Cautious shoppers, heavy discounting and a decision to shun Black Friday triggered a fall in sales at Morrisons (The Telegraph). The boss of Morrisons has said that it will take “learnings” from a disappointing Christmas performance after a decision to scrap Black Friday-themed promotions hurt its sales (The Times £). Morrisons has reported falling sales over the crucial festive season amid challenging trading conditions and shopper uncertainty (The Daily Mail).

Morrisons revealed a fall in group sales in the second half of the year as the latest industry data suggested most food retailers had endured difficult conditions in the festive trading period (The Financial Times £).

Supermarkets recorded the slowest Christmas sales growth in at least four years as the big four chains lost sales, according to industry analysts (The Guardian). Budget-conscious UK households tightened their belts over Christmas as a post-election supermarket spending splurge failed to materialise, industry figures show (Sky News).

The owner of Poundland is close to hiring advisers to support plans for a stock market listing that could value it at about £3.4bn. (Sky News)

Tesco’s planned sale of its Thai operations will be subject to close scrutiny, Thailand’s competition regulator has warned, adding that he is prepared to impose fines or ban the deal outright if any laws were to be breached. (The Financial Times £)

Having previously been out of favour in the City, Marks & Spencer was on the end of another analyst upgrade yesterday, its fifth in a month. Berenberg decided to make its move before the retailer’s trading update tomorrow, which it expects will show a “significant improvement” in the clothing and home business, while like-for-like sales in the food division should “remain positive”. (The Times £)

Sales growth for English fizz ran champagne very close at Majestic Wine in the weeks before Christmas. (The Times £)

Rags-to-riches petrol pump tycoons Mohsin and Zuber Issa are mulling their biggest acquisition with a £4.5bn swoop for Australian forecourt operator Caltex. (The Telegraph)

Mothercare and Links of London will disappear from UK high streets this week as 94 stores close their doors for good, resulting in 3,150 job losses. (The Guardian)

Online food delivery company Deliveroo has announced plans to create 70 highly-skilled jobs at its new Edinburgh headquarters this year. (The BBC)

Anheuser-Busch InBev is preparing to replace its long-serving chief financial officer Felipe Dutra as the brewer of Budweiser and Stella Artois seeks to revive its fortunes and share price, according to people briefed on the matter. (The Financial Times £)

A meat deficit caused by a deadly pig virus in Asia has boosted results at Cargill, the global agribusiness with a portfolio of beef and poultry plants. (The Financial Times £)

Forgoing online shopping on sites like Amazon and Ocado in favour of the local high street can make a real difference in terms of plastic consumption, fuel expenditure and the purchase of excess food that is never eaten. (The Financial Times £)

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