Sales have fallen at UK supermarket chain Asda, as customers defect to larger rivals. Asda, the UK’s third-largest supermarket chain, has reported a 2.1% drop in like-for-like sales in the first half of the financial year. (The Guardian)

Asda is to put more staff on checkouts in a scramble to win back market share, after admitting the expansion of self-service technology had reached its limit (The Telegraph £). Asda is topping up the amount of time staff will be manning checkouts - after its finance boss admitted shoppers had reached their limit with self-scanning (The Daily Mail)

Deliveroo has reported its first interim profit since going public in a 2021 float that was lambasted as London’s worst initial public offering (The Times £). Deliveroo has reported its first half-year profit, as the UK food delivery company hailed early signs of a rebound in consumer spending amid a further push into grocery and retail deliveries (The Guardian). Deliveroo has finally achieved profitability thanks to solid growth in the value of customer orders in the first half of the year, as demand stabilised (The Daily Mail). Deliveroo has reached a “major milestone” by achieving its first ever profit (Sky News).

Moscow has rejected a deal through which Turkish brewer Anadolu Efes was set to acquire AB InBev’s stake in a $1.3bn Russian joint venture. (The Financial Times £)

Shoppers have avoided high streets in recent days after rioting across England and Belfast led to shops being vandalised and looted, hitting footfall for retailers and neighbouring businesses, figures show. (The Guardian)

Small can be beautiful when it comes to cutting costs, writes Harry Wallop in The Times. Whether its raising freezer temperatures or offering a thinner slice of lime, cost-cutting doesn’t have to be dramatic to make a big impact on the bottom line. (The Times £)

Shares of Asia’s largest beauty groups, usually a steady-as-she-goes sector, have been plunging this week. Japan’s Shiseido on Thursday fell the most in almost 37 years. South Korea’s Amorepacific this week had its worst day on the market since its listing 14 years ago. Global peers should take note: these moves are a sign of what is to come in the beauty world. (The Financial Times £)

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