Lidl has leapfrogged upmarket supermarket Waitrose in the UK’s competitive food retail market, industry data showed yesterday, a sign that cash-strapped UK shoppers are still having to count their pennies.

UK grocery prices rose slightly from November to December, according to data from tracking website www.mySupermarket.com

Pork and bacon producer Oakpark Foods is due to launch four new products into the UK market next month with supermarket chain Morrisons.

Bord Bia have organised a two-day market study visit to London coinciding with the Natural and Organic Products Show in April.

British takeover target Home Retail reported improved trading at its Argos stores and a bigger-than-expected cash pile yesterday, a week before a deadline for bids.

Sainsbury’s, Britain’s second-biggest supermarket, yesterday confirmed a better-than-expected performance in its Christmas quarter and upgraded its sales forecast for the second half.

Retail giant Amazon has begun selling chilled and frozen food products online amid speculation it is to launch a full-scale assault on the grocery market.

Retail giant Amazon has begun selling chilled and frozen food products online amid speculation it is to launch a full-scale assault on the grocery market.

Discount retailer Aldi reported a fall in its UK profits today as the supermarket price war there took its toll on earnings despite sales surging to a new record level.

British supermarket Morrisons and German trader Aldi responded yesterday to pressure from financially strapped dairy farmers by raising the price they pay milk suppliers.

Price cuts and better service helped Tesco to win back shoppers in the first quarter of its financial year, Britain’s biggest retailer said yesterday, suggesting new boss Dave Lewis’s turnaround plan is starting to bear fruit.

The London market ended lower yesterday with traders concerned that Greece’s debt talks will see it default next week unless a deal is agreed.

Britain’s major supermarkets are investigating allegations that workers who grow the salads and winter vegetables they sell are routinely mistreated and cheated out of pay.

The UK Post Office has launched a new brand for its products as it bids to become one of the UK’s biggest financial services providers by the end of the decade.

There has been a significant rise in the amount of contaminated chickens bought in Ireland, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

New Tesco boss Dave Lewis will be under pressure over plunging profits and a £250m accounting scandal when the company publishes half-year results today.

Spending in food stores in the UK dropped in July for the first time in at least 25 years as the supermarket price war took effect, official figures showed today.

Tune in to BBC2 at 9pm for Children of Syria. Lyse Doucet follows the lives of six children over six months. Their stories offer an intimate and powerful insight into a country being torn apart.

Discounter Lidl ramped up pressure on the major UK supermarkets today by announcing it will spend £220m on 20 new stores, creating 2,500 jobs.

The maker of some of Britain’s best known food brands said sales have been below expectations as it feels the impact of weak supermarket trading.

The Musgrave group has poured cold water on reports that it is to open a fully fledged bank, but is planning on entering the financial services market.

Tesco’s recovery plans will come under more scrutiny tomorrow when it delivers half year results amid mounting pressure on its market share in Ireland and the UK.

Supermarket giant Tesco has revealed plans to bolster its upmarket credentials by sponsoring hit period drama Downton Abbey.

British supermarket giant Sainsbury’s posted better-than-expected sales figures today after a quarter in which no horsemeat was found in any of its products.

Tesco has been voted the worst supermarket and Waitrose the best in an annual poll of 11,000 consumers by UK watchdog Which?

Sainsbury’s continued to show its rivals a clean pair of heels today after it reported a 5% rise in half-year profits to £373 million (€466m).

The dairy farming debate is getting hot and heavy in the UK, with sharp divisions following perceived political lines between the left and Tory voting farmers, or between those who see a special role for farmers and those who believe in farmers being left to sink or swim in a free market.

Sustainable, low-carbon food production is vital for Ireland’s clean image and also cuts business costs, according to 120 food and drink industry chief executives gathered in the UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business yesterday to launch a Bord Bia-led programme.

One in five supermarket chickens is contaminated with the food poisoning bacteria campylobacter, an investigation in Britain has found.

More positive signs from the US failed to lift London’s leading shares index today as fears over the eurozone and a credit agency warning to banks rattled investors.

Supermarket giant Tesco saw its share of the grocery market dip below 30% for the first time in nearly seven years as it struggled to compete with low-cost rivals, figures showed yesterday.

The UK’s biggest supermarket, Tesco, started its price war today after cutting the cost of 3,000 products as part of a £500m (€575m) campaign.

David Cameron called a press conference today as his former communications chief faced arrest over the phone hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World.

THE former editor of the News of the World, Andy Coulson, is to be arrested this morning. The Guardian reported that he had been told to attend a central London police station for questioning over claims he knew about phone hacking.

Senior executives at supermarket Sainsbury’s met with government officials in China to discuss opening the group’s first overseas stores for almost a decade, it emerged today.

The FTSE 100 Index advanced almost 2% today as the International Monetary Fund’s upgrade of global growth prospects boosted sentiment.

British retailers have a “very tough” 12 months in store despite reporting robust Christmas sales figures, the head of the industry’s trade body has warned.

There were mixed emotions for investors today as the decade concluded with the FTSE 100 Index registering its best annual performance since 1997.

Sainsbury’s is to create 100 jobs in west Belfast, it was revealed today.

A closing down sale at ailing retailer Woolworths starts today, raising fears for around 25,000 jobs at the business.