calling for an urgent Brexit transition deal, or they warn the UK risks losing jobs and investment. In a joint letter being sent to Brexit Secretary David Davis, the groups, including the Institute of Directors and CBI, will say time is running out. The other lobby groups backing the letter are the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses, and the EEF manufacturing body. (The BBC)

More than 300 new breweries were launched in the UK last year as a boom in craft beer sales encouraged startups with specialist offers ranging from gluten-free beer to ale made from leftover bread. Growth in sales of craft beer in both pubs and supermarkets has encouraged more people interested in home brewing to raise money and open their own microbreweries. (The Guardian)

Sainsbury’s launches menswear fashion range to offer a taste of Savile Row at a fraction of the price. The supermarket is going head to head with high street chains such as Ted Baker and Reiss, with a range of 20 items called Tu Formal that arrive in stores this weekend. (The Daily Mail)

Fears of a global slowdown for consumer brands were compounded when Procter & Gamble reported lacklustre quarterly sales and investors bet that the industry would continue to struggle (The Times £). Procter & Gamble announced another quarter of sluggish sales just a week after fending off an activist investor who argued the consumer goods giant had been too slow to adapt to changing shopping habits (The Financial Times £).

The Times (£) interviews Mondelez Northern European boss Glenn Caton , who says that the biggest challenge facing Cadbury in the future was not the intentions of its American owner but the potential difficulties of navigating Britain’s exit from Europe. Cadbury has more than 50 nationalities represented in its UK business and employs thousands of European Union citizens and Caton said that securing a supply of labour was key in any Brexit negotiation: “Frankly, people are nervous. There are people in our business saying, ‘Should I go home now because do I have a future here?’.” (The Times £)

Japanese-inspired restaurant chain Wagamama has refinanced debts in an attempt to ease the financial burden that contributed to another year of pre-tax losses. (The Telegraph)

John Lewis has vowed to reinvent the department store as the retailer fights back against the threat of online shopping. It has opened a store in Oxford with a concierge service as well as on-site technology training workshops, an express nail and beauty bar and guided tours. (The Daily Mail)

Britain is enjoying a remarkable apple boom, as hundreds of new community orchards revive lost varieties and contribute to a thriving heritage market. (The Guardian)

Topics