The Grocer

Waitrose introduces loyalty pricing on Easter chocolate MyWaitrose members can now enjoy a third off a selection of Cadbury Easter Eggs and Lindt Lindor truffles

Waitrose has introduced loyalty pricing for a selection of Easter chocolate

Energy price surge sparks fresh uncertainty for convenience retailers Energy market volatility has intensified following disruption to shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around a fifth of global oil and gas supplies

Convenience retailers facing renewed uncertainty over energy costs

Wholesale prices rise amid conflict in the Middle East

M&A appetite remains strong after 2025 uplift, figures show Transaction numbers rose 9% year on year, with total deals up from 169 in 2024 to 184. This growth signalled renewed confidence across the market as economic conditions began to stabilise, said BDO

Deal activity ramped up in 2025 as petfood and nutrition M&A bulked up volumes

Appetite remaining strong in 2026 despite geopolitical uncertainty

NEW 🥧 Pie

M&S to launch Mother's Day roast dine-in deal for £20 serving four

Including new 650g Mushroom Stroganoff Vegetarian Pie - available in store now until Sunday

EU alignment sought for Food Data Transparency Partnership Defra is looking to hire advisers to ensure that the next phase of the group's work is 'coherent, informed and influential'

The government to hire a team of experts to more closely align its stuttering Food Data Transparency Partnership with the EU

Chocolate sales rising faster among GLP-1 users, Lindt claims According to Lindt, US sales of premium chocolate increased among GLP-1 users by nearly 17% in 2025

Chocolate sales rising faster among users of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs in the US than the wider population, Lindt claims

Asda to pay staff bonus as ‘thank you’ for work in turbulent year Executive chairman Allan Leighton confirmed to around 9,500 salaried staff that they will receive a thank you payment at the end of the month, despite some teams having missed their annual targets

Asda to reward staff with their annual bonus 💸

A thank you for their hard work during a turbulent year for the supermarket

Charlie Bigham’s first manufacturer to eliminate all edible food waste Charlie Bigham's said it had developed a number of pioneering processes to eliminate food waste

Charlie Bigham’s claims to be first manufacturer to successfully eliminate all edible #foodwaste across its production process

NEW 🥭 Kefir

Bio&Me to launch new kefir drinks

Matcha Vanilla and Cocoa available in Sainsbury’s from 22 April and Matcha Vanilla, Mango & Peach and Berry & Acai available in Tesco from 20 May for rsp: £2/280ml

Fuel Finder data reveals Britain’s priciest forecourt as oil majors push through rises BP-branded Exeter forecourt charges 27% more than the UK average, Reeves warns against fuel price exploitation

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

Pump prices at forecourts operating under major oil brands surge ⛽

Despite Chancellor Reeves warning retailers not to exploit the #MiddleEast crisis to drive up costs

💬 Are Fuel Finder transparency rules enough to keep pressure on pump prices?

‘Just real food’ ad ban decision ‘disgraceful misuse of regulatory power’ claims Zoe The ASA has stood firm in its decision, which Zoe co-founder Professor Tim Spector called 'patronising' and 'absurd'

Health brand Zoe has accused the ASA of a “profound failure of logic”

It decided to uphold its ban a social media ad which claimed the Zoe Daily30+ supplement is “just real food”

Whole Foods Market to triple its intake of UK challenger brands It followed 'strong demand' earlier in the year, with more than 500 submissions to its seasonal Pitching Day in April

Whole Foods Market is tripling the intake to its challenger brand scheme

Kicking off its seasonal hunt for more than 50 new-to-market brands

NEW 🍫 Chocolate

Nestlé to launch new limited edition Yorkie Salted Caramel Pretzel Duo

Available in stores from this week for rsp: £1.29

Supermarket AI making supplier forecasting ‘nightmare’ even worse A group representing more than 20 mid to large-sized suppliers met with Adjudicator Mark White last month to raise the issue

AI rolled out by supermarkets to improve forecasting data has made a “nightmarish” situation even worse

Suppliers tell Groceries Code Adjudicator it is leading to huge levels of #foodwaste

Leon brings back Fish Finger Wrap as it kicks off Icon Dishes series It marks the return of one of the healthy fast-food brand's 'most-loved dishes'

