The majority of the grocery coverage in the weekend papers is looking ahead to a busy week of Christmas trading updates. The Telegraph says that Tesco takes the Christmas crown in festive retail wars. Britain’s biggest retailer is expected to reveal its best festive trading for six year, according to analysts. Sainsbury’s is expected to post the lowest growth of the big supermarkets, with like-for-like sales of around 1%. The Guardian writes that major retailers are to reveal festive figures this week, with M&S expected to struggle. Tesco is forecast to be among the few winners when at least 20 businesses issue updates for underwhelming Christmas trade. Marks & Spencer is expected to lift the lid on the volatile state of high street trading this week when it reports a substantial drop in fashion and furniture sales, retail analysts told The Sunday Times. The retail industry’s bellwether is forecast to produce a 3.4% decline in clothing and homeware sales, and a 1.1% dip in food sales. The business agenda in The Observer asks ‘will Super Thursday save the day for retail?’. Critical Christmas trading updates are due this week – and it’s not yet clear who’s done well and who hasn’t, the paper adds.
Brewing giant Molson Coors has snapped up Aspall Cyder in a deal understood to give the company an enterprise value of £40m, according to The Sunday Telegraph. Barry and Henry Chevallier Guild, alongside other family members, have run the cider maker, first started by their ancestor Clement Chevallier at Aspall Hall in 1728, for more than 20 years.
A committee of MPs is to investigate the collapse of wholesaler Palmer & Harvey, which one senior politician has likened to the BHS scandal, The Sunday Times says. Former bosses face a grilling by the Commons work & pensions committee on the demise of the 92-year-old company, which supplied cigarettes and snacks to 90,000 retailers across Britain.
The Questor share price column in The Telegraph advises readers to “keep buying Sainsbury’s – it’s just one bargain created by Brexit hysteria”.
Poundland owner Steinhoff’s fairy tale proves too good to be true amid accounting scandal, The Telegraph writes in a piece examining the crisis.
The vegan food revolution that is sweeping the UK is heading for supermarket wine aisles and specialist retailers in the coming weeks, The Observer reports. As support for the movement gathers momentum during so-called “veganuary”, the Co-op is expanding its vegan wine range to 100 products by the end of the year, with eight due to launch next month.
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