Matthew Valentine

5 days ago | grocerygazette.co.uk | Matthew Valentine

The UK’s complex planning system is slowing new store openings and hampering job creation, according to Aldi UK boss Giles Hurley, speaking just months after other retailers called for discount stores to be held to the same planning rules as mainstream supermarkets. The discounter chief executive said that a once straightforward 12-week planning process can now take up to three years, with rival retailers using objections to delay new stores for as long as possible.

1 week ago | grocerygazette.co.uk | Matthew Valentine

Asda executive chairman Allan Leighton has doubled down on his support for controversial trials of facial recognition technology in the supermarket’s stores, saying that protecting staff is his number one priority. The supermarket chain began trialling the technology in five stores in the Manchester area earlier this year. The system is integrated into existing CCTV networks and compares images of shoppers to a database of people who have previously engaged in criminal activity in Asda stores.

1 week ago | marketingweek.com | Matthew Valentine

If NPD “hits all of the elements of a good marketing strategy”, why aren’t more marketers influencing innovation? By Matthew Valentine 29 May 2025 7:00 am The 4Ps of product, price, place and promotion are generally cited as the four cornerstones of modern marketing practice. But, according to marketers who took part in Marketing Week’s 2025 Career & Salary Survey, influence over the 4Ps cannot be taken for granted.

1 week ago | grocerygazette.co.uk | Matthew Valentine

Meat and poultry prices have seen continued inflationary pressures, according to new data from the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS). The AIMS Fresh Meat and Poultry Monthly inflation report, published today, shows that prices have risen by 0.9% over the last month across the four farmed species covered: beef, lamb, pork and chicken. The latest inflation figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) put fresh food inflation at 1.8%.

1 week ago | grocerygazette.co.uk | Matthew Valentine

Grocery sales grew by 4.4% over the four weeks to 18 May, despite a jump in inflation over the same period, according to the latest sales figures from market research company Kantar. Grocery price inflation reached 4.1% during the period, its highest level since February last year, says Kantar. The warm start to May saw climbing sales of barbecue-related products and sun-block, while consumers also focused on their health. Sports nutrition ranges and fresh fruit products also saw a boost.