Reaction to ASDA/Sainsbury’s Deal
Monday 30th April 2018
Sainsbury’s and Asda have agreed to a deal merge, in what would be the biggest shake-up of Britain’s retail sector in years. The deal would create Britain’s biggest supermarket chain with combined revenues of around £51bn.
Head of Retail, Andy Brian, who has a wealth of experience in the grocery sector, commented on the deal shortly after it was confirmed by Sainsbury’s CEO, Mike Coupe.
He said: “This potential deal has come as a huge shock even for those in the industry, and it seems people are still guessing what might happen if Asda and Sainsbury’s were to join forces.
“One thing is clear: despite what is being said officially, stores would have to close. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the brands, although it would of course be a bad thing for those store employees. Moving forwards, one theory is that this deal could allow Sainsbury’s the freedom to compete hard against M&S Food and Waitrose at the top end of the grocery market and leave Asda to compete further on price against the other mid-market players, as well as Aldi and Lidl.
“It’s not yet clear whether that’s the real intention, but any deal would undoubtedly shake up the UK supermarket sector, possibly like never before.”
You can read Andy Brian’s comment in response to the Asda and Sainsbury’s merger in The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Express.
