Quarterly sales at Morrisons returned to growth for the first time in two years after the company invested in promotions to appeal to shoppers amid the surge in the cost of living (The Times £). Morrisons has returned to quarterly sales growth for the first time in two years (The Daily Mail).

Morrisons has pledged to slash its costs by £700m as it grapples with a £5.9bn debt pile and tepid sales (The Telegraph £). Morrisons has said it plans to cut £700m in costs over the next three years to allow it to reduce prices amid a squeeze on consumer spending (The Guardian).

Ocado Group has seen off claims from an international rival “goods retrieval” company that alleged the British online retailer and technology group had stolen several of its technology inventions (The Times £). Shares in Ocado will be in the spotlight again today after it claimed ‘total victory’ in robot wars with a rival (The Daily Mail).

The grocery chain Planet Organic has put insolvency practitioners on standby as it races to find new backers in a bid to secure its future. The company filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators on Thursday - a move which provides it with breathing space from creditors as it continues rescue talks. (Sky News)

A criminal investigation is under way into allegations that a rogue meat supplier falsely labelled huge quantities of foreign pork as British. (The BBC)

The UK government is considering tightening control over the Food Standards Agency after news that allegedly fraudulent pork products found their way on to supermarket shelves. (The Guardian)

Trouble brews at Starbucks as its caffeine high finally fades – new chief at the world’s biggest coffee chain, Laxman Narasimhan, faces challenges on multiple fronts. (The Telegraph £)

“Narasimhan has a battle on his hands to win over disgruntled workers, which is partly why he’s decided to leave the boardroom to make some occasional flat whites… Narasimhan might be doing his barista schtick mostly for PR, but it’s better than hiding behind his desk. And as long as he spends his four hours a month genuinely listening to staff, it is not a complete waste of time.” (The Times £)

James Watt, the controversial co-founder of craft beer maker BrewDog, wants retail investors to put their money into three European start-ups that he thinks have the potential to become $1 billion companies. (The Times £)

Primark is boosting pay for its 26,000 retail assistants from next week, as high inflation continues to hit workers up and down the country. (The Daily Mail)

Abusive conditions are endemic in parts of Spain’s fruit sector, a new report alleges, with workers telling the Guardian they have been regularly underpaid and forced to live in dilapidated shacks. (The Guardian)

Nils Pratley in The Guardian writes: “John Lewis, the board must look at Next’s parade of possibilities and weep. Unfortunately for them, there are compare-and-contrast morals, and none is encouraging. First, the best time to stop opening new stores was about 20 years ago. Second, the online retailing game has moved on since the days when John Lewis was a pioneer. Third, nothing oils the wheels like predictable cashflow. Fourth – and most cruelly – John Lewis needs to get real about its own valuation.” (The Guardian)

The award of an A-minus sustainability grade to the world’s biggest meat company has raised eyebrows and kicked off a debate about the rating system for environmental and social governance. (The Guardian)

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