What's happened
Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's both report strong sales and profits, with M&S regaining its position as the UK's biggest womenswear retailer and Sainsbury's claiming market share from discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Why it matters
The strong performance of these major UK retailers indicates resilience in consumer spending and market share gains, which is significant in the context of the challenging retail sector and cost-of-living pressures.
What the papers say
The Guardian reports M&S's strong performance and dividend payout, while The Independent and The Times provide insights into Sainsbury's market share gains and increased profit outlook.
How we got here
Both M&S and Sainsbury's have been navigating a challenging retail environment and cost-of-living pressures, with Sainsbury's particularly focused on keeping food costs down for cash-strapped customers.
More on these topics
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J Sainsbury plc trading as Sainsbury's is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 16.0% share of the supermarket sector.
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Simon John Roberts is a British businessman, and the chief executive officer of Sainsbury's since 1 June 2020, having previously been
retail operations director. He is a former managing director of Boots UK.
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Aldi is the common brand of two German family-owned discount supermarket chains with over 10,000 stores in 20 countries, and an estimated combined turnover of more than €50 billion.
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Argos Limited, trading as Argos, is a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a subsidiary of Sainsbury's. It was established in November 1972 and is named after the Greek city of Argos.