Leon is bringing back its Fish Finger Wrap 🌯

To celebrate it is transforming its Regent Street store into a British “chippy”

Aldi to create 1,100 jobs this year as part of UK expansion The jobs will come as part of previously announced plans to open about 40 new UK stores in 2026

Aldi to create more than 1,100 new jobs this year

Both full and part-time roles will be available, from store assistants and cleaners to store managers on salaries of up to £69k

Functional soft drinks outshone low & no-alcohol in Dry January – data Across cola, flavoured carbonates, lemonade, sports and energy, functional variants grew by 28.5% to £11.3m in January,

Functional soft drinks sales grew at a faster rate than low & no alcohol products in Dry January

Asda giving away thousands of free flowers in Mother’s Day sales drive To claim their free bouquet, shoppers need to find the store community champion and say the phrase 'mum's the word'

Asda to hand out thousands of free flowers to shoppers ahead of Mother’s Day

Most Mother’s Day flowers grown by workers in ‘harsh conditions’, Fairtrade says Fairtrade revealed 96% of UK adults were unaware most of the flowers sold at this time of year come from countries, such as Kenya, where workers can earn as little as £2 a day or less

Mother's Day flowers? 🥀

Fairtrade warns most grown by workers earning poor pay in “harsh conditions”

Reeves warns forecourts against exploiting Middle East crisis with fuel price rises Reeves said she had asked the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) to be 'vigilant' over essential costs including road fuel and heating oil

Worried about fuel prices? ⛽

Chancellor Rachel Reeves warns forecourt retailers against exploiting the Middle East crisis to drive up costs

NEW 🫘 Beans

Merchant Gourmet has entered the baked beans category

Gourmet, Barbecue and Masala available for rsp: £2/200g

🔗 See where to get them here: https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/merchant-gourmet-unveils-elevated-baked-beans-range/716254.article

Heck buys back private equity shares to return to family ownership The sausage business has confirmed it will be buying back its equity stake from investment partner Panoramic after an 11-year partnership

Heck has become 100% family owned again 🥓

The sausage supplier is buying back its equity stake from investment partner Panoramic after an 11-year partnership

Plenish rolls out ingredient-led rebrand and ‘biggest ever’ campaign It comes with Plenish having outpaced broader category growth in juice shots

Plenish has unveiled a new visual identity for its shots range

Alongside its largest-ever marketing campaign to drive trial and juice shot category growth

Weight-loss drug users cut grocery and takeaway spending Consumers using weight-loss drugs reported notable changes in their diets, scaling back on high-calorie convenience food and alcohol in favour of healthier options

GLP-1 weight-loss drug users spending less on groceries and takeaways

Even after they have finished taking them

NEW 🐣 Easter

Asda has launched its Easter range for 2026

Highlights include a pistachio & Himalayan salt white chocolate egg as well as cherry bakewell and salted caramel hot cross buns

🔗 See what's new here: https://bit.ly/4styZFU

Lindt & Sprüngli lowers growth expectations amid war in the Middle East Warren Ackerman of Barclays said he believed the cut to guidance was more focussed around consumer sentiment, given Lindt's exposure to the Middle East is not that significant

Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli has slashed its growth guidance for 2026

It warned of geopolitical uncertainties amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East

Walkers trademark activity points to air fryer innovation It has applied to register 'Walkers Creations' with the IPO

Walkers appears to be honing plans to launch a customisable air fryer potato snack

Oatly invests $16m in Swedish production plant The $16m investment will expand infrastructure and boost the site's production capacity by more than 33%

Oatly announces multi-year investment in its Landskrona production facility in Sweden

$16m going towards its accelerated global demand for #plantbased drinks

North Sea scampi fishing may carry a hidden climate cost, study says Researchers from the University of Exeter examined seabed carbon in the Fladen Ground, where crustaceans such as Norwegian lobster are caught by bottom trawling

Fishing for scampi in the North Sea may carry a hidden climate cost

New research shows bottom trawling can disturb carbon buried in ancient seabeds

Gü recalls mispacked cheesecakes containing hazelnuts Gü has urged shoppers not to eat the product

Gü recalls batch of desserts mispacked with cheesecakes containing hazelnuts