UK online supermarket Ocado said investment in its partnership deals would hit short-term profits, while remaining tight-lipped about media reports of tie-up talks with Marks & Spencer.

Irish Water has pleaded with the public to report leaks and “change their mindset on water usage”, advising that measures being put in place to deal with water shortages could last for months.

Tesco has reported a 2.7% rise in like-for-like sales at its Irish operations for its latest financial year.

Irish grocery spending continued to set records to reach a high of €2.61bn for any January period and the second highest only to the Christmas period, as grocery prices remained largely unchanged, according to a major study.

Wholesaler BWG which is best known as the supplier to Spar, Eurospar, Londis, and other independent stores in the Republic says it plans to buy rival 4 Aces Wholesale.

Tesco shares struggled — rising gradually after being down for most of the day — despite data showing that the supermarket giant probably outperformed its smaller UK rivals during the festive season.

By Geoff Percival

Dunnes Stores has overtaken SuperValu and Tesco Ireland to become Ireland’s best-performing supermarket chain, boosted by a spike in consumer grocery spending around the time of Storm Ophelia in mid-October.

Shoppers have continued to spend more at supermarket tills even with an easing in price reductions, new figures show.

Each of the "big four" grocers lost customer share in the last quarter despite increasing sales as Aldi and Lidl collectively accounted for half of the entire market's overall growth, figures show.

Tesco shares fell up to 4% yesterday as a strong contribution from international assets to its first-half earnings suggested the British retailer is not immune to Brexit effects.

Tesco saw its strongest sales growth at its Irish operations in five years in the past three months despite grocery prices continuing to fall.

Aldi has seen sales jump to record heights despite profits slipping by nearly a fifth as the supermarket drove investment into cutting prices and expanding its reach.

SuperValu remains the biggest supermarket in Ireland in terms of market share, but it only barely held off stiff competition from Tesco in the 12 weeks to mid-August, writes Pádraig Hoare.

SuperValu remains the biggest supermarket in Ireland in terms of market share, but it only barely held off stiff competition from Tesco in the 12 weeks to mid-August.

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.

SuperValu remains narrowly ahead of rival Tesco in the tussle for shoppers with the grocery market growing at the fastest rate since January 2017, according to the latest Kantar Worldpanel market share figures, writes Pádraig Hoare.

Here's your morning news bulletin.

SuperValu remains narrowly ahead of rival Tesco in the tussle for shoppers with the grocery market growing at the fastest rate since January 2017, according to the latest Kantar Worldpanel market share figures.

Like-for-like sales at Tesco’s Irish operations showed marginal growth of 0.2% in the three months to the end of May — the first quarter of the British supermarket giant’s financial year.

Discount retailer Lidl is to launch a high-end fashion collection for shoppers with German supermodel and designer Heidi Klum.

Prices in Irish supermarkets should be falling faster than they are as the huge Brexit surge in the value of the euro against sterling ought to be weighing on the grocery foodstuffs imported from Britain, according to leading economist Alan McQuaid.

It’s not news, but health continues to be a major driver within the grocery sector.

Irish shoppers are choosing to buy homegrown brands despite the continued rise of own-label products.

UK supermarket Sainsbury is struggling to keep up with supermarket rivals and discounters in a British grocery market under pressure from a Brexit-induced fall in the value of sterling.

SuperValu has gained an edge over its supermarket rivals just as the grocery market has slipped into deflation for the first time in two years.

The Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association (RGDATA) has temporarily put the brakes on German discounters Aldi and Lidl further expanding in Ireland.

Tesco Ireland has temporarily put the brakes on German discounter Aldi’s Irish expansion plans.

British consumers are feeling the strain of rising prices caused by last year’s Brexit vote, suggesting the economy is heading for a slowdown just as London gears up for divorce talks with the EU, surveys and data showed yesterday.

Consumers are set to benefit further as tightening competition in the grocery sector is set to keep a lid on rising prices.

Christmas spending at UK supermarkets and weak sterling helped boost London’s Ftse 100 blue-chip index, which hit fresh record highs yesterday, as other European shares also ended slightly in positive territory.

German discount retail giant Lidl has overcome opposition from an independent retailers’ body to secure planning for a new store at Greystones in Co Wicklow.

New figures show SuperValu and Dunnes Stores are tied as Ireland's largest grocer.

New figures show Dunnes Stores has become Ireland's largest grocery retailer.

Dunnes Stores has overtaken Tesco as the second largest player in the Irish grocery market, new figures show.

Tesco’s position as the country’s second largest supermarket has come under renewed threat after a period of strong growth from Dunnes Stores saw it draw level with the UK retailer